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This $45-million, 65,000-sq-ft, four-story museum and education facility in Skokie, Ill., is the largest center in the Midwest dedicated to preserving the memories of those lost in the Holocaust and to teaching current generations about their role in combating intolerance and genocide in today’s world. Photo: COURTESY OF RONALD GALL, OWNER SERVICES GROUP, INC. Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards It consists of permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, a youth exhibition space, art gallery, auditorium, “reflection” space, classrooms, research library, and museum offices. Its design presents two related concepts: the reality of the Holocaust to the younger generations

Having endured 83 years of constant traffic and harsh winter weather, the Jackson Avenue Bridge in downtown Chicago was nearing structural failure. Photo: COURTESY OF ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards The $11.5-million Jackson Avenue Bridge Reconstruction Project began with demolition of the existing structure and pavement. New foundations, piers, abutments, bridge superstructure, roadway, and sidewalks were built. The project also included restoration of the bridge’s architectural features, as well as installation of new precast balustrades, ornamental lighting, and new stairs to the Metra platform below. More than 2,000 cu yd of concrete, 190 tons of

Photo: © J.P. Cullen & Sons, Inc. Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards Judy Faulkner is founder and CEO of Epic Systems Corp., a leading medical software provider headquartered near Verona, Wis. To keep pace with phenomenal growth, Epic is roughly doubling the size of its headquarters to accommodate all of its 3,400 employees. In addition to running the company, Faulkner, once described by a colleague as “very smart, very passionate, very focused,” is also deeply involved in planning and constructing Epic’s headquarters addition. “She’s a hands-on owner who has a vision and knows what it takes to

The Grove on Kickapoo Creek, a new 460+ acre development on the southeast side of Bloomington, Ill., features more than 88 acres of passive parklands, a 20-acre active park, four miles of trails, a 15-acre site for an elementary school currently under construction, and a proposed daycare. Photo: COURTESY OF FARNSWORTH GROUP Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards The centerpiece is the restoration of the existing stream into an 88-acre corridor serving multiple purposes: nature preserve, education, recreation, aesthetic enhancement, habitat restoration and detention. Key Players Owner: City of Bloomington, Ill. General Contractor: Stark Excavating, Bloomington, Ill. Design

Rising 60 stories, 300 N. LaSalle is one of Chicago’s tallest buildings. The $240- million office building provides 52 levels of office space, seven levels of mixed-use space, three floors of underground parking, and two floors of mechanical and elevator levels. Photo © Hedrich Blessing Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards Each floor provides 25,000 sq ft of rentable floor space with full-height glass and eight column-free corner offices to maximize layout flexibility, natural lighting, and views of the Chicago skyline and adjacent river. Key Players Owner: Hines, Chicago General Contractor: Clark Construction Group, Chicago Design Firm: Pickard

After 13 in. of rain fell on south-central Wisconsin in three days during early June, 2008, an embankment along Lake Delton gave way, unleashing a raging torrent of water that drained the 600-million-gallon lake dry in just a few hours. Photo: JOE OLIVA Reconstruction of CTH A and Refilling of Lake Delton Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards Sauk County Hwy. A, which ran atop the failed embankment, was also washed away in the flood. Tourism brings 1.5 million visitors and an estimated $1-billion to the Wisconsin Dells area each year. With the 2008 summer tourist season washed

The 8,000-sq-ft interior build-out of a 160-seat restaurant in the Renzo Piano-designed Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago features custom art displays, a curved metal garde-manger and a wine room with custom glass and metal racks. The $1.1-million project was completed under an extremely aggressive schedule. Photo: COURTESY OF TURNER SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards The circular design of the garde-manger required material and site coordination for a spline-curved wall clad in powder-coated metal and stone with a curved glass soffit on stand-offs. Each material was fabricated separately, making on-site assembly tricky.

World renowned architect Renzo Piano said his desire was to root the Art Institute�s new Modern Wing deeply in the ground while also giving it the air and lightness to levitate. Photo: COURTESY OF MICHELLE LITVIN THE NEW YORK TIMES REDUX Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards His first major design in Chicago has succeeded. On the first floor, a daylit court is flanked by new educational facilities, galleries, and a garden, all actively linking the Art Institute with urban life. The second and third floors are dedicated to the viewing of art. The third floor is lit

Midwest Construction’s Best of 2009 award competition again attracted a record-tying 128 entries. Forty-four of the projects are being honored for excellence in design, construction, and overall performance. In addition, four are also being honored with special awards for architectural function, engineering function, outstanding project management, and owner of the year recognition. Photo: Mike Larson This year’s jury intently studies the Best of 2009 entries, Clockwise from left front: John Mick II (Baxter & Woodman); Dave Alexander (James McHugh Construction); Michael Kaufman (Goettsch Partners); Warren Hill (Hill Mechanical Group); facilitator Tony Figueroa (McGraw-Hill, who did not vote); hidden next to

The original Sears, Roebuck & Co. world headquarters was constructed in North Lawndale on the west side of Chicago at the beginning of the 20th century to serve its blossoming mail order business. The 55-acre site included a number of buildings at the time, among them a 55,000-sq-ft powerhouse that electrified, heated and cooled the entire complex. Rehabilitating this facility for use as the Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center and Power House High necessitated balancing historic preservation requirements with the needs of a modern school facility. The design also included green building technology Photo: © RUSSELL PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY