Primera is pleased to announce that three of our projects were honored today at the American Council for Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) Engineering Excellence Awards Luncheon held at the Sheraton in Lisle, Illinois. El Centro and the rebuilding and widening of I-90 were recognized with Honor Awards and our Plainfield substation relocation project received a Merit Award. Honor Awards distinguish projects for exceptional engineering that meet the needs of the client and benefit the public welfare. Likewise, Merit Awards winners are projects worthy of recognition for the engineer and the owner/client.

Northeastern Illinois University’s El Centro received an Honor Award in the Building/Technology Systems category. It is a 66,000-square-foot, three-story facility that includes classrooms equipped with the latest technology, lecture halls, computer rooms, wet & damp laboratories, a resource center/library, student lounge, and administrative spaces. The JGMA-designed building features a unique exterior and prominent location adjacent to the Kennedy expressway. Primera provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and telecommunications design for the new environmentally-friendly building.

The $644.1-million Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) Widening and Reconstruction project received an Honor Award in the Transportation category. It is the first project completed under the Illinois Tollway’s 15-year, $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois. TranSystems and Burns & McDonnell Engineering were the Prime consultants retained for the 37-mile Western Segment project. Primera, as part of a joint venture with Bowman, Barrett & Associates and Christopher B. Burke Engineering provided roadway, structural and drainage design in addition to traffic study and permitting services for the nearly 12-mile segment extending from U.S. Route 20 to the Elgin Plaza.

The Plainfield Facility Relocation project received a Merit Award in the Energy category. The project included the relocation of two transformers and the installation of all new dead-end structures and 12kV reclosers for each transformer. It had special considerations that Primera had to take into account when engineering the relocation, such as: the nonconventional property boundaries of the substation, the reduction of 30 feet of property space, the avoidance of existing structures, and the alignment with the relocated distribution poles. As a result, Primera designed an asymmetrical layout that provided many benefits for the ease of constructability while limiting outage time for each transformer.

“To be recognized for exceptional engineering in all three of our areas of expertise is something we are incredibly proud of, but to have the opportunity to work on some of the year’s most exciting projects is what we’re truly grateful for,” said Pedro-Cevallos-Candau, Primera’s co-founder and co-CEO.

Each year, the ACEC-IL Engineering Excellence Awards Competition recognizes projects of engineering achievement by Illinois consulting engineering firms. ACEC-IL is the only statewide association dedicated solely to the interests of consulting engineering firms. Entries are judged on the basis of engineering excellence, the degree to which the client’s needs are met, and the benefits to the public welfare and private practice of engineering.

See all of the winners here.