An elementary school with a 500-gallon saltwater fish tank modified from a Hurricane Sandy-salvaged bus is just one example of the creativity displayed in the winning entries in this year’s ENR MidAtlantic Best Projects competition. As impressive as the William F. Cook Jr. Elementary School’s aquarium is, the Hockessin, Del., project got a run for its money in the K-12 education category from the Lab School of Washington. The innovative experiential facility at a school for students with learning disabilities was one of the first projects in the country to use a robot that lays brick four times faster than a human can, project officials say.
Those two projects are joined by the winners in 16 other categories. They were chosen by a panel of eight professionals from across the industry—including architects, engineers, contractors and a public owner. Judges were divided into two groups and each was assigned a number of categories. A separate jury of three safety specialists picked the Safety Award of Excellence.