ACEC/ASHRAE/ABC

HDR, Inc., of Bellevue, Wash., is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies' 40th annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition for designing the Bellevue Direct Access Project for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Completed in December 2004, the multi-interchange project improves access between downtown Bellevue and I-405. The key phase was the replacement of the Northeast 8th Street Bridge to make room for new high-occupancy vehicle lanes on I-405. The design team built half of the new structure on temporary piers and used staged demolition and construction to keep traffic lanes open. When space was ready, the new two-span structure was rolled 64 feet to its permanent position on the new abutments and center pier.

The project also included relocation of collector/distributor lanes, and improvements to I-405 interchanges and bridges at Northeast 4th and Northeast 6th Streets. The entire project was completed a year ahead of schedule and $25 million below the original $164 million program budget.

CDI Wins Two Awardsfor Mechanical Engineering

CDi Engineers won two first place awards, and one honorable mention, from the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers. These awards are given for projects that demonstrate outstanding achievement in the application of technology in design.

First Place in New Industrial Facilities was awarded to Ed Langebartel for his work on a new central plant for St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oreg.; First Place in New Commercial Buildings went to Jim Grimm for his work on Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center's new medical office building on 70th and Sand Point Way in Seattle; and Honorable Mention in New Health Care Facilities went to Finn Jakobsen for the new Surgery Pavilion at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Gray Purcell Wins National Award For Belmont Street Lofts

Lake Oswego, Ore. - Gray Purcell, Inc. earned the Excellence in Construction (EIC) Award (the top honor) from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) for its work on the Belmont Street Lofts in Portland, Ore.

Gray Purcell representatives recently received the award at ABC's 2006 National Convention in Las Vegas for taking first place in the Excellence in Construction Awards' Commercial - $2-5 Million Category.

The owner on the project was 3440 Belmont LLC and the archtiect is Holst Architecture. Gray Purcell built this modern-design, four-story, mixed-use condominium on a tight footprint (where a plumbing store once stood) using new and innovative materials to create unique interior and exterior finishes.