The American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado (ACEC Colorado) honored 16 Colorado consulting engineering firms’ design and research projects during its Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) virtual presentation on Nov. 2.
The ACEC Colorado annual EEA program recognizes consulting engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement and value. This year’s presentation was conducted digitally, featuring Steve Art, the economic development manager and urban renewal executive director for the City of Wheat Ridge, as the emcee, along with previously recorded project award videos.
The Grand Conceptor Award, representing the highest honor, was awarded to IMEG for the Denver Water Operations Complex Redevelopment (Denver). Sustainability was a key requirement for Denver Water, the owner on the project, so IMEG’s team incorporated several sustainable concepts from LEED Platinum, Net-Zero Energy, and One Water design principles. These aspirational goals were achieved while maintaining the client’s budget and schedule.
The competition’s next highest honor, Excellence Awards, were presented to:
- HDR for both the Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation (Littleton) and the Pine Creek Channel Improvement (Colorado Springs),
- Merrick & Company for Globeville Landing (Greenwood Village),
- Muller Engineering Company for Wonderland Creek Floodplain and Greenway Improvements (Boulder),
- Providence Infrastructure Consultants for Eastern Regional Pipeline Project (Douglas County), and
- Wilson & Company for Garden of the Gods Detention Pond (Colorado Springs).
Next, Honor Awards were presented to these consulting engineering firms:
- EST for Mineral Belt Trail Bridges (Denver),
- Felsburg Holt & Ullevig for West Colorado Avenue (El Paso County),
- Jacobs Engineering Group for I-25 Planning and Environmental Linkages Study: Colorado Springs to Denver South Connection (Monument to Lone Tree),
- ME Engineers for Engineering Education and Research Building, University of Wyoming (Laramie),
- Muller Engineering Company for US 36 Bridge over Left Hand Creek (Boulder County), and
- Wilson & Company for 33rd Street Outfall (Denver).
Merit Awards were presented to:
- Huitt-Zollars for Iron Horse Park on the Ft. Carson Army Base (Colorado Springs),
- Kimley-Horn and Associates for both the Arapahoe Community College Collaboration Campus (Castle Rock), and the Denver Premium Outlets (Thornton).
EST was also honored with the 2021 Outstanding Graphics Award for its project board design of the Mineral Belt Trail Bridges.
The ACEC Colorado EEA program closely follows entry guidelines established by the ACEC National EEA competition,
which invites recipients of Colorado’s Grand Conceptor and Excellence Awards to enter. For more than 50 years,
Colorado firms have entered their most innovative design and research projects into the ACEC Colorado EEA
competition. A video about each project is viewable on ACEC Colorado’s YouTube Channel at bitly.com/eea2021 and the
award-winning project boards will be displayed in the ACEC Colorado Training Room through October 2021. Physical
award plaques are being shipped to each winning firm to be displayed in their respective offices.
