Chattanooga VW plant honored among top engineering projects

photo New Volkswagen Passats are seen behind the Chattanooga assembly plant's building.

The Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga is one of eight finalists for this year's Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies.

The $1 billion plant, which began making Passat cars two years ago, was nominated for setting "a new standard for sustainable engineering achievement." The VW facility in Chattanooga is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certified auto plant in the world.

Other nominees for the annual engineering honor include:

• Marlins Park; Miami, Fla., by Walter P Moore, for its retractable roof that can withstand hurricane force winds.

• National Synchrotron Light Source II, Long Island, N.Y., by HDR Engineering for its research facility allowing scientists to view a single atom with greater clarity to advance research in biology, chemistry and medicine.

• Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; Kansas City, Mo., by Arup for new concert and theater complex with optimal acoustics.

• Catskill-Delaware Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility in Mount Pleasant, N.Y. by Hazen and Sawyer/CDM Smith for the world's largest ultraviolet disinfection facility.

• Lake Champlain Bridge Replacement in Crown Point, N.Y., by HNTB Corporation. The 402-long bridge was designed in just 10 weeks to replace an 80-year-old deteriorating bridge.

• FDR Four Freedoms Park in Roosevelt Island, N.Y., by Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. to honor President Franklin D. Roosevelt's historic 1941 Four Freedoms Speech.

• Truss Bridge Roll-In at 130th & Torrence Avenue in Chicago by Alfred Benesch & Company. The steel superstructure was completely constructed next to its deteriorating predecessor, transported more than 800 feet, and then rolled into its permanent place.

The winner will be announced at the "Academy Awards" of the engineering industry next Tuesday in Washington D.C.

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