McLaren Recognized on ACEC Award-Winning Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center Project

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The project involved the adaptive reuse of a long-vacant historic building, transforming it into a modern behavioral health center. Constructed in 1898, the 135,000 s/f, six-story structure required a complete overhaul of building systems to meet current healthcare, safety, and operational standards. The building’s age and construction left limited options for routing systems and supporting modern infrastructure.

Syska Hennessy worked closely with the architect, structural engineer, and contractor to develop practical, constructable solutions. Major mechanical systems, including a prefabricated chiller plant, air handling units, and a dedicated emergency generator plant, were located on the roof, with setbacks to minimize visual impact. Other elements include ligature-resistant fixtures, anti-barricade features, and staff-controlled systems throughout patient areas. Critical HVAC systems serving inpatient floors are supported by emergency power, allowing those areas to remain operational during outages.

Judging for the awards program took place in February and was conducted by a national 32-member panel of built environment leaders, along with experts from government, the media, and academia. Award criteria focused on uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, and excitement generated toward the engineering profession.

All 240 award winners — including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards, and the announcement of the prestigious Grand Conceptor Award for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement — will take place at the 2026 EEA Gala on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC.