Adaptable Building Systems Conserve Limited Resources
Mason & Hanger has earned an Honor Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 58th annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) for the design of new building systems at the U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger.
The project team’s design represents the best of American architecture, while respecting and incorporating elements of the Nigerian landscape and culture. Due to the inconsistent yet sometimes intense rainfall in this hot environment, sources of water can be rather limited. Given the resource dependency, the design of an efficient, low impact adaptive facility was of primary importance to the design team and the U.S. Department of State.
Mason & Hanger developed resource efficient solutions that achieved embassy-wide water and energy conservation, efficiency, and adaptation.
The embassy reduces demand on local potable water supply systems with the installation of low-flow plumbing fixtures and other water-saving strategies. All wastewater is treated on site and recovered to provide nearly 90% of the irrigation needs for water-efficient landscaping. An extensive solar panel array combined with battery storage reduces the compound’s reliance on local energy resources by 75%.
Judging for the awards program took place in February and was conducted by a national 32-member panel of built environment leaders, along with experts from government, media, and academia. Award criteria focused on uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, and generating excitement for the engineering profession.
Recognition of all award winners—including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards, and the prestigious “Grand Conceptor Award” for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement—will take place at the EEA Gala, to be held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
About ACEC
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,200 independent engineering firms and more than 600,000 professionals throughout the United States engaged in the development of America’s transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial, and other public and private facilities. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.
