In most countries, a project to rebuild and seismically strengthen an earthquake-damaged school would not likely earn its team an international award. But with one such project in Cite Soleil, an isolated neighborhood on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, the accomplishment earns extraordinary praise for its social benefits and for the work done in a difficult environment.
Industry veterans selected the winners of the Global Best Projects Awards as the most outstanding examples of the risks and rewards — and the hurdles overcome — of designing and building internationally.
The rich history of Islamic architecture and the beauty of the region's palm trees and volcanic mountains inspired the design of the $1.2- billion Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport expansion in Medina, Saudi Arabia—the first public-private aviation project and concession in the country and the Gulf region.
What might have taken months of lane closures took a fraction of that time during installation of a 2,860-ton, tied-arch cable-suspension bridge over a major highway.
In October 2013, when SUMMA Turizm Yatirimciligi A.S. signed its design-build contract for the $68.3-million Dakar International Congress Center in Senegal, the race began to produce the 14,270-sq-meter project in just one year.
Industry professionals from across the U.S. donated their time and expertise to help ENR identify and honor the pinnacle achievements in design and construction, reviewing projects completed in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between June 2013 and June 2014.
While constructing Clemson University's $110-million wind-energy test center in North Charleston, S.C., the project owner and its builders were often working toward a "moving target."