SMMA is proud to announce that two of the firm’s projects—the Henry K. Oliver School in Lawrence, MA (left), and Somerville High School in Somerville, MA (right)—have each received a Gold Medal at the 2026 ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, held last night in Boston.
Selected from 36 entries statewide, both projects were named among the top five engineering projects in Massachusetts, an achievement that places them at the highest level of professional recognition in this year’s competition.
Hosted by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts, the Engineering Excellence Award recognizes projects that use innovative engineering solutions to overcome complexity, enhance the public’s awareness of the role of engineering, and deliver on social, economic, and sustainability considerations.
“Winning two Gold Medal awards is a testament to the talent, creativity, and hard work of SMMA’s civil, structural, and MEP engineers in tandem with our interdisciplinary design teams,” said Andy Oldeman, Director of Engineering. “I’m delighted that the Lawrence and Somerville project teams have earned due recognition for delivering two projects that showcase SMMA’s ability to create lasting, positive change in the communities we serve.”
Henry K. Oliver School
From right to left: SMMA project team members Brett Wilkinson, Mariana Hernandez, and Helen Fantini.
The jury praised the Henry K. Oliver project team for integrating all-electric MEP systems within the complex addition and renovation of a 100-year-old historic building in the center of Lawrence. The project responded to a mandate for fossil-fuel-free systems following the 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, requiring innovative engineering solutions that balanced carbon reduction goals, operational resilience, and the constraints of an occupied, historic facility.
The project was also recognized for its success in building a story-and-a-half below grade, which required the design of a 4-foot-thick mat slab foundation to hold the building down in the face of immense hydrostatic pressure. Further achievements included the restoration of the building’s historic façade and the pedestrianization of Cardillo Way, a north-south path through the school that connects O’Neill Park with the civically important Campagnone Common.
Somerville High School
From right to left: Project team members David Fanuele, Paul Livernois, Erin Prestileo, Richard Raiche (City of Somerville), and Lorraine Finnegan.
For the Somerville High School project, the jury recognized the imaginative civil and structural engineering solutions that achieved the twin goals of creating a cohesive ad-reno school on a tight urban site and connecting the building to the newly opened Green Line T station, cross-city bike path, and City Hall. The team designed a series of innovative stormwater management systems to help mitigate the rapid runoff and downstream flooding that has long affected the steep site, including above-grade systems that tie into the school’s STEM program.
Another key strategy was to design the building in direct response to the site’s dramatic 82 foot grade change on a glacial drumlin. To achieve this feat, the project team designed a series of multi-story retaining walls to support soil and historic foundations, using support-of-excavation walls and reinforced concrete to protect historic buildings during construction.
The evening also recognized broader excellence across the industry, with Benesch receiving the event’s top honor, the Grand Conceptor Award, for the Bill Russell Bridge over the Boston Inner Harbor.
SMMA extends our congratulations to the two clients, Lawrence Public Schools and Somerville Public Schools, as well as to project partners Accenture and Consigli (Lawrence), and Suffolk and PMA (Somerville).
