American Public Works Association Honors Reservoir Project in the San Gabriel Valley

The Southern California chapter of the American Public Works Association has recognized the St. Joseph Water Reservoir Replacement Project in Arcadia as "Project of the Year" in its environmental water and wastewater category.

The new 5-million-gallon concrete reservoir meets current seismic codes and provides Arcadia with expanded and reliable water resources, which will serve far into the future. The St. Joseph Water Reservoir is part of a planned capital improvement program for Arcadia's ongoing water system upgrades.

The Arcadia-owned project was planned, designed and inspected by the Pasadena office of Broomfield, Colo.-based MWH. The project included the demolition of an aging 3 million-gallon reservoir that no longer met the current seismic-resistant design criteria. The demolition of the reservoir created space for the 5 million-gallon square-shaped reservoir.

The reservoir's design considered the existing clearances from tanks, pipes and a booster pump station, which continued to operate during the replacement reservoir's construction. As part of the site-specific reservoir design, the engineering team was able to shoe-horn the reservoir into the tight space next to an existing 6-million-gallon reservoir.

The general contractor on the project was Perris-based Pacific HydroTech.

MWH also incorporated a number of architectural features into the exterior design to help the reservoir blend with surrounding business and community buildings. These features include architectural treatments such as arches on the walls, cornices/parapets on the reservoir façade, several trees and accent lights.

Southern California Manufacturer Earns AIA Award of Excellence

Custom Building Products, a Seal Beach-based manufacturer of tile and stone installation products, earned the 2005 American Institute of Architects/Continuing Education System Award for Excellence in the commercial stakeholder category. The annual award honors a CES provider that "provides commitment to the highest standards in an overall system of quality continuing education."

"It is extremely gratifying to be recognized publicly for the effort we put into supporting the architectural market and to learn that they see value and quality in our offering," said John McMullen, senior vice president of marketing for Custom Building Products.

"Custom has a solid partnership with the AIA," he added. We look forward to building on that for many years to come as we share information with architects about the use of tile and stone, allowing them to push the edge of whatever is possible in design and architecture."

Working with AIA chapters in California, architectural firms and industry trends, Custom has developed a program of educational services and support for architects, builders and specifiers that include individually-designed continuing education courses that qualify for AIA/CES/MCE and HSW credits; architectural consultants who provide personalized assistance with planning and specifications; and technical specifications, detailed product information and downloadable CAD drawings available on CD or through Custom's Web site.

"At Custom, we have a responsibility to provide architects, specifiers and other professionals with superior products, but we believe it goes further," said Griff Williams, senior vice president of technology for Custom Building Products. "We share openly our industry knowledge and expertise, allowing architects to use tile and stone with confidence and structural integrity."