Degenkolb Engineers for The Bowls Project

Inspired by ancient Babylonian amulets known as “demon bowls,” The Bowls Project is a unique multimedia art installation in which antiquity meets high-tech seismic design. It consists of 2 domes that sit atop a state-of-the-art base-isolated platform that Degenkolb Engineers designed for seismic safety. The project team worked tirelessly and donated time and material on this challenging pro bono project to ensure that it made its opening day. During its limited stay at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, thousands will enjoy the workshops and musical performances that take place inside the domes.

Safe Water in CoCo County Thanks to Carollo

ACEC CA has also recognized Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Carollo Engineers, Inc., as a finalist this year for ACEC California’s Engineering Excellence Awards for the Middle River Intake Project.

The Contra Costa Water District selected Carollo to serve as program manager for the planning, design, and construction of this $100 million project to improve delivered water quality for its 550,000 customers. The project, which included a setback levee, 250-cfs intake and pump station, and conveyance pipeline and tunnel, featured several innovative design and construction strategies. These included a state-of-the-art intake and pump station that balances intake flow and protects Delta fisheries, a detailed construction sequencing plan that allowed key project elements to be constructed within two critical in-water work windows, and creative construction techniques to build a conveyance pipeline and 90-foot-deep microtunnel in difficult soil conditions. The resulting project, which was completed on schedule and within budget, improves operational flexibility and provides a safe and reliable source of drinking water to Contra Costa Water District’s customers for years to come.