The dam is the seventh of ten projects to receive the award, which comes on the back of ASCE’s participation in the National Academy of Engineering’s Greatest Engineering Achievements project, in which more than 30 engineering societies canvassed their members to determine the top 20 engineering achievements of the twentieth century.
“The Hoover dam, the largest in the world when it was completed in 1935, ushered in a new era of confidence in the design and building of great water resource projects,” said ASCE president Robert Bein.
Established in 1999, the Monument of the Millennium award aims to serve as a symbol of engineering at its finest moments. At 218m tall from foundation to crest, the Hoover dam was not only the world’s highest when it was built, it was also the most expensive, costing more than US$165 million to complete and home to the largest power plant of its time. The dam was selected because, according to ASCE, it “uplifts the human spirit and creates pride in the communities it serves; uses state-of-the-art design and construction techniques; and makes a significant contribution to the economy.”