Philadelphia
HDR on behalf of Penn FirstClient: University of Pennsylvania Health System
This new $1.6 billion, 17-story hospital provides more than 500 new private patient rooms and 47 operating/interventional rooms, while also providing a benchmark for the future of hospital design. Rising majestically from a 690-stall underground parking garage, the 1.25-million-square-foot high-rise will house inpatient care for the Abramson Cancer Center, heart and vascular medicine and surgery, neurology and neurosurgery services, and an emergency department. The project delivery team used another warehouse to create a 30,000-square-foot model of the hospital to refine project elements and spatial relationships.
Memphis, Tennessee
Michael Baker InternationalClient: Tennessee Department of Transportation
Within hours after Michael Baker inspectors discovered a fractured tie girder in the bridge, a multipronged effort was underway to determine the extent of the damage and how quickly the key Mississippi River crossing could be restored to traffic. After a quick scan of the structure using unmanned aerial systems finding no additional damage, the project team developed a three-phased repair effort beginning with installation of temporary stabilization plating, then post tensioning to reduce the stresses in the tie girder, and eliminating the potential of future tie girder cracks. Just 83 days following the initial fracture, the de Soto Bridge was again safely handling local and cross-country traffic.
Inglewood, California
Walter P MooreClient: Hollywood Park
Already hailed as being a stunning example of building design, the new SoFi Stadium is also a marvel for structural system innovation. The project team overcame myriad technical, management, and site challenges to create the now-iconic facility, which is near an active earthquake fault and directly below the two primary flight approach paths to Los Angeles International Airport. The project features three seismically independent structural systems that help define the beautiful project aesthetic but will also help keep patrons safe during seismic events. Serving as the home of two Los Angeles professional football teams, the stadium is one of three venues—including American Airlines Plaza and the YouTube Theater—all under the single 800‐foot-long span canopy.
Atlanta
Freese and Nichols / HDRClient: City of Atlanta
The new $40 million park showcases how engineering can improve community health and economic well-being, combining innovative stormwater and flood design with an oasis of acres of recreational amenities. The 16-acre park’s vibrant green space doubles as a hardworking system to alleviate persistent area flooding by capturing and storing up to 10 million gallons of stormwater. Natural filtration systems also improve water quality without the need for additional infrastructure, a feature that helps lower park maintenance costs and peak loads on Atlanta’s wastewater treatment system. The urban oasis is a catalyst for future economic development, while highlighting the importance of stormwater resilience.
Seattle
Magnusson Klemencic AssociatesClient: RSQ Tower
The majestic 58-story tower utilizes a first-of-its-kind structural system that built environment experts believe will change the way high-rise structures are built throughout the world. Utilizing “SpeedCore” enabled the project team to cut nearly a year off the construction schedule and saved millions in construction costs. Instead of conventional concrete walls with steel reinforcing bars inside, the new system places large, prefabricated, steel-plate panels on the outside of the wall with only concrete inside, thus eliminating the need for concrete forms and rebar installation. SpeedCore has already been adopted for other high-rise projects from San Jose to Boston.
New York
ArupClient: Hudson River Park Trust
An eye-catching 2.4-acre public green space and performance venue appears to “float” about the Hudson River. Utilizing a system of precast pots, the design creates an underlying pattern that maintains randomness while allowing for the efficient use of precast concrete. The project team incorporated a complex geometry into a precise framework of 12 basic pentagon patterns. Instead of 132 unique precast molds, the entirety of Little Island was achieved with fewer than 40 repeatable pots. As a dual community park and event space, Little Island serves as an acoustic oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of New York City that is also conducive to concerts thanks to new landscaping that helps create a sound barrier between the event stages and the highway.
Grand Chenier, Louisiana
HDRClient: Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
The 71,000-acre biologically diverse refuge provides a habitat for abundant fish, migratory birds, and alligators. However, the marshland has lost more than 15,000 acres over the past century and continues to erode at a rate of more than 50 feet each year. The project team designed a unique stabilization system featuring a four-mile lightweight aggregate core breakwater that significantly reduces the quantity and severity of waves hitting the shoreline. The final design recovered more than 5,500 tons of armor stone and utilized locally sourced core aggregate. It represents a valuable example for other coastal areas in safeguarding environmentally sensitive shorelines from accelerating erosion.