YSU’s WATTS facility earns prestigious award

Staff report

Youngstown

The Watson and Tressel Training Site at Youngstown State University has received an Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Ohio.

The 125,000-square-foot indoor training facility designed by MS Consultants Inc. received the award in two categories: Building/Technology Systems and Energy.

“By any measure, this is an impressive building, and it has caught the attention of architects, coaches, college administrators and others across the nation,” said John Hyden, YSU executive director of facilities.

This is the latest in a series of honors for the facility. Last summer, WATTS received LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Last December, the building was featured on the cover of College Planning and Management magazine.

The annual ACEC awards recognize construction projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value and ingenuity. ACEC of Ohio is a trade association consisting of firms that provide a wide array of engineering and other professional services. In the U.S., ACEC includes more than 5,000 member firms.

WATTS opened in fall 2011.