ACEC-CO 2008 Engineering Excellence Awards

Seven Colorado engineering firms took top honors for local, national and international projects at the American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado’s 2008 Engineering Excellence Awards program.

Twenty-three projects were honored during the awards program, held in Denver on Nov. 5. Eleven projects received Merit Awards and five projects received Honor Awards. The seven projects that won the top prize Engineering Excellence Awards will go on to represent Colorado in the national ACEC competition on April 29th.

Building/Technology Systems M-E Engineers Inc.

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Visitor Center, Jackson, Wyo.; client, Carney Architects, Jackson, Wyo.

M-E Engineers was selected by Carney Architects to provide the mechanical, plumbing, electrical and fire protection systems design for the 1,106-acre, LSR Preserve Center and associated remote restroom facilities in Grand Teton National Park.

The design team worked to reduce the environmental impact of the building, save energy and water and design a beautifully crafted building that fits within the setting of the Teton mountain range. The project is anticipating a LEED-platinum certification.

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The visitor center uses 85% less energy than a conventional building. Key energy and water conservation features include the building envelope, daylighting, high-efficiency lighting and waterless toilets. The visitor center is heated using ground source heat pump technology that reduces its reliance on utility services.

Since the facilities at the Preserve are closed in the winter, easy winterization procedures were developed, including a design with the domestic water system. The heat pump operates year round to keep the temperature-sensitive exhibit equipment and the fire protection equipment within temperature range. The system is monitored and controlled remotely.

Building/Technology Systems Merrick & Co.

BSL-3Ag Large Animal Research Facility, Ames, Iowa; client, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa

Merrick & Co. was competitively selected by the USDA on behalf of Agricultural Research Service to perform the detailed architectural and engineering design and delivery of the construction documents and construction administration services for a new state-of-the-art, 153,650-sq-ft building, one of the initial elements of the $460-million Ames Modernization project.

The objective of this modernization project is to completely rebuild USDA’s research and diagnostic facilities in Ames. This $85-million facility allows first-class animal research and diagnostic operations to be conducted under strict protocols for safe containment of zoonotic and non-zoonotic pathogens. It will have a significant impact on the scientific, financial and political role the USDA plays nationally and globally in conducting high containment research and diagnostic programs. It is the largest and most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world.

Special Projects Merrick & Co.

Spallation Neutron Source Target Hot Cell, Oak Ridge, Tenn.; client, M+W Zander US Operations Inc./UT Battelle, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Merrick performed detailed design under a subcontract for a first-of-its-kind and one-of-a-kind shielded hot cell and associated support systems for the Target Building Hot Cell for the Spallation Neutron Source project at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Merrick was responsible for the multi-discipline design of the target maintenance hot cell, approximately 30 ft high by 14 ft wide by 100 ft long, with walls of 40-in.-thick, high-density concrete.

The target hot cell integrated requirements for radioactive mercury vapor, tritium and xenon, and liquid confinement, high radiation fields and remote operations with the requirements for mercury target system maintenance and operations. The cell had to be designed to integrate the solutions to these problems with the target systems and the building designed by others.

Structural Systems FIGG Bridge Engineers Inc.

Penobscot Narrows Bridge & Observatory, Waldo and Hancock counties, Maine; client, Maine Department of Transportation, Bucksport, Maine.

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge opened to traffic 42 months after the emergency replacement need was identified in December 2006. It was delivered under a unique owner-facilitated design-build process in which the designer and contractor were contracted directly by the owner, and the parties partnered to achieve an aggressive schedule. The new bridge is one of two installations of a new cradle system. And the construction of the cast-in-place concrete segmental box girder bridge was accomplished through a unique application of balanced cantilever construction. It is the first bridge in America of this type, with a single plane of stays construction with form travelers.

FIGG was responsible for the preliminary and final design of the bridge and observatory, public design workshops, construction engineering support for the contractor and onsite construction engineering inspection.

Surveying/Mapping Technology Merrick & Co.

Conservation Planning Using Hyperspectral Science, Hemmies Bend, Mo.; client, Kansas City and Omaha districts, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Mo.

Under the Water Resources Development Act, Congress authorized the Missouri River Mitigation Project to mitigate for fish and wildlife habitat losses that resulted from past channelization and flood control mechanisms placed on the river.

Merrick delivered a prototype project to the Kansas City and Omaha districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine if a combination of simultaneously collected spatial data, including LIDAR, digital color aerial photography and hyperspectral imagery through remote sensing technologies is a feasible technical solution to inventory and quantify existing and feature eagle habitat. LIDAR is a technology that determines distance to an object or surface using laser pulses, similar to radar technology.

The prototype study area is 22 sq mi and borders the Missouri River on Hemmies Bend near Corning, Mo. The area is comprised of mixed-hardwood timber and local ground vegetation, and is a known bald eagle nesting area.

Transportation URS Corp.

120th Avenue, Quebec to U.S. Highway 85, Adams County; client, Adams County, Colorado Public Works Dept.

The $37.3-million project consists of 2.8 mi. of new four-lane, divided arterial roadway that meets existing and future traffic demands, in what is arguably a premier example of context sensitive design. With urban development encroaching on both the east and west ends of the project site, Adams County recognized the need to provide better mobility while preserving and protecting a natural habitat for wildlife in the South Platte River Valley.

Various aspects of this design include connectivity to multi-use trails, replacement of and additional wetlands and riparian habitats, establishing the county’s first prairie dog habitat for the relocation of prairie dogs, and an innovative cutoff slurry wall to protect water storage from groundwater seepage and a sound wall.

Along with aesthetic features that tie the project together visually, the project allows users to connect to the environment both on the roadway and on the multi-use trail.

Water and Wastewater Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. Inc.

Town of Erie Lynn R. Morgan Water Treatment Plant Expansion, Erie; client, Town of Erie

Erie is experiencing rapid population growth and its current population of 12,500 is expected to triple over the next 15 years. This tremendous growth, combined with the arid climate, has presented the town with significant water supply challenges. The Lynn R. Morgan Water Treatment Plant combines water from two sources the Colorado-Big Thompson and South Boulder Creek.
 
Burns & McDonnell provided engineering design services, including preliminary evaluations, equipment pre-purchase specifications, process and ancillary equipment design, preliminary design, final design, preparation of bid documents and construction oversight and coordination with local building and fire departments and the State Health Department. They incorporated two different advanced water treatments systems and optimized performance and operation for a sustainable water solution for a growing community. This project increased the capacity of the water treatment plant and reduced waste while saving money and water in a region where water is a precious resource.
Honor Awards

Building/Technology Systems – EMC Engineers Inc.; Kinard Junior High School, Fort Collins; Poudre School District, Fort Collins

Special Projects – The RMH Group Inc.; Ball Aerospace Clean/Non-destructive Test Lab, Boulder; Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder

Structural Systems – Carter & Burgess Inc.; Highland Bridge, Denver; client, City & County of Denver

Studies, Research and Consulting Engineering Services – Ayres Associates; “Setting the Standard: A Holistic Approach to Riprap Design”; client, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.

Water Resources – URS Corp.; The Elkhead Reservoir Expansion Project, Craig; Colorado River Water Conservation District, Glenwood Springs

Merit Awards

Building/Technology Systems – Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers Inc.; Burr Oak Design Center, Fort Collins; client, John Dengler & Associates PC, Fort Collins

Building/Technology Systems – Cator, Ruma & Associates Co.; Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, Fort Collins; client, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Special Projects – Drexel, Barrell & Co.; Twenty Ninth Street (Crossroads Mall Redevelopment), Boulder; client, The Macerich Co., Boulder

Special Projects – Meurer & Associates, a Division of Kennedy/Jenks Consultants; Magic Sky Ranch Camp, Red Feather Lakes; client, Girl Scouts Mile Hi Council, Denver

Special Projects – Nolte Associates Inc.; Manitou Avenue Revitalization, Manitou Springs; client, City of Manitou Springs

Studies, Research and Consulting Engineering Services – Camp Dresser & McKee Inc.; Sustainable Options for Regional Water Supply Needs, Douglas and Arapahoe counties; client, South Metro Water Supply Authority, Greenwood Village

Structural Systems – HDR Engineering Inc.; Weaving the Threads of Commerce UP Railroad Bridge over I-25, Castle Rock; client, Colorado Department of Transportation, Region 6, Castle Rock

Transportation – DMJM Harris; I-70/E-470 Interchange Complex, Aurora; client, E-470 Public Highway Authority, Aurora.

Transportation – Felsburg Holt & Ullevig; Dry Creek Pedestrian Bridge Extension, Englewood; client, Inverness Metropolitan Improvement District, Arapahoe County and the Regional Transportation District, Arapahoe County

Transportation – URS Corp.; Now Open on Broadway, Street Reconstruction Takes Center Stage, Denver; client, City & County of Denver

Water and Wastewater – Camp Dresser & McKee Inc.; H2’06 Northern Water Supply Project, Arapahoe and Adams counties; East Cherry Creek Valley Water & Sanitation District, Aurora

Outstanding Board Graphics

Transportation – DMJM Harris; I-70/E-470 Interchange Complex, Aurora; client, E-470 Public Highway Authority, Aurora. 

2008 ACEC-CO Awards Judges

Marta Baker, SMPS Colorado Chapter President, Haselden Construction LLC

Kin DuBois, AIA Colorado President, klipp

Paige Lee, PEC Vice President, Engineered Systems Inc.

Tom McLagan, AGC Colorado President, Hyder Construction Inc.

Suzanne Moore, APWA Colorado President Elect, City of Greenwood Village

Terry Parker, Dean of Engineering, Colorado School of Mines

Mark Peterson, Department Director, Larimer County Engineer, Larimer County Engineering Department

Hal Simpson, State Engineer (retired)

Fred Travers, Electrical Engineer, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Bethany Trumble, ASHRAE Pikes Peak Chapter President, Farnsworth Group

Eric Wilinson, General Manager, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District & Municipal Subdistrict.

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