AECOM’s Team Selected as One of Three Finalists in the ACE/CIRT National Design Competition
New York, NY – A team of New York City students, mentored by senior leaders at AECOM, won second place in the ACE/CIRT National Design Competition in Washington DC this week.
The team worked with AECOM to design a congestion relief plan for 34th Street in Manhattan which called for installation of new a light rail system. They say the plan would cut travel times across this busy corridor in half.
The team – known as ACE Team 30 – was one of three across the country to present plans before a panel of judges in the final round of the competition on Wednesday.
“These young people have a fresh and innovative perspective on design and construction, and the ACE program provides an essential entry point into this field,” said Marcos Diaz Gonzalez, member of the ACE Greater New York Board of Directors and Senior Vice President at AECOM. “At AECOM, we are thrilled to help these students begin to achieve their professional goals and ultimately increase diversity in our industry.”
The ACE Mentorship Program, which helps high school students prepare for careers in design and construction, pairs teams of students with mentoring firms to meet with throughout the year at the firm’s offices as the students plan and design projects.
The design competition is judged by the Construction Industry Round Table. This year’s competition invited affiliate teams from across the country to design solutions for one of three challenges: a playground or playscape, alleviate urban transportation, and a community health clinic.
AECOM partners with nonprofits and school districts across the United States to expose students to the STEM fields. Mr. Diaz Gonzalez leads the company’s STEM education efforts in the New York area. He will be available all week for interviews.
ACE Team 30 Members
Khaliq Rodriquez
Erikson Calungsod
Dorothy Balasang
Celia Fung
Max Plush
Fiona Lopez
Newton Rosaio
Joshua Rabina
Kwaku Darkwah
Fiyinfoluwa Lasisi
About Marcos Diaz Gonzalez
Marcos Diaz Gonzalez is a senior vice president at AECOM, where he combines his background in engineering, architecture and business to lead high performance teams and solve clients’ most complex problems. In this role, he serves as the business development executive for AECOM in New York City, working on multi-disciplinary mega projects including the $1.2 billion redevelopment of Lincoln Center.
A corporate social responsibility champion, he sits on the Board of the Architecture Construction Engineering (ACE)-ACE NY Mentor Program and is the founder of AECOM’s ACE Initiative.
Before joining AECOM in 2005, Marcos was the Director of Venue Planning for New York City’s 2012 Olympic Bid. In that capacity, Marcos was part of the IOC and USOC Observer programs for Athens 2004, and was in charge of the team that developed a $3 billion capital plan including the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Village, Media and Broadcast Centers, all competition and training venues, Hospitality, and Transportation infrastructure plan.
Marcos was born in Spain and currently lives in Cobble Hill. He studied engineering in Spain and is a graduate of Stanford University’s Urban Studies Program. He also has a master’s degree in architecture from the Yale School of Architecture and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.
About AECOM
AECOM (NYSE:ACM) is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate critical infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOMhad revenue of approximately $20.2 billion during fiscal year 2018. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.
