Civil Engineering Firm Wins 2012 Gold Medal Award from ACEC Texas

Dallas-based civil engineering firm Hayden Consultants Inc. was named a 2012 Gold Medal Award recipient from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Texas Engineering Excellence Awards for its Riverfront Boulevard Median Bioswale study.

"We're honored to receive the ACEC Texas award. The Riverfront Boulevard Median Bioswale will balance the functional needs for managing water runoff with the aesthetic desires that the community wants," said Rachel Hayden, P.E., president, and founder of Hayden Consultants.

"With the vegetated bioswale, we can greatly reduce contaminants typically found in street runoff by filtering through native vegetation and engineered soil. We will use this together with the existing median as a filtration system for storm water runoff to improve storm water quality while naturally enhancing the beauty of the area," Hayden continued.

The project involves reconstructing a major six-lane urban thoroughfare to adhere to zoning regulations, transforming the region into a mixed-use community and gateway to Trinity River's planned lakes and parks. The project is scheduled for design completion in April 2013.

For the project Hayden Consultants held a sustainable design challenge among its employees, from which the winning idea was selected. "We were inspired by the city's plan to both beautify the area and introduce sustainable concepts, so we wanted to build on that energy internally. Our first design challenge yielded dozens of ideas and viable concepts, many of which would be new to the region,” said Hayden.

Source: Hayden Consultants