Steen Engineering Earns Spot on Finance & Commerce's Top Projects of 2025 for Two Twin Cities Developments

Exterior of The Juniper, a four-story affordable housing building with brick and gray metal panel siding, in Maplewood, Minnesota, with a covered entrance reading 'Juniper' and landscaped walkway.

The Juniper, a 65-unit affordable housing community in Maplewood's Gladstone neighborhood, was named to Finance & Commerce's Top Projects of 2025.

Minneapolis MEP firm Steen Engineering recognized for work on Opportunity Crossing (Minneapolis) and The Juniper (Maplewood), affordable-housing developments.

Nothing gets built in this industry by one firm working alone, because our work takes partners who trust each other enough to dig into hard problems together.”

— Kurt Smith, Vice President and Principal

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, UNITED STATES, September 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Steen Engineering, a Minneapolis-based mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm, has been named to Finance & Commerce's Top Projects of 2025 for its work on two developments: Opportunity Crossing in Minneapolis and The Juniper in Maplewood. Published in Finance & Commerce's July 24, 2026 special section, the recognition honors 50 projects selected by an independent panel of judges for degree of difficulty, design creativity, innovative construction techniques, cooperation among project teams, and sustainability.

Opportunity Crossing, a six-story, 180,000-square-foot mixed-use development at 3030 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis, rose on a site cleared in the unrest that followed George Floyd's murder in 2020. Owned by Project for Pride in Living (PPL) and designed by Design by Melo, Weis Builders and Tri-Construction built the project, with civil engineering by WSB and mechanical engineering by Steen. The development includes 110 income-restricted apartments and, on the ground floor, four commercial units structured for purchase rather than lease to give local entrepreneurs a path to ownership on the Nicollet Avenue corridor. Steen's mechanical design includes a Darcy geothermal heating and cooling system, integrated midway through construction, alongside a stormwater management system that meets an estimated 70% of the building's non-potable water demand and conserves roughly 330,000 gallons of potable water annually.

The Juniper, a 65-unit affordable housing community in Maplewood's Gladstone neighborhood, was developed by JB Vang and designed by UrbanWorks Architecture around the needs of multigenerational families, offering two, three and four-bedroom homes for households earning 30%, 50%, and 60% of Area Median Income. Steen Engineering provided engineering services alongside BKBM Engineers, supporting a design shaped by direct engagement with the neighborhood's Hmong community. Built by Flannery Construction, The Juniper was delivered on schedule despite 44 weather delay days and unexpected site remediation, and it meets SB2030, B3, and Minnesota Green Communities sustainability standards.

“Nothing gets built in this industry by one firm working alone because our work takes partners who trust each other enough to dig into hard problems together,” said Kurt Smith, Vice President and Principal at Steen Engineering. “The relationships behind Opportunity Crossing and The Juniper felt less like a typical project team and more like trusted friendships between people who show up for each other, project after project. That’s the kind of partnership we build toward every time, and it’s what makes recognition like this so meaningful.”

Since 1993, Steen Engineering has been a trusted MEP design partner, delivering expert-level mechanical, electrical, and plumbing solutions for virtually every industry and market. Licensed in all 50 states and backed by more than 100 years of combined leadership expertise, the firm has served nearly 1,000 clients nationwide with the responsiveness and long-term partnership that have become its trademark — or, in the firm’s own words: “We Make It Work.”

About Steen Engineering
Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Steen Engineering is a full-service mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm licensed in all 50 states. The firm partners with architects, contractors, and facility owners nationwide on projects spanning MEP systems, industrial ventilation, commissioning and energy modeling, sustainable design, central plant engineering, geothermal engineering, low-voltage systems, and standby power. Learn more at steeneng.com. For more on this and Steen's other industry recognitions, visit steeneng.com/awards.

Cheyanne Duffy
Steen Engineering, Inc.
6122759905 ext.
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