On February 5, 2026, Mason & Hanger was proud to receive a Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia (ACEC Virginia) for the company’s work on the New Consulate Compound (NCC) in Nogales, Mexico. The 2026 Engineering Excellence Awards Gala was an incredible evening celebrating the best in engineering, honoring Grand, Honor, and Merit Award winners for their outstanding achievements and impact across the Virginia and beyond.
According to ACEC Virginia, competing engineering firms were recognized “for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value.”
As a Grand Award recipient, Mason & Hanger has advanced to the ACEC Engineering Excellence Award National Competition, where the firm’s work on the NCC will compete at the national level.
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More About Mason & Hanger’s Work at the New Consulate Compound (NCC), Nogales, Mexico
Completed in 2025, Mason & Hanger provided site power, water, and telecommunications investigations with the Design Architect, Ennead, and served as Engineer of Record (EoR) for mechanical (HVAC and fuel), plumbing, electrical, telecommunications, life safety, energy modeling, and building performance systems design targeting LEED Silver to furnish the design-build construction documents for Page Southerland Page (Architect of Record, now Stantec), BL Harbert International (Prime D-B Contractor), and the U.S. Department of State (Owner). Mason & Hanger also provided Engineering Project Management and Construction Administration services and authored the Basis of Design for Commissioning.
The $134.9M, 369,114 square-foot New Consulate Compound (NCC) was constructed on an 8.4-acre parcel of land known as “Kennedy Site.” Facilities included a new office building, warehouse/shops support annex building, utility building, main consular, service compound access control pavilions, recreational bathhouse/cabana facility, and two-level parking structure.
The project posed significant challenges for the design team, including the extreme solar and water conditions of the Sonoran Desert and a site characterized by steep slopes and erosion channels. Zoning and parking requirements further limited facility construction to approximately 60% of the project site located in central Nogales. Mason & Hanger employed durable and adaptive design practices to reduce risk and operating costs associated with utilities and maintenance while enhancing adaptation to environmental hazards. Notable contributions include mission-critical physical security measures for the MEP systems and potable water design elements to aid in reducing reliance on municipal water as well as delivering energy-efficient design solutions, including solar thermal hot water systems, Mag-Lev air-cooled chillers, solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays, and whole-building energy modeling to support building optimization (ex. 20% reduced cooling load) over a base line model. The fuel system provides 40,000 gallons of underground storage for emergency generators, supporting mission continuity. This project demonstrates Mason & Hanger’s commitment to engineering excellence, energy efficient design, and durable and adaptive solutions for a secure U.S. diplomatic mission facility.
