2018 Engineering Excellence Awards
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ACEC Washington extends a big congratulations to all of the winners of 2017 Engineering Excellence Awards! This year we honored 32 projects representing a wide range of engineering achievements and demonstrating the highest degree of skill and ingenuity. The top seven national awards will go on to compete in the ACEC national competition in Washington, D.C. in April.
Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA
) received the Platinum Award at the 51st annual Engineering Excellence Awards for their design of
150 North Riverside,
a waterfront building in Chicago that occupies a plot of land once considered un-buildable thanks to the neighboring Chicago River and seven active Amtrak rail lines. MKA solved the problem by using a razor-thin concrete central building core structural system that allows the 750-tall tower to rise from a base that’s just 39 feet wide. To achieve this feat, MKA employed a number of technical innovations. For the tower support system, MKA created eight four-story, sloping steel-transfer systems to channel the loads from the tower above to its narrow base, and out of Amtak’s air space. These form the building’s distinctive tapered base and make way for the light-filled lobby. The structure also used the largest rolled steel sections produced in the world, and steel that is 40 percent stronger than conventional steel shapes. To deal with an unprecedented blade core height-towidth slenderness of over 19-to-1 (three times narrower than traditional building designs), MKA employed 12 water-filled tanks at the top of the building to minimize building motion under strong winds. Holding 160,000 gallons of water, the wave action in the tanks not only calms the building during wind events, but also serves as city-approved fire protection storage tanks to help supply the building’s sprinkler. Congratulations to MKA on your well-deserved win for this incredible feat of engineering! We know you will represent Washington well at the National Awards in April!
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Mark your calendar for these exciting upcoming events:
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First Annual EEA People's Choice Award!
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The 300+ attendees of the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala voted on their favorite project of the year, and the people have spoken! Congratulations to Parametrix, winner of the first annual Engineering Excellence Awards People's Choice Award. Our guests selected the Gig Harbor Welcome Plaza and Lift Station for the 2018 People's Choice Award. Located in the midst of the Gig Harbor's waterfront commercial area is Lift Station 4B, which handles approximately one-third of the City's sewer flows. The structure houses mechanical and electrical equipment for the lift station, and a welcome plaza with shower and laundry facilities for visiting boaters. From the rooftop deck one can enjoy majestic harbor views. Congratulations Parametrix on your win! We can't wait to see who the people choose next year!
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The Legislature Is In!
New Session, New Tax?
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Beginning in early January, the Washington Legislature began what will hopefully be a 60-day regular session (and that is all). Given that this is an election year, one would expect that Legislators would not want to extend into special sessions, but you never know.
Here at ACEC, we are actively tracking a number of bills. These involve potential changes to broad array of areas including liability exposure, procurement statutes, making contracting out more difficult, taxation, surveying, and changes to laws involving utilization of minority and women’s business enterprises.
While the “first cutoff” is this Friday, February 2nd, there was a bill just introduced (
HB 2940
) regarding the amount of
B&O tax
owed by businesses. ACEC is in the process of evaluating the full practical effects of the bill,
but what is clear is that the bill makes a company’s B&O tax subject to a graduated scale and thus more like an income tax
. This is accomplished by a calculation of each company’s “margin”, where the margin for the current tax year is determined by...
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Jeff Peacock Named Engineer of the Year
Jeff Peacock, President and CEO of Parametrix, is a civil engineer with 38 years of experience, primarily on transportation projects. He's been with Parametrix for 28 years. Peacock's career began at WSDOT as a senior design engineer, where he was responsible for planning, design, and construction management. As a consultant, he managed some of the largest infrastructure projects in the Northwest. He is known as a skilled problem solver and has been heralded for his work with the public, elected officials, and state and local agencies to gain consensus for controversial, high-stakes projects. Since 1998, he's been a pivotal figure on the SR 520 Floating Bridge Replacement and HOV Improvements program, initially managing the Trans-Lake Washington Study and since serving as a strategic advisor to the team completing the environmental impact statement and serving as general engineering consultant for the entire corridor. He has also made significant contributions to the evolution and implementation of the Puget Sound area's regional transit system, having served as principal-in-charge of Central Link and Lynwood Link light rail projects. Peacock has also played a role in an number of other high-profile regional projects including the Alaska Way Viaduct and Seawall replacement program, Hood canal Bridge replacement, and the Bremerton Ferry Terminal Improvement project. A devoted member of his community, he spearheaded Parametrix's involvement with the Special Olympics 2018 USA Games in Seattle and 2009 World Winter Games in Boise. Thank you Jeff for your incredible contributions to our industry and to our community!
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We want to hear from you! Would you like to to see your firm highlighted? Do you have suggestions for seminar topics or ideas for events? Pressing legislative issues you'd like to see ACEC tackle? Let us know!
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