New Haven, CT The American Council of Engineering Companies of Connecticut (ACEC/CT) honored Tighe & Bond and Park New Haven with an Engineering Excellence Award for the design of the State/Trumbull Parking Lot in downtown. The recognition took place on January 22 during ACEC/CT’s 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards ceremony at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Conn. 

Tighe & Bond, a New England leader in civil and environmental engineering, won praise for its design of this innovative, sustainable downtown surface parking lot that features numerous benefits for the city, community and Park New Haven. The new parking facility provides area businesses and residents, who previously lacked sufficient parking, with 77 additional spaces of convenient and affordable parking. Recognized as New England’s first certified “green” parking lot (by the Green Parking Council, aligned with USGBC), it is also a testament to Park New Haven’s goal of protecting and enriching the environment by embracing sustainable development practices.

Tighe & Bond’s range of services included: site feasibility analysis, site layout and grading, stormwater management, electrical engineering/lighting design, landscape design, regulatory permitting and construction administration. Park New Haven’s program manager, Turner Construction, oversaw the construction and execution of the project by the general contractor, William Laydon Construction LLC.

This parking lot layout integrates numerous low-impact and sustainable design elements. The treatment of rainfall through a water quality swale and rain garden significantly reduces both volume and peak stormwater runoff from the site through retention and infiltration, reducing the threat of flooding in the neighborhood while recharging groundwater.

An LED site lighting system provides years of maintenance-free low energy consumption lighting, with full-cutoff fixtures that minimize night sky light pollution. The design provides dusk until dawn lighting for site security, protecting both vehicle owners and neighbors. Plus, reflective pavement coating on all the parking spaces mitigates the urban heat island effect by reducing pavement-generated heat.

In addition, two dedicated electric vehicle (EV) parking spaces promote EV usage and provide free EV charging. Plus, a bike parking area adjacent to the public sidewalk supports multi-modal uses. 

Tighe & Bond, Inc. provides comprehensive engineering and environmental services to hundreds of public and private clients across the northeastern United States, with emphasis on the education, energy, government, healthcare, industrial, real estate, and water/wastewater markets. A staff of more than 330 people work from offices located in Middletown and Shelton, Conn.; Westwood, Pocasset, Worcester and Westfield, Mass.; Portsmouth, N.H.; and Rhinebeck, N.Y. 

Engineering News Record ranks Tighe & Bond a top 10 New England design firm, a top 500 national design firm, and a top 200 environmental firm. Building Design+Construction also ranks Tighe & Bond one of the top 60 engineering firms in the United States, and Zweig Group has recognized Tighe & Bond several times as a best engineering firm to work for in the United States.