SEA-MW Honors Multiple SGH Projects
The Structural Engineers Association – Metropolitan Washington (SEA-MW) recently honored multiple Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) projects as part of its Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards program. Three projects were honored at the organization’s annual Awards Gala on 28 February 2026 at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC.
Conway School of Nursing at the Catholic University of America: First Place in New Construction $40M-$100M
Photo by Keith Isaacs
The Conway School of Nursing at the Catholic University in Washington, DC, took home the first-place prize in the New Construction ($40M–$100M) category. The 102,000 sq ft academic building replaces a former surface parking lot with state-of-the-art teaching labs, classrooms, offices, and collaboration spaces. Framed in structural steel and clad in precast concrete incorporating salvaged stone, the building reflects the university’s historic Gothic architecture. SGH provided structural engineering design services for the steel superstructure, including coordination of long-span framing systems and close collaboration with the precast engineer to integrate the complex facade. SGH also provided building enclosure design consulting for the facade, roofing, and below-grade waterproofing systems. Completed in 2024, the project is slated to achieve LEED Gold and WELL Building certification.
Visitation Academy: First Place in Renovation Under $25M
The Visitation Academy in Frederick, MD, received first-place honors in the Renovation (Under $25M) category. Originally founded in 1846 as an all-girls school, the academy expanded several times before closing in 2016 and was ultimately transformed into a Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel through an adaptive reuse project. SGH provided structural engineering consulting, including strengthening existing wood joists with laminated veneer lumber sisters, reinforcing load-bearing masonry walls with wide-flange lintels, creating new openings for modern circulation, and implementing structural modifications to support accessibility upgrades. After an intense fire in April 2023 damaged the west wing and destroyed portions of the timber trusses and roof framing, SGH conducted detailed inspections, designed temporary bracing for the remaining masonry walls, and developed innovative repair solutions to replicate historic load paths. The project was completed in December 2024.
World War I Pershing Park Memorial: Merit Award in Specialized Structure
The World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, DC, received a Merit Award in the Specialized Structure category. The project transformed a neglected public space into a place of honor and remembrance, including modifications to an existing below-grade utility space to accommodate complex plumbing and infrastructure for new water features. These features include a memorial wall supporting a 60 ft bronze relief sculpture and dual cascading fountains. SGH provided structural engineering design services for the deep foundation system to control settlement and ensure precise performance of the water features, as well as for the viewing platform and scrim pool, retaining walls, security barriers, and foundations for site amenities. The memorial was dedicated in April 2021.
Team members from SGH’s Washington, DC, office gathered at the gala to celebrate the project awards and the greater SEA-MW community. The team included Emily Appelbaum, Brad Carpenter, Chelci Dell, Rishi Jarmarwala, Gillian Love, Eric Ober, Krissia Ortiz Ramos, Gary Strand, Taryn Williams, and Michael Zajac.
Read more about the awards.
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