We are proud to share the news that F&R has been honored with a Grand Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia (ACEC-VA) Engineering Excellence Awards!
The ACEC-VA Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) “recognize engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value.” Our winning project, the Crystal Spring Tower expansion at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, certainly fits the criteria.
F&R was the Geotechnical Engineer for the 13-story 500,000-square-foot Crystal Spring Tower expansion with helipad at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. As Southwestern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, the project significantly improved regional patient access to world-class emergency and cardiovascular care.
Led by Roanoke Geotechnical Department Manager Steve Hjelle, M.S., P.E., F&R provided crucial foundation design recommendations for the complex karst geology. Our comprehensive scope spanned three phases: a feasibility study, a design-phase geotechnical investigation, and foundation-specific exploration during the preconstruction phase. F&R implemented an unconventional approach, conducting targeted subsurface investigations at each foundation location. This method effectively addressed the challenging subsurface environment and radically reduced foundation uncertainty.
By providing precise location-specific data, F&R delivered an estimated 15-fold cost savings for our client, Carilion Clinic. This new approach minimized delays and enabled foundation size optimization, thus establishing a high-value model for geotechnical engineering efficiency and advancement in complex geological terrains.
For more technical details about the project, check out the profile in our portfolio here.
By receiving the Grand Award, this project now qualifies for consideration for the Pinnacle Award. This will be presented at the ACEC-VA EEA awards ceremony in February 2026. The Pinnacle Award is given to the single best overall project among ACEC-VA member firms, and we are incredibly honored to be in the running.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this significant project and the resulting honor. We are so proud that this prestigious award highlights F&R’s Stellar Client Service and Stellar Service Delivery.
