The American Institute of Architects has honored Mortenson Construction and Fentress Architects, both of Denver, with a national technology design award for the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center project in Denver.

Photo by Jason Knowles, Fentress Architects

The teams efforts in virtual design and construction modeling on the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center project resulted in $9 million in project costs savings that were reinvested into customer-deferred enhancements.

AIA’s Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Building Information Model (BIM) Award is the association’s highest award for a project team that integrated building information technology into a project.

The AIA TAP BIM Award competition has been an annual event since 2005. It showcases award-winning case studies from the profession that harness building information technology and processes that enhance design, construction and project excellence. Winners will be acknowledged during the AIA National Convention in Denver on June 19.

The award submittal by the judicial center team highlighted documented metrics, which resulted in a 4.5%, or approximately $9 million, savings on overall project costs. Those savings were re-invested into the project in customer-deferred enhancements.

The 695,767-sq-ft Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center includes a 12-story office tower, two Court of Appeals courtrooms, a courtroom for the Colorado Supreme Court, the Colorado Supreme Court Library, and an educational civics learning center that features interactive exhibits  showcasing the role of the American justice system.

The design and construction team credit integrated project delivery and the collaborative efforts of the architect, construction manager, developer, owner and the state of Colorado as keys to the project’s success. By using three-dimensional virtual design and construction methods that included a building information model, the team ensured that conflicts were resolved before field installation.

The project team of Mortenson Construction, Fentress Architects and Trammell Crow Co., including their subconsultants and trade partners, delivered the project two months ahead of schedule in December, allowing an early move-in for several of the state judicial agencies.

Construction is nearing final completion as additional state agencies continue moving into the complex. The project will be formally dedicated in a public ceremony on May 2.