ACEC New York Presents 99 Engineering Excellence Awards; 15 Firms Capture 17 Diamond Awards; Weidlinger Associates Wins Grand Conceptor.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2004

The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) this evening presented 99 engineering excellence awards to member firms for the design of outstanding projects in the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Pakistan. The state honors were given at the Council's annual gala dinner dance in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Fifteen firms won ACEC New York's Diamond Award, the highest award for excellence at the state level, for 17 projects in nine categories. Two firms, Daniel Frankfurt, P.C. and Han-Padron Associates, LLP, each won Diamond Awards in two categories.

Among the state honorees was Weidlinger Associates Inc., which also won the Grand Conceptor Award, the highest award given by the national ACEC organization, for its forensic study of the World Trade Center collapses following the September 11 attack. In addition, four other national awards were won by ACEC New York member firms.

The Diamond Award winners by category are:

-- Building/technology systems

-- Environmental engineering

-- Special projects

-- Structural systems

-- Studies, research, consulting engineering

-- Surveying, mapping technology

-- Transportation

-- Water resources

-- Water and wastewater

Gary Loesch, president of ACEC New York, in addressing the celebrants said, "Engineers are natural born problem solvers. It's what we like, and it's what we do. And the results, as witnessed by the complexity and variety of the projects we honor here this evening, translate into a safer, healthier, and more visually pleasing environment in which to live, work and play. Each year, the projects keep raising the bar for excellence, and each year our members reach or exceed the goal."

The Diamond Award winners, by category, are:

Building/Technology Systems

-- Arup, New York, N.Y., Simmons Hall, MIT, Cambridge, Mass.

Chuck Vest, president of Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, describes the building program on his campus as "a

mega-scale interdisciplinary research project." The program's

first completed project is Simmons Hall, a 350-bed student

residence with a full range of amenities. To realize architect

Steven Holl's vision of an integrated sponge-like building,

Arup proposed a Mixed Mode System that combines mechanical

cooling effects of a low volume ducted air-conditioning system

with the natural ventilation effects of opening windows. When

MIT accepted Arup's idea, the Institute paved the way for one

of the first major buildings in the U.S. to use such a Mixed

Mode System. The project also received an Honor Award from the

national ACEC.

Environmental

-- Lawler, Matusky & Skelly Engineers LLP, Pearl River, N.Y.,

Fulton Fish Market Brownsfield Redevelopment, Bronx, N.Y. The

former site of a large coal gasification plant on Hunts Point

offered the ideal size and location for the new Fulton Fish

Market. Tasked with the environmental cleanup of the site,

Lawler, Matusky & Skelly conducted a site investigation that

showed significant soil and groundwater contamination from

coal tar that had to be excavated before construction of the

market could begin. By locating the remediation system under

the new building's footprint, construction could go forth

during remediation, thereby accelerating the construction

schedule by 2 1/2 years. As an added benefit, the coal tar

excavated from the site was taken off site and used for energy

production that generated enough electricity to power more

than 10,000 homes for over three months.

Special Projects

-- Cameron Engineering & Associates, LLP, Syosset, N.Y., Glen

Oaks Campus, Queens, N.Y. To alleviate school overcrowding,

the New York City Board of Education authorized the creation

of "Education Park," a 33-acre site in Queens that contains a

new elementary, intermediate and high school, infrastructure

systems, internal road network, parking areas, playgrounds,

and off-road and traffic infrastructure improvements. Cameron

Engineering's design services included civil/site, traffic

engineering and landscape architectural services for

permitting,preparation of construction documents and

construction support. Securing multiple layers of regulatory

approvals and permits associated with the project was one of

the major challenges. It is the single largest project ever

undertaken by the New York City School Construction Authority.

-- Han-Padron Associates, LLP, New York, N.Y., Hudson River Park,

Segment 4, New York, N.Y. As the waterfront engineer

subconsultant on the project, Han-Padron Associates prepared

the detailed design for the first phase of the Hudson River

Park that ultimately will provide 550 acres of open

recreational space along almost five miles of the Hudson River

on Manhattan's West Side. It is the largest open-space

development in the city since the completion of Central Park.

Han-Padron's scope of work included the inspection,

evaluation, detail design and construction support for the

rehabilitation of 3,300 feet of existing shoreline bulkhead,

demolition of Piers 42 and 49, and the reconstruction of Piers

45, 46 and 51. The firm also provided above and underwater

inspections and bathymetric surveys.

Structural Systems

-- Cantor Seinuk, P.C., New York, N.Y., Time Warner Center, New

York, N.Y. This latest jewel in the crown of New York City,

houses a state-of-the-art theater, broadcasting facilities,

residential floors, a hotel, office and retail space and

restaurants within its 2.1 million sq. ft. confines. Ascending

to 748 ft., its two towers rise above a "podium" base. The

multifunctional structure incorporates seven "stacked

buildings" each with a different owner and architect. Cantor

Seinuk selected an innovative structural system that would

provide maximum flexibility for each of the buildings'

requirements. Independent of the supporting columns, the

structure permits the columns to "adapt" to the specific

requirements of each of the "stacked buildings." Two concrete

cores located under each tower pierce the podium and extend

from the ground to the transfer trusses located at the top of

the podium. The cores act as a double backbone resisting all

lateral and torsional forces. Sloped or split "A" shaped

columns provide maximum space usage from the podium level to

the lower levels.

-- DeSimone Consulting Engineers, PLLC, New York, N.Y., Richard

B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Bard College,

Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. This innovative building on the

campus of Bard College is designed to house collegiate opera,

dance and orchestral productions and theatrical teaching

facilities. The 860-seat, 64,000 sq. ft. performance

auditorium and rigging tower are housed under a signature

metal "skin." As the structural engineers for the Center,

DeSimone dealt with many complex geometries resulting

ultimately in a harmony of three separate systems: cast in

place reinforced concrete, reinforced masonry and structural

steel. Its ingenuity is most easily comprehended when viewing

the complex simplicity of the metal skin support structure.

While pieces of metal soar to heights of up to 100 ft. and

cantilever out to dramatic piercing knife-edge corners, the

building's primary support steel is comprised of rhythmic 2D

planar curved steel members braced by web-like trusses of

straight, universally oriented diagonal elements.

-- Han-Padron Associates, LLP, New York, N.Y., Petroleum Import

Terminal, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic As part of

a program by Cogentrix to increase the electric power supply

in the Dominican Republic, a new combined cycle gas turbine

power plant was built on the south coast of the country. To

supply the plant with fuel oil, an offshore receiving terminal

was needed to accommodate fuel tankers. Han-Padron Associates

was retained to perform the detail design of the offshore

terminal and the submarine pipeline to the shoreline block

valve approximately 100 meters inshore from the coastline.

After overseeing the bathymetric survey for the best site, a

seafloor probe was conducted to determine optimum locations

for the mooring buoys that would anchor the tankers and to

design a discharge hose connected to an underwater fuel

pipeline encased in a tunnel drilled under the submerged

reefs.

-- Robert Silman Associates, P.C., New York, N.Y., Judy and

Arthur Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y. Zankel

Hall, Carnegie Hall's new 644-seat theater is a structurally

complicated below-grade expansion. Re-supporting and

excavating under historic Carnegie Hall, protecting historic

fabric, avoiding interference with the New York City subway 

only 9 ft. away, and maintaining regular rehearsals and

performances during construction were challenges Robert Silman

Associates had to face. 6000 cu. yds. of rock were removed by

drilling, chipping, chemicals and controlled blasting. A

carefully planned scheme of temporary shoring and load

transfers allowed existing structure to be removed and new

structure installed without disturbing the landmark.

Elliptical in shape with a 7-degree inward sloping wall,

Zankel Hall is acoustically isolated from other performance

spaces at Carnegie Hall. This project also won a prestigious

Grand Award from the national ACEC.

Studies, Research and Consulting Engineering

-- Metcalf & Eddy, New York, N.Y., SHARON Process, New York, N.Y.

New York City's Department of Environmental Protection

(NYCDEP) authorized a feasibility study leading to the first

full-scale demonstration in the United States of the

innovative SHARON Process (Single Reactor System for High

Ammonia Removal Over Nitrate) for the biological treatment of

high ammonia waste streams. The goal was to determine if the

process, which claims a 90 percent nitrogen removal rate, that

was developed in the Netherlands, was promising enough to

warrant its use at the city's water treatment plants. The

demonstration facility, which will be designed by Metcalf &

Eddy, will offer the NYCDEP the opportunity to test

operational issues in the New York City environment and

provide the back-up tankage and process for those periods when

sufficient aeration tanks are unavailable due to construction

activities. Before the SHARON process was selected for

testing, Metcalf & Eddy conducted extensive evaluations of the

many processes that were available.

-- Weidlinger Associates, Inc., New York, N.Y., WTC Structural

Engineering Investigation, New York, N.Y. In 2002, Weidlinger

Associates led the multidisciplinary team that performed the

most comprehensive engineering study of the World Trade Center

collapses to date. The analysis, based on original engineering

drawings, thousands of photos, and dozens of videotapes,

reconstructed the unfolding events, and leveraged

sophisticated software and validated airplane crash models to

assess the interior damage in both buildings that could not be

observed otherwise. The study proved conclusively that the

collapse of the South Tower did not cause or contribute to the

collapse of the North Tower. The project also won the Grand

Conceptor Award from the national ACEC, which is the most

prestigious award granted by the Council each year.

Surveying and Mapping Technology

-- Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, P.C., New York,

N.Y., St. John's University Master Plan Survey, Queens, N.Y.

Langan Engineering and Environmental Services was chosen as

the surveying consultant to a multiple member team to prepare

the Master Plan Survey for the expansion of St. John's

University. For the first time in the university's 130-year

history, St. John's would be offering on-campus housing to its

nearly 15,000 students. As the project was conceived as a

multi-phase expansion, the challenge for Langan was to provide

surveying services that coincided with the revolving design

and construction tasks. To meet the challenges, Langan

proposed a unique survey cycle solution consisting of seven

survey phases that combined traditional and advanced survey

techniques.

Transportation

-- Daniel Frankfurt, P.C. and DMJM+HARRIS/Turner Construction,

JV, New York, N.Y., W. 72nd Street Station Modernization, New

York, N.Y. Applying an innovative, historically appropriate

solution, Daniel Frankfurt served as the structural and civil

engineering lead to solve an entry/exit capacity problem at

this 100-year-old subway station "head house"--a New York City

and National Register landmark. Challenged with complexities

involving civil/traffic engineering, rail systems, structural

engineering and construction phasing, as well as supporting

Gruzen/Dattner JV, project architects, with developing an

outstanding architectural design, the project de-mapped a

block of Northbound Broadway, expanded an historic park, and

constructed a new second station house in a park/plaza

setting. The resulting design and the necessity of maintaining

full service in the subway line required a complex

construction process that was developed and managed by

DMJM+HARRIS/Turner Construction, JV. The project more than

doubled the entry/exit capacity of the station, provided ADA 

accessibility, and created an expanded park/plaza to be

enjoyed by the community. The project also received an Honor

Award from the national ACEC.

-- STV, New York, N.Y., AirTrain JFK, John F. Kennedy Airport,

New York AirTrain is the new light rail system designed to

provide fast, reliable ground transportation service to, from

and around John F. Kennedy International Airport. STV served

as the architect/engineer of record on this fast-track

design-build-operate-maintain project. It delivered the design

solutions that enabled this state-of-the-art system to be

built within the strict confines of JFK's Central Terminal

Area and along the median of a busy expressway, with minor

interruptions. The 8.1-mile system links the airport's airline

terminals, car rental agencies and parking lots and also

connects to subways, a major commuter railroad and buses.

-- Vollmer Associates LLP, New York, N.Y., Route 9A Emergency

Reconstruction, New York, N.Y. The September 11th terrorist

attack on the World Trade Center reduced travel time within

lower Manhattan to a trickle due to mountains of debris.

Trucks had to move huge amounts of materials, even while

rescue, recovery and security crews and their equipment worked

24/7. The emergency reconstruction of Route 9A was

accomplished in only six months. Once the WTC clean-up and

hauling operations were well underway, Vollmer Associates'

team designed and constructed the six-lane interim roadway in

just three months. The complex project was critical to

enabling West Street, Battery Park City and the World

Financial Center to function again. Complicated logistics,

unprecedented coordination, familiarity with area

infrastructure, and rapid mobilization all contributed to the

extraordinary effort.

Water Resources

-- Daniel Frankfurt, P.C., New York, N.Y., Swindler Cove Wetland

Restoration, New York, N.Y. Located at the north end of the

Harlem River Drive waterfront, Sherman Creek was formerly the

site of derelict boatyards and marinas as well as uncontrolled

dumping, making it one of the most environmentally degraded

parcels on the Manhattan waterfront. Providers of the funding,

the New York State Department of Transportation, partnered

with Daniel Frankfurt, who provided environmental and

engineering designs. Work on the project consists of wetlands

restoration, a bridge and pier for wetlands observation, a

pond and waterfall, community gardens, picnic area, bikeway,

vantage points for river views, and meandering paths through

wooded areas. Re-named Swindler Cove, the site has become an

educational and recreational resource for school children and

the surrounding community. The project also received an Honor

Award from the national ACEC.

Water & Wastewater

-- Hazen and Sawyer, P.C., New York, N.Y., Paerdegat Basin CSO 

Facility Slurry Wall, Brooklyn, N.Y. The New York City

Department of Environmental Protection selected Hazen and

Sawyer to plan, design and provide construction-phase

engineering services for the Paerdegat Basin Water Quality

Facility, which will store stormwater runoff, thereby

improving water quality. Among the major challenges was how to

build 40-ft.-deep tanks with foundations of up to 60 ft. deep

in a densely populated area with a groundwater table only 10

to 15 ft. below grade. The firm and its geotechnical

subconsultant, Mueser Rutledge, met this challenge by

designing a slurry wall cutoff system - the deepest in the

tri-state area. Completion of the cutoff wall paved the way

for the water quality improvement program and led to an

estimated savings of $23 million in avoided impacts to the

nearby community vs. use of conventional dewatering.

-- O'Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., Little Falls,

N.Y. Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade, Little Falls, N.Y.

At the time of project initiation, the city of Little Falls'

wastewater treatment plant was overloaded by more than 75

percent biochemical oxygen demand, resulting in a

non-compliance with its SPDES discharge permit limits. In

addition, the plant's biosolids incinerator was out of

service, causing the city to landfill dewatered biosolids at

additional cost. O'Brien & Gere evaluated, designed and

implemented upgrades and process improvements to the treatment

plant. The $2.2 million project more than doubled the plant's

capacity to receive five-day biochemical oxygen demand,

returning the plant to compliance with its SPDES discharge

permit limits. Repairs O'Brien & Gere made to the plant's

existing biosolids incinerator eliminated the need to landfill

dewatered biosolids, providing the city with an annual cost

savings of $250,000/year.

Founded in 1921, ACEC New York is the oldest continuing organization of professional consulting engineering firms in the U.S. A statewide association, its members represent all major engineering disciplines and range from highly specialized solo practitioners to multidiscipline firms employing thousands with branch offices worldwide.

Note to Editor: The complete list of 99 Engineering Excellence Award winners (separated into the eight regions of New York State) is available in the EEA Section of the ACEC New York Website: www.acecny.org. Detailed descriptions of the projects are also available.