SCI Health Center Project Reaches ACEC Finals

 SCI Engineering, Inc. is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies' 44th annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition for its role in the addition of new facilities at Patients First Health Center in Washington, MO.

ACEC is the Washington-D.C.-based business association representing approximately 5,700 independent engineering companies throughout the United States.

The planned construction of a building addition, garage, and other site improvements to the existing Patients First building faced significant development challenges due to soft alluvial soils near and in a creek located on the site. Under these conditions, the new construction would have caused significant settlement to the existing building. SCI recommended an innovative site stabilization strategy that included a combination of geofoam and air-cooled blast furnace slag as lightweight fill material below the building addition, and to support the foundation loads on auger cast piles. As a result, the addition could be erected using typical slab-on-grade construction. This unique approach allowed the project to move forward while also minimizing impacts to the on-site creek.

The project is among 163 engineering projects from throughout the nation that are being recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements for 2009. Judging for the prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards - known industry-wide as the "Academy Awards" of the engineering industry - took place in February, conducted by a distinguished panel of more than 30 engineers and architects, along with representatives from government, media, and academia. Criteria for awards include uniqueness and originality, technical, social and economic value, complexity, and success of the projects in meeting goals.

All winners, including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards and the "Grand Conceptor Award" for best overall engineering achievement, will be recognized at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, to be held Tuesday, April 27, in Washington, D.C.

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