Three California projects were among the 21 winners of McGraw-Hill Construction's third annual Best of the Best Awards, a national competition that recognizes design and construction excellence based on regional winners of McGraw-Hill Construction's 10 regional publications' Best of 2010 Awards.

St. Bartholomew's Chapel at Rincon Indian Reservation
St. Bartholomew's Chapel at Rincon Indian Reservation

The three California winners were the San Joaquin County Administration Building in Stockton, the Mineta San Jose International Terminal Area Improvement Program and St. Bartholomew's Chapel at the Rincon Indian Reservation in Valley Center.

Winners will be profiled in the Jan. 24 issue of Engineering News-Record.

"I'm impressed by the range of accomplishments of these winners," says Janice L. Tuchman, editor-in-chief of Engineering News-Record. "We are very pleased to showcase such fine work."

Out of 255 regional winners, an independent jury of design and construction professionals selected 64 national finalists and 21 winners in categories ranging from green building to transportation. Projects were judged on safety, innovation, contribution to the industry/community, aesthetic and functional quality of design, and construction craftsmanship.

McGraw-Hill Construction's 2010 Best of the Best Award Winners:

Architectural Design - University of Oregon John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes, Eugene, Ore.; submitted to Northwest Construction by ZGF Architects LLP
Civil/Public Works - Johns Creek Environmental Campus, Roswell, Ga.; submitted to Southeast Construction by Archer Western Contractors
Cultural - Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix, Ariz.; submitted to Southwest Contractor by RSP Architects and Ryan Companies US Inc.
Engineering Design - O.C. Tanner Flagship Renovation, Salt Lake City, Utah; submitted to Mountain States Construction by Reaveley Engineers + Associates and Big-D Construction
Government/Public Building - San Joaquin County Administration Building, Stockton, Calif.; submitted to California Construction by Fentress Architects
Green Building - U.S. Department of Energy's Research Support Facility at NREL, Golden, Colo.; submitted to Mountain States Construction by Haselden Construction LLC
Health Care - University of New Mexico, Cancer Center, Albuquerque, N.M.; submitted to Southwest Contractor by Rohde May Keller McNamara Architecture
Higher Education/Research - City of Phoenix Arizona State University College of Nursing & Health Innovation, Phoenix, Ariz.; submitted to Southwest Contractor by DPR Construction and SmithGroup
Industrial - Greater Richmond Transit Company Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility, Richmond, Va.; submitted to Mid-Atlantic Construction by Gannett Fleming Inc.
Interior Design/Tenant Improvement - Architectural Nexus Office Remodel, Salt Lake City, Utah; submitted to Mountain States Construction by Jacobsen Construction
K-12 Education - New Campus for Holy Cross School - Middle School, High School, Administration Building, New Orleans, La.; submitted to South Central Construction by Broadmoor LLC
Landscape/Urban Planning - Brooklyn Bridge Park (Piers 1 & 6), Brooklyn, N.Y.; submitted to New York Construction by Skanska USA Building Inc.
Multi-Family Residential/Hospitality - The Austonian, Austin, Texas; submitted to Texas Construction by Benchmark Development Inc.
Office - 300 East Randolph Vertical Completion, Chicago, Ill.; submitted to Midwest Construction by Walsh Construction Co.
Renovation/Restoration - The King Edward Hotel and Residences, Jackson, Miss.; submitted to South Central Construction by Clayco Inc.
Retail - Fifth and Alton Vertical Retail Center, Miami Beach, Fla.; submitted to Southeast Construction by Suffolk Construction Co. Inc.
Small Project - Schuff Perini Climber, Phoenix, Ariz.; submitted to Southwest Contractor by Perini Building Co.
Specialty Contracting - Louisiana Superdome Phase III - Re-Skin, New Orleans, La.; submitted to South Central Construction by Gibbs Construction LLC
Sports/Recreation - University of Michigan Football Stadium Renovation & Expansion, Ann Arbor, Mich.; submitted to Midwest Construction by Barton Malow Co.
Transportation - San Jose International Airport Terminal Area Improvement Program, San Jose, Calif.; submitted to California Construction by Fentress Architects
Worship - Saint Bartholomew's Chapel, Rincon Indian Reservation, Valley Center, Calif.; submitted to California Construction by Kevin deFreitas Architects

This year's judges included Howard Bashford, associate professor, Del E. Webb School of Construction, Arizona State University; Garret Browne, structural engineer, Rockey Structures; Joseph Dirik, construction attorney, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP; Dennis Doran, VP, professional development, CMAA; J.F. Finn III, principal and managing director, Gensler; Larry Hansen, SVP and principal geotechnical engineer, AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.; Jim Isaf, SVP and regional manager, Heery; Michael Kaufman, partner, Goettsch Partners, Inc.; Barry Lacy, claims/work zone/audit engineer, Louisiana DOTD; John Lewinger, founder, Grubb & Ellis/New Mexico; John Mick II, regional manager, Chicago, Baxter & Woodman, Inc.; Mary Morissette, senior architect and deputy team operations lead, Leo A. Daly; Judith Nitsch, president and CEO, Nitsch Engineering; Merle Pope, general superintendent, Exxel Pacific Construction Co.; Shawn Pressley, SVP, Hill International; John Rapaport, general counsel and director of operations, Component Assembly Systems, Inc.; Darrel Rippeteau, president, Rippeteau Architects; David Rova, principal and director of design, HMC Architects; Pedro Sifre, principal, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger; Gus Simonds, president, MacDonald Miller Facility Solutions; Dana Smith, executive director, buildingSMART Alliance, National Institute of Building Sciences; Matt Stevens, president, Stevens Construction Institute; Phil Williams, VP, Webcor Builders; and Jack Wixom, VP corporate relations, Jacobsen Construction.