The IMEG-designed Rockford Public Library is a finalist in the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) 2025 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards competition. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in June. 

IMEG’s structural design featured a two-story cantilever to create a floating glass box facing the river. Engineers used a unique canted column and two-story truss system to support the architectural feature and achieve the desired sleek, thin floors and expansive glass walls. 

The project also proved challenging due to site contamination that had to be remediated before construction could begin. The structural design team was tasked with addressing the poor soil and achieving the required foundation capacities with the architectural program while reducing dewatering and temporary earth retention systems to limit costs and construction duration. 

The project previously won an ACEC Illinois 2025 Engineering Excellence Honor Award and Judges Choice Award, 2025 ACEC Engineering Excellence National Recognition Award, and the 2024 Citation of Merit for Architecture Design from the AIA Prairie Chapter. 

Read more about the project here.