Michigan State Capitol Project Wins ACEC/MW Honor Award

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Metropolitan Washington (ACEC/MW) Chapter has selected the Michigan State Capitol Infrastructure Upgrades and Below-Grade Heritage Hall project as an Honor Award Winner in the 2022-2023 ACEC/MW Engineering Excellence Awards Competition. ACEC/MW will honor the EEA Award recipients at the EEA Awards Gala on December 8, 2022, where three of the 16 Honor Award recipients will receive Grand Awards. This project will also advance into the National ACEC competition.

The Michigan State Capitol is a magnificent National Historic Landmark designed by Elijah E. Myers and dedicated on January 1, 1879. Loring was entrusted by the owner, Michigan State Capitol Commission, and design-builder, The Christman Company, to design MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) systems that would modernize the Capitol’s infrastructure and provide state-of-the-art systems to the new 40,000-square foot underground visitor center, Heritage Hall. Careful planning and phased implementation of modern systems were essential to maintain full occupancy within the building during construction. Loring also worked with architects EYP Architecture & Engineering P.C. in preserving the historic Capitol, and with Quinn Evans Architects in designing the new Heritage Hall addition.

A focal element of this project was creating a new 10,000-square foot below-grade central utility plant that provides year-round heating and cooling to the Capitol building and Heritage Hall through carbon-free geothermal energy. Resilient and energy-efficient MEP system solutions provide significant life-cycle savings and will allow the historic Michigan State Capitol to flourish for years to come.

The Michigan State Capitol project has proven to be a success and has generated great enthusiasm for many visitors to the Capitol, and for the residents of Michigan. Heritage Hall serves as a welcoming venue and provides connectivity to the Capitol building, orientation spaces, rotating exhibits, and a 600-seat auditorium. “As a demonstration to all Michiganders, this project serves as a great example of the State’s emphasis and commitment to the incorporation of energy-efficient, sustainable, and carbon-reducing technologies into their buildings,” says J. Michael Galway, PE, LEED AP BD+C, CPD, Principal at Loring.

For more information on the Michigan State Capitol project, click here or contact Hallah Abodaff, PE, LEED AP and J. Michael Galway, PE, LEED AP BD+C, CPD.