Jan 11 2008
Wight & Company, a design, construction and engineering firm and a leading proponent of sustainable design, recently won six awards for its public projects. These included Special Achievement recognition from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-Illinois) and "Project of the Year" awards from Midwest Construction magazine and the American Public Works Association.
Wight & Company was honored in the ACEC-Illinois' 2008 Engineering Excellence Awards Competition for its design and engineering of the Evelyn Pease Tyner Nature Center in Glenview, IL. This stunning facility became one of the few buildings in the country to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum status, the highest rating possible, from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2007. Amy Ahner, the Assistant Director of Capital Projects for Glenview, noted that, "This is 'green' design at its best -- elegant, attractive, efficient and harmonious with the environment."
The ACEC-Illinois also granted a Merit Award in the Transportation Project category for Wight's pavement "rubblization" on the Illinois I-88 Tollway from US 30 to IL 251. Wight engineers used this innovative, sustainable process to cost effectively transform the existing pavement into a high quality aggregate base - diverting construction waste from landfills.
Wight & Company also was recognized by Midwest Construction magazine for its participation on three "Best of 2007" projects. By category, these Projects of the Year were:
- Public Works, Village of New Lenox (IL) Village Hall -- Wight was the construction manager on this Williamsburg-style building, which not only has administrative offices but also a cable television studio and community room.
- Transportation, Illinois Tollway, Interstate 355 Extension -- Wight provided construction services and structural analysis for the I-355/I-55 interchange, a project that included roadway, ramps, drainage, earthwork and construction of five major bridges.
- Institutional, U.S. Navy, Battle Stations 21 -- Wight was the architect for the Recruit Training Command headquarters, USS Iowa, at the U.S. Navy Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. The state-of-the-art facility houses Battle Stations 21, virtual reality simulator of battle ship training scenarios.
In addition, New Lenox's Village Hall received a Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association, Southwest Branch, in the competition category of Structures, $10 Million to $100 Million. Wight & Company provided construction management services for the project.