Catholic University

Soltesz has provided a multitude of engineering services for Catholic University including civil engineering, land surveying, stormwater management, environmental studies, landscape architecture, permitting, and construction documents. Soltesz has cultivated this relationship by providing forward-thinking, innovative and sustainable strategies. All of these strategies provide support in solving problems for the university before they become obstacles.

Centennial Village is comprised of 8 dormitory buildings sited in a way that gives a feel of a small community, yet lacked a common gathering area. To help create a sense of place, Soltesz designed a landscape and recreation plan to enhance the Centennial Village area of the campus. To bring more beauty and functionality into the site, the firm added LID features such as rain gardens. Soltesz’s design also creates areas for student seating and gathering to encourage student socializing in addition to improved vehicular and pedestrian circulation and safety. Parking areas have been designed with pervious pavers along with curbs, cistern, and other underground stormwater improvements to address flooding issues.

Soltesz assisted the architectural firm of Michael Winstanley and The Catholic University of America by providing an engineering report analyzing two master plan options for a recently acquired adjacent 50-acre property.  The purpose of the Master Plan was to determine how the newly acquired property would be incorporated into the overall Catholic University Campus and the adjacent Pope John Paul II Cultural Center and the National Shire of the Immaculate Conception. The firm’s scope of work included examining current land use, natural resources, topography, soils, hydrology, utilities, transportation, and stormwater management.

The DuFour Center serves as the center of athletic activity on the Catholic University Campus. The 150,000 SF building is used for athletic and recreational activities including varsity sports, intramurals, dance and fitness. Soltesz, in collaboration with the University, finalized plans to complete fencing starting at the entrance to the DuFour Center on John McCormick Drive, south to Taylor Avenue and tying in to the existing fencing on Hawaii Avenue. The firm prepared a sediment and erosion control plan and a fence layout and construction plan, including the necessary permit applications and processing through the District Government.

The Vitreous State Lab is part of Hannan Hall, a state of the art teaching and research structure. Its unique character stems from the integration of forefront research in traditional areas of physics with the Vitreous State Lab’s interdisciplinary studies of glassy materials. Soltesz provided site engineering, cost estimates, specifications and construction inspection for this new science building. The project also included the conversion of playing fields to a parking facility, as well as existing water, sewer and storm drain main relocation.