ENR Texas &amp; Louisiana Honors 2013 Best Projects

Out of more than 80 entries submitted for this year's ENR Texas & Louisiana Best Projects competition, an independent panel of judges named 27 winners, all of them featured online and in the December 16 print issue.

Photo by Blake Marvin

Best Health Care: An exterior view of the new $22-million University of Texas Moncrief Cancer Institute.

This year's winners were extremely diverse, representing a wide selection of construction projects in varied markets—projects completed in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2013.

Many "firsts" made it into the winners' circle, including the first ultra-supercritical advanced-steam-cycle power generation facility in the U.S.; the first steel-arch and stress-ribbon bridge in North America; and the first Formula One racetrack in the U.S. Winners also included the restoration of a building from 1932 that had been vacant for 30 years and a seven-year bridge-widening project.

Each Best Project had to demonstrate innovation, exceptional quality and an ability to find creative solutions to daunting challenges.

To select the region's best, ENR Texas & Louisiana recruited an independent panel of six industry professionals, representing diverse fields of expertise. Read more about our judges here.

Another integral part of ENR's annual Best Projects competition is the Excellence in Safety Award, now in its second year. More than 50 entries vied for the award, with a separate panel of jurors selecting the safety winner, along with five merit-award winners.

In selecting the Project of the Year, the judges had a difficult time in making a selection considering the high caliber of entries. Five finalists were selected: 500 Fannin Building, First Baptist Church Dallas, George W. Bush Presidential Center, Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge and the President George Bush Turnpike Western Extension.

Read on to learn about the successes and challenges faced by the teams on all of this year's Best Projects in categories ranging from airports/transit to water/environment:

Texas & Louisiana Project of the Year

George W. Bush Presidential Center (University Park, Texas)

Safety

Best Project: The John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant Project (Fulton, Ark.)

Award of Merit: Biomedical Research and Health Professions Building (Brownsville, Texas)

Award of Merit: Carnegie Vanguard High School (Houston, Texas)

Award of Merit: GE Manufacturing Solutions – Locomotive Manufacturing Facility “Project Forward” (Fort Worth, Texas)

Award of Merit: San Jacinto College Allied Health Building (Houston, Texas)

Award of Merit: Triumph Aerostructures - Vought Aircraft Division | Manufacturing Facility (TARO 1) (Red Oak, Texas)

Airports/Transit

Best Project: Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CONRAC) Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (New Orleans, La.)

Cultural/Worship