ACEC 2025 Engineering Excellence Award Winners – Honor Awards

A group of U.S. state transportation agencies led by the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration commissioned a study to define and implement a national data standard for the use of Building Information Technology (BIM) for bridges and structures. As more designers look to BIM for bridges, this new unified standard will enable users to share data, irrespective of which BIM program is used—a ground-breaking development that will change the way bridges are designed for the next generation.

Located on the campus of the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building houses facilities focused on discoveries in neurosciences and cancer research. Inside the Kellen Building, researchers conduct both basic and translational research, with clinical practice and education all under the same roof. Innovative risk-based zoning allows varied hazard levels to cohabitate within the same building, encouraging collaboration and reducing the need for high-cost, hazard-intense laboratory space.

An example of diplomacy in stone, the new U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger combines the best of American architecture with the beauty and majesty of Nigerien landscapes, with a modern design that honors local culture and adapts to local climate. The new embassy was designed with an eye toward sustainability, incorporating green building techniques like on-site water purification and natural shading systems. Certified LEED Platinum, the embassy incorporates a suite of energy-efficient features, and a state-of-the-art microgrid ensures the self-sufficient compound does not use local resources.

The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at New York’s American Museum of Natural History serves as a connection point among 10 museum buildings, linking the entire campus and establishing a new entrance in Theodore Roosevelt Park. At the heart of the Gilder Center is its five-story Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium, which features flowing forms inspired by southwestern canyons. The structure is composed of shotcrete, a technique developed by museum naturalist Carl Ackley that involves spraying concrete directly on to rebar.

Built in the mid-late 1920s, the Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Street Bridges – collectively known as the “Three Sisters Bridges” – span the Allegheny River and are crucial for connecting downtown Pittsburgh’s business district with North Shore landmarks like PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium. With each bridge showing its age in distinct ways, each was rehabilitated separately to address its unique aging challenges. The team was mindful of the historical significance of the bridges, using materials not normally used in modern bridge construction to maintain the look and feel of the past while ensuring structural integrity.

I-35W is a major artery in Minneapolis, with traffic volume expected to reach more than a quarter of a million vehicles per day in the next decade. For decades, traffic lanes would flood after storms, bringing traffic to a standstill for hours. The project team developed Minnesota’s first vertical underground stormwater storage facility (SSF). Composed of six connected, 80-foot-deep chambers with a combined capacity equal to seven Olympic-size swimming pools, the cells significantly reduce stormwater flooding along the interstate, keeping traffic moving during storms.

The Deer Creek Watershed consists of approximately 24,000 acres served by more than 100 miles of sanitary and combined sewers. Part of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Capital Improvement Program, this project aimed to mitigate basement backups and sewer overflows caused by heavy rains in a half-dozen surrounding communities. The project team designed a deep storage tunnel capable of holding 38 million gallons of stormwater. A pump station then drains the tunnel in less than 48 hours, with advanced hydraulic modeling to ensure efficiency and reliability.

When Vigor purchased a 27-acre shipyard, the company assumed responsibility for decades of environmental damage caused by industrial operations. The Southwest Yard Restoration Project on Harbor Island transformed 2.7 acres of the shipyard into a new aquatic habitat refuge, restoring habitat for Chinook salmon, migratory birds, and other wildlife that had been exposed to hazardous substances over the years. The project team also modernized the shipyard operations with reconfigured piers, a revitalized drydock, and a new stormwater system.

Aimed at improving accessibility to one of the world’s busiest transit systems, this project included installing 11 new elevators and replacing five across eight Metropolitan Transit Authority stations in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. The team also made improvements at five elevated, two below-ground, and one open-cut station. The project significantly improves subway access for disabled passengers, advancing MTA’s goal of universally accessible stations that are aesthetically pleasing and provide an all-around positive commuter experience.

The RM 620 Railroad Overpass and Roundabout addresses long-standing traffic congestion caused by an at-grade railroad crossing frequently blocked by slow-moving rock trains. RM 620 is an essential roadway in the Round Rock community, serving commuters, area businesses, a residential neighborhood, and both the high school and medical center. The project team developed a solution that increased traffic capacity while minimizing environmental and property impact. They created an at-grade roundabout intersected by the railroad—with a bridge that handles 90 percent of the traffic spanning the entirety of the roundabout.

Seattle’s Overlook Walk is an inviting and accessible connection between Pike Place Market and the Seattle Waterfront, two of the Emerald City’s most iconic attractions. The project team designed an elevated park that includes ramps, stairs, elevators, a café, a play area, and landscaped open space, offering room to explore when wanted and rest when needed. Overlook Walk has quickly become a Seattle landmark, transforming a challenging 100-foot climb into a destination for tourists and residents alike.

The Valley Metro Northwest Extension Phase II added 1.6 miles of new track to Phoenix’s light rail system, improving connectivity for residents of the West Valley and enabling access to educational, employment, and entertainment opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. Key achievements of the project include incorporation of a park-and-ride garage to reduce its environmental footprint, $60 million in value engineering (VE) savings, the Valley’s first aerial multimodal transit center, and a rail-only bridge spanning all lanes of I-17, enabling future freeway expansion.

Part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) $3.7 billion Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway Project, the I-66/Nutley Street Interchange in a heavily populated part of Northern Virginia was originally planned as a diverging diamond interchange that would have required replacing an existing bridge and constructing a second. But the project team had other ideas, introducing a partial cloverleaf interchange design with double roundabouts while reusing the existing bridge – eliminating the need for a second structure. The project reduced costs, construction time, and environmental impacts, while enhancing traffic flow and safety.

The TSX Broadway project in New York’s Times Square transformed a 46-story hotel into a modern hotel and retail complex, all while incorporating the historic Palace Theatre. The project involved lifting the century-old theater an astonishing 31 feet into the air to create room for retail space below. The team provided the geotechnical engineering services for this project, in which excavation was performed while the theater was raised. This approach allowed for all below-grade and bracing work to occur simultaneously, minimizing disruption to one of the nation’s busiest intersections.

The Glass City Metropark project transformed a 70-acre industrial brownfield into a vibrant urban park. Toledo, Ohio, became known as the Glass City in the 1800s when it emerged as a major manufacturer of glass and a center of industry. The Metropark site was once home to a coal-fired power plant, which left the site covered in several feet of fly ash. The new design prioritized sustainable development and landscape resilience, while addressing soil issues created by the power plant. The park now includes three miles of nature trails, a marina, and recreated habitats.

The R.D. Morrow Generating Station Repower Project transformed Cooperative Energy’s aging coal-fired facility into a state-of-the-art natural gas combined-cycle plant. Utilizing an innovative heat recovery repower strategy, the project team incorporated existing infrastructure with advanced turbine technology. This initiative nearly tripled the plant’s capacity – and halved its carbon emissions. The team also prioritized community and employee engagement; the project was built primarily by crews from the area, with those crews achieving more than 1.9 million work hours with zero safety incidents.