Restoration of a historic Detroit building, a LEED Platinum facility in a historic Chicago neighborhood a zoo exhibit in Powell, Ohio, are among the projects a panel of industry professionals awarded top honors for ENR Midwest's Best Projects 2015 competition, an annual program recognizing outstanding design and construction in a variety of categories.

Panelists selected winning projects on the basis of quality, innovation, safety and the ability of their project teams to overcome unique challenges. In all, projects were honored in categories ranging from Energy and Health Care to Education, Renovation and Transportation. Winning projects will compete against winners from other regions in ENR's National Best of the Best Projects 2016 competition.

In addition to top honors, panelists honored projects with Awards of Merit in several categories.

All projects will be honored at an awards breakfast on Nov. 19. in Chicago. Projects also will be profiled in the Nov. 16 edition of ENR Midwest, which also will reveal ENR Midwest's Project of the Year.

Following is a preview of this year's winners:

Airports/Transit

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Renovation Project, St. Louis

Submitted by: Kwame Building Group

Award of Merit: Moorman Rail Yard Expansion Engineering and Design Services, Bellevue, Ohio

Submitted by: Michael Baker International

Cultural/Worship

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Heart of Africa Exhibit and Special Events Center, Powell, Ohio

Submitted by: Messer Construction Co.

Award of Merit: Lincoln Park Zoo Regenstein Macaque Forest, Chicago

Submitted by: Pepper Construction Co.

Energy/Industrial

Columbia Energy Center Air Quality Control Retrofit, Pardeeville, Wis.

Submitted by: Black & Veatch

Government/Public Building

Award of Merit: Rochester Fire Station 2, Rochester, Minn.

Submitted by: Knutson Construction

Green Project

Method, Chicago

Submitted by: Summit Design + Build

Health Care

Mercy Hospital Joplin, Joplin, Mo.

Submitted by: McCarthy Building Cos. Inc.

Award of Merit: SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Jefferson City, Jefferson City, Mo.

Submitted: Lawrence Group

Higher Education/Research

St. Norbert College Gehl-Mulva Science Center / Medical College of WI (Phase I), De Pere, Wis.

Submitted by: Miron Construction Co. Inc.

Award of Merit: Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine on the W.E. Upjohn Campus, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Submitted by: The S/L/A/M Collaborative

Highways/Bridges

96fix, Livonia and Redford Township, Mich.

Submitted: Parsons Brinckerhoff

Award of Merit: Highway 7/Louisiana Avenue Interchange. Saint Louis Park, Minn.

Submitted by: Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.

Interior Design/Tenant Improvements

Johnson Controls Inc. Hawley Road Facility, West Allis, Wis.

Submitted by: Hunzinger Construction Co.

Award of Merit: Erie HealthReach Waukegan Health Center, Waukegan, Ill.

Submitted by: Legat Architects Inc.

K-12 Education

Lake Mills Elementary School, Lake Mills, Wis.

Submitted by: Miron Construction Co. Inc.

Award of Merit: GEMS Lower School, Chicago

Submitted by: Power Construction Co.

Office/Retail/Mixed-Use

Schreiber Foods Home Office and Global Technology Center, Green Bay, Wis.

Submitted by: Gilbane Building Co.

Award of Merit: Hoosier Energy Headquarters, Bloomington, Ind.

Submitted by: Schmidt Associates

Renovation/Restoration

The David Whitney Building Renovation, Detroit

Submitted by: Walbridge

Award of Merit: Snap-on Museum, Kenosha, Wis.

Riley Construction Co. Inc

Residential/Hospitality

OneEleven, Chicago

Submitted by: Lend Lease

Award of Merit: Potawatomi Hotel & Casino – New Hotel, Milwaukee

Submitted by: Gilbane Building Co.

Small Projects

Knoch Knolls Nature Center, Naperville, Ill.

Submitted by: Wight & Co.

Award of Merit: Kalamazoo College Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Submitted by: Miller-Davis Co.

Specialty Contracting

OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital Neuroscience Center Teledata Project, Columbus, Ohio

Submitted by: Mid-City Electric/Technologies

Sports/Entertainment

Wrigley Field's 1060 Project - Budweiser Bleachers, Chicago

Submitted by: Pepper Construction Co.

Award of Merit: Lambeau Field Stadium Improvement Projects (Phase II), Green Bay, Wis.

Submitted by: Miron Construction Co. Inc.

Water/Environment

Morrow Lake Remediation, Galesburg, Mich.

Submitted by: Terra Contracting Services

Award of Merit: West Side Diversion Tunnel, Davenport, Iowa

Submitted by: Stanley Consultants

The ENR franchise is indebted to the competition's six-member panel of judges, who include:

Shawn Anderton, vice president, Graycor Industrial Contractors

C. Neal Burnett, Operations Manager, Midwest Constructors

Greg Douglas, vice president, construction innovation, Miron Construction Co. Inc.

Sam Mishelow, chief strategy officer, Meyer Najem

Paul Parry, principal, KJWW Engineering Consultants

David M. Polzin, principal, CannonDesign