The project included 25,000 sq ft of historical restoration and renovation within a 10-story town home built in 1929.

Student housing projects have continued as one of the brighter spots for both the higher education and residential construction markets in recent years.

Based on this year's award-winning projects, top design and construction teams around the region certainly deserve to sing their own praises.

Overcoming the harsh effects of years of neglect and water damage to restore a historic property's original splendor was the core challenge facing contractors renovating the 1920s-era, 16-story Hotel John Marshall in Richmond, Va.

Throughout the 643,500 man-hours tallied during renovation and restoration of this historic site, the team had no OSHA recordable incidents or lost-time accidents.

The $62.7-million expansion doubled the Abingdon Water Treatment Plant capacity to 20 million gallons per day, which addressed increased demands on Harford County's water distribution system.

Photo Credit Caption This is a test article for MA

Work on military bases and other public projects has kept many Maryland contractors busy during the recession. “Our area has always done better than others, but we are still on the downslope with government work,” says John Barotti, senior vice president of Skanska USA Building in Rockville, Md. “If you look at the forecast for the next year, I don’t see as many projects as in the past.” Barotti adds that the Base Realignment and Closure and Army Transformation projects are winding down. “There is still a lot of work associated with the BRAC realignment aftereffects,” adds David Birtwistle, vice

In an area where many people bank on their political capital, Washington, D.C.-area developers are aiming these days to build sustainability capital. Photo Courtesy KlingStubbins KlingStubbins, in association with RTKL of Baltimore, designed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Central Shared Use Facility in White Oak, Md. The design incorporated an early local example of a large vegetative roof. Photo Courtesy SmithGroup SmithGroup designed Goodpaster Hall at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, which achieved a LEED Silver rating. The building’s brick exterior blends in with the campus’ traditional 17th century style. Related Links: Top Design Top Design Ranking In light

Major projects booked before the recession allowed High Concrete Group of Denver, Pa., to more than double its revenue in 2009. The fabricator of precast and prestressed products for commercial buildings branched into the bridge business during the past year, tapping into the experience of sister firm High Steel. Related Links: Top Specialty Contractors “We’ve had to focus on the few segments were there is some money—the universities and schools,” says Tom McEvoy, executive vice president of High Concrete, which was founded in 1919. “And we’re doing more with the military. Those are markets that 10 years ago were not