2011 Crystal Drive Recognized as Outstanding Structure in Renovation/Adaptive Reuse at the 2026 NCSEA SEE Awards
SK&A Structural Engineers has received one of the structural engineering profession’s most prestigious national honors. The 2011 Crystal Drive Repositioning project in Arlington, Virginia, was named the Outstanding Structure in the Renovation/Adaptive Reuse category at the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) 2026 Structural Engineering Excellence (SEE) Awards. The award was presented on October 29 during the NCSEA Structural Engineering Summit in San Francisco, California, where SK&A Senior Principal Hakan Onel and Project Manager Ammar Motorwala were on hand to celebrate the achievement and accept the award.
The annual SEE Awards recognize exceptional structural engineering achievements from across the country and around the world, honoring projects that demonstrate innovation, technical expertise, creativity, and ingenuity in overcoming complex engineering challenges. Selected from an accomplished field of national and international projects, 2011 Crystal Drive earned the top distinction in its category.
The project transformed approximately 100,000 square feet across the lower three floors of an occupied eleven-story office building into a hospitality-driven workplace destination featuring dining, collaboration, and event spaces.
Creating a column-free, 300-seat presentation hall required removing three existing reinforced concrete columns and transferring approximately 1,000 kips of gravity load per column through new structural steel transfer trusses. The engineering team developed carefully coordinated construction sequencing, temporary shoring, controlled jacking operations, and real-time structural monitoring to accomplish this complex transformation while the building remained occupied.
SK&A’s Testing & Inspection team also played a critical role throughout the project, providing special inspections, materials testing, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and structural movement monitoring. Working closely with the design engineers, the team helped verify existing conditions, monitor structural behavior, and manage risks during the complex construction and load-transfer operations.
The award recognizes not only the project’s innovative structural solutions but also the technical judgment, careful planning, and close collaboration required to execute them successfully. The achievement reflects the collective efforts of SK&A and our project partners, including JBG SMITH Properties, DCS Design, and Davis Construction. Congratulations to all who contributed to this exceptional project and its national recognition! Together, this work demonstrates how creative structural engineering and strong project partnerships can extend the life and value of existing buildings.
