Top Projects Reflect Innovation, Creativity

Seattle’s Cyrene building, named after an 1890s steam-powered ferry, opted to use the existing steam plant next door for heating and cooling.

*PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL WALMSLEY*

The 21 projects recognized by the judges in this year’s regional Best Projects program highlight the region’s innovation and creativity. The winning project teams crafted design and building solutions to technical, logistic—and in many cases, meteorological—challenges without compromising safety or quality.

From the floating concrete pontoons of Juneau, Alaska’s new cruise ship berths (our Excellence in Safety honoree) to the Portland Japanese Garden’s historically accurate castle wall, the teams behind these impressive projects found new ways to enhance and improve the lives of the people in their communities. The garden’s Cultural Crossing expansion was named Project of the Year due to its master craftsmanship and intricate designs.

Five judges reviewed more than 35 projects completed between June 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017. The panel included: Bart Eberwein, executive vice president, Hoffman Construction; Erik Mott, principal and design director, Perkins+Will; John Schaufelberger, dean, College of Built Environments, University of Washington; John Schuh, vice president, Aldrich & Associates; and Tyler Tonkin, principal and senior project manager, GLY Construction.

The judges rated the projects based on five criteria: overcoming challenges and teamwork; safety; innovation and contribution to the community; construction quality and craftsmanship; and the function and/or aesthetic quality of the design.

More than a dozen projects were considered for the Excellence in Safety Award, based on their Occupational Safety and Health Administration incident rates, lost-time accidents, total man-hours and the quality of the project’s safety programs.

The ENR Best Projects program covers all 50 states through 10 regional editions and honors more than 200 projects. The winners from each region then move on to the national Best of the Best awards, which will be awarded in April.

Keep reading to learn about all of this year’s winners.