For Immediate Release: May 4, 2006
HGA Architects and Engineers' Structural Expertise Honored with Prestigious National Engineering Excellence Award
Minneapolis, MN - HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA) has been honored by the American Council of Engineering Companies with a 2006 ACEC National Honor Award for the firm's design of the structural systems of the Walker Art Center expansion in Minneapolis, Minnesota. HGA received one of 16 Honor Awards given this year. The award represents the first national ACEC award received by a Minnesota firm in over 10 years.
HGA's structural engineers developed solutions for the structurally daring expansion of the Walker Art Center in downtown Minneapolis. The Swiss architectural firm of Herzog %26 de Meuron developed a design employing a series of randomly oriented, irregularly-shaped box forms, each housing a portion of the museum. The largest form cantilevers more than 40 feet beyond the glass wall that wraps the base of the building.
The project uses ordinary materials in extraordinary ways employing high levels of engineering fortitude. The design and engineering helps fulfill the museum's mission to be "a catalyst for the creative expression of artists and the active engagement of audiences."
For more than 39 years the American Council of Engineering Companies' annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition has recognized engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value and ingenuity. Projects from all over the world are rated on the basis of: uniqueness and originality; future value to the engineering profession and perception by the public; social, economic, and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of client/owner's needs, including schedule and budget.
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HGA Contact: Julie Luers (612) 758-4000 e-mail JLuers@hga.com
Media Contact: Susan Evans, Evans Larson (612) 338-6999 e-mail susan@evanslarson.com