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Michael Larson

American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin Awards
April 9, 2008

On Friday, April 4, I attended the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin's annual awards dinner.

This year's event celebrated the organization's 50th anniversary, honored the best engineering projects in Wisconsin over the past half century, and also honored the best engineering projects of the past year.

Eleven projects were honored in the Wonders of Wisconsin Engineering 50-years competition, and 26 received awards in the 2008 Engineering Excellence competition.

Having had the good fortune to be one of the judges for both competitions, I had ample opportunity to review the information for the entered projects, including many amazing ones that didn't receive awards.

Looking at the range of projects in both competitions brings home how much of an impact engineering -- and the construction companies that build the projects once they are engineered -- have made on the state.

Some of the projects in the 50-years competition were relatively small but very innovative, like the floating hinged bulkhead that efficiently sealed off water so crews could work on a power plant. 

Or the innovative process that was a new approach to performing ground-water remediation under a building without the usual excavating and reconstruction work.

Others, like the Marquette Interchange in Milwaukee or the long, beautiful, curving Richard I. Bong Bridge between Superior, Wis., and Duluth, Minn., stand as impressive construction projects that immediately grab your attention.

The Bong Bridge was the grand award winner in the Wonders of Wisconsin 50-years competition.

Winners in the 2008 Engineering Excellence competition likewise ranged from the small and innovative to the huge and visually impressive. Three of the smaller but innovative projects devised effective systems to deal with radium or arsenic in municipal wells.

Another award winning project used surveying and mapping technology to create an easily updated, integrated emergency-services atlas that provides complete up-to-date information to first responders.

Many of the larger projects involved transportation work, such as major highway enlargements, by-passes, and bridges, or improvements to airports.

Many others involved water treatment.

Only three involved buildings, such as the new student union at UW-River Falls, an ecologically friendly addition to a City of Madison administration building, and the innovative, magnificent Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin in Milwaukee, which earned the "Best of State" award.

Again, each entry answered a specific need and demonstrated how engineering and construction have improved the lives of Wisconsin citizens.

Information about the projects is available at the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin website, www.acecwi.org.

Which projects are your favorites?
 

Posted by Michael Larson on April 9, 2008 | Comments (0)