2015 Award Winners represent the state and the Tennessee engineering community well. The Grand Iris Award was won by Gresham, Smith and Partners for their Small project entry “TDOT - SR-254 over Otter Creek Bridge Project” in Nashville, TN for the TN Department of Transportation. This year’s People’s Choice Award was won by Brown and Caldwell for their Waste and Stormwater Project “Whites Creek Pumping Station Improvements” in Nashville, TN for Metro Water Services. Other winning entrants for 2015 Engineering Excellence include:
Grand Iris Award - An existing bridge over Otter Creek on SR 254 in Davidson County had become structurally deficient and functionally obsolete after more than 50 years of service. Gresham, Smith and Partners served as the design firm for the improvement project which included minimal roadway widening, substructure modifications and full superstructure replacement and widening for an existing two span structure. The plans developed replaced the existing structure with a single-span superstructure and provided for two precast units to be installed and joined over a single weekend closure in what was the first of its type Accelerated Bridge Construction project undertaken by TDOT.
Grand Award - Building/Technology Systems - As part of a unified team, SSR, GS&P , and Turner Construction Company were selected to design and build the new Methodist Olive Branch Hospital, utilizing the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method. The goal of the project was to deliver an energy efficient, cost-effective, LEED® certified modern healthcare facility. The IPD delivery method created interdisciplinary teams among all stakeholders, with the goal of fostering collaboration and delivering the best results in the most timely and cost-efficient method possible. With the IPD structure in place, Olive Branch Hospital was designed, constructed, and opened within in 23 months, on schedule and under-budget.
Grand Award - Environmental - EnSafe Inc. and subcontractors installed two in-situ treatment trenches, engineered to remove perchlorate from shallow groundwater at a former solid rocket motor manufacturing and testing facility. The remedy was conceived to protect ecologically sensitive creeks from discharge of contaminated groundwater during wet weather and to leveraged biological processes, rather than create another mechanized and energy intensive extraction and treatment system that would need to be maintained for decades. EnSafe executed construction sustainably by emplacing locally-sourced organic matter and gravel through the groundwater table, without the need for specialized trenching equipment or biocides required to execute a bio-polymer slurry installation approach.
Grand Award - Industrial and Manufacturing Processes - In a fast-track, design/build initiative, BWSC was the Architect/Engineer of Carpenter’s greenfield, $520 million specialty steel mill. This was the largest project undertaken in the firm’s history and included lean manufacturing design to improve operational safety and product quality while reducing lead times and production costs. The complex spans 529,000 square feet and houses the world’s largest hydraulic press. The design staff relied heavily on BIM to reveal clashes virtually and share project details with 60 team members simultaneously. The project produced saleable product four months ahead of schedule, below the original budget, and without a lost time accident.
Grand Award - Small Projects - The Cumberland River Compact worked with KCI Technologies to conduct a feasibility study, as well as design, permitting and construction to remove the Richland Creek dam, which provided the adjacent McCabe Golf Course with irrigation water. The project is unique because it is one of only a small number of dam removal projects completed within the state and the only removal within the City of Nashville. It demonstrated that removal of lowhead dams, with their many constraints, can be completed within a short life cycle, using and adapting techniques that are already established, and with a relatively streamlined permitting process.
Grand Award - Special Projects - CDM Smith provided a variety of planning and engineering design services during delivery of the University Commons Development. This project has revitalized and converted a blighted Brownfield site into a productive retail destination that will have a positive economic impact on the community and surrounding area for decades to come. University Commons is uniquely positioned to bring an important bundle of benefits to the southwest Knoxville community: much-needed grocery and retail shopping for University of Tennessee students, local employees, and residents; hundreds of new construction and retail jobs; and the welcome environmental remediation of a long-neglected site.
Grand Award - Studies, Research and Consulting - Cannon & Cannon, Inc. developed an interactive, tablet based Unidirectional Flushing Program (UDF) for South Blount County Utility District (SBCUD). UDF improves system hydraulics, especially fire flows, and water quality. The program provides real time feedback to the operator, immediately accounting for unexpected conditions, eliminating wasted water, and maximizing efficiency. Once the operator has completed flushing, a database is updated with hydraulic and water quality data from each flushing site. This database is in turn used to study the distribution system, identify key areas, and refine the water model which helped create the program.
Grand Award - Surveying and Mapping Technology - On February 12, 2014, eight classic Chevrolet Corvettes were swallowed by a sinkhole that opened up beneath the Skydome of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. EnSafe provided support in evaluating potential environmental and safety concerns at the Skydome during initial response activities, and subsequently designed and conducted a microgravity survey to evaluate the extent of the void and aid in identifying other potential karst features beneath the Skydome. EnSafe participated in a team that entered the void and prepared a cave map, which revealed excellent correlation between the microgravity data and the actual cave dimensions.
Grand Award - Transportation - CSX Transportation responded to a tunnel fire near Robinson Creek, Kentucky on the eve of April 26, 2014 focusing on safely restoring service to their customers. This task was wrought with technical, environmental and health and safety challenges, including firefighting, managing air quality, and reducing personal risks while working in a hazardous environment. Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure was asked by CSX Transportation to respond to this emergency to help manage the incident, address environmental concerns, and lead a team to evaluate the tunnel and restore rail traffic.
Grand Award - Waste and Stormwater - Metro Water Services’ new Whites Creek Pumping Station has eliminated sanitary sewer overflows previously attributed to the undersized and unreliable station it replaced. Subsequently, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation lifted its non-contact advisory for the portion of Whites Creek near the pumping station; part of the Whites Creek Blueway Trail recently featured in National Geographic’s GeoStories for its exceptional water recreation. The new 48.5 million gallons per day, 65-foot deep pumping station consists of two separate variable speed pumping systems with unique self-cleaning features improving reliability and efficiency. It uses ~30% less pumping energy compared to the old station.
Grand Award - Water Resources - Water Management Services, provided planning, design, and construction inspection services for the Hendersonville Utility District Water Treatment Plant Additions project. This project was in response to the Utility Districts need for additional treatment capacity and concerns that traditional treatment techniques might not be adequate for continued compliance with future regulations. The project involved the construction of a new 10 million gallon per day treatment plant, which incorporated the original raw water pumping station and clearwells. This facility provides the Hendersonville Utility District with the technology needed to address challenging regulatory standards and provide outstanding water quality to customers.
