ENR California is pleased to announce the winners of its 2023 Best Projects competition.

After several weeks of hard work, an independent group of AEC experts reviewed 75 projects from across California and Hawaii and selected 26 Best Projects and 16 Awards of Merit. As always, to avoid conflicts of interest, our judges did not score any categories in which their firms submitted entries, and abstained from scoring projects on which they had any involvement.

The judges for the 2023 ENR California Best Projects contest were:

• Amer Bata, deputy department manager, AECOM
• Doug Conrath, principal, CRB
• Donald Kahn, project executive, Largo Concrete
• Phil LeCocq, project management, division of engineering, California Dept. of Water Resources
• T.J. McNulty, project manager, JTM Construction Group
• David Mori, engineering manager, City of Anaheim Public Works 
• Allison Otto, President and CEO, Otto Construction
• Caleigh Raymer, director of construction, Genton Cockrum Partners
• Sam Tso, senior vice president, Transportation, HDR

Winners of the Excellence in Sustainability award and the Excellence in Safety award for the California region will be announced in August.

All winning project teams — as well as the Owner of the Year, Design Firm of the Year, Contractor of the Year, Specialty Contractor of the Year and Legacy Award winner – will be recognized in a pair of awards events in October. In addition to selecting category winners, judges have also chosen three finalists each for Northern California and Southern California for consideration as ENR California’s 2023 Projects of the Year, which also will be announced at the October Best Projects events.

Northern California awards will be presented on Oct. 17 in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in the Merchants Exchange Building (click here for more information).

Southern California awards will be presented on Oct. 19 in Los Angeles at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza (click here for more information).

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

ENR California's 2023 Regional Best Project Winners

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Best Airport/Transit
SFMTA Central Subway Underground Stations
San Francisco
Submitted by WSP USA

Best Government/Public Building
1021 O Street State Office Building
Sacramento
Submitted by Hensel Phelps

Award of Merit - Government/Public Building
County of San Mateo Navigation Center
Redwood City, Calif.
Submitted by XL Construction

Best Health Care
Russian River Health and Wellness Center
Guerneville, Calif.
Submitted by ZFA Structural Engineers

Award of Merit - Health Care
U.C. Davis Health Rehabilitation Hospital
Sacramento
Submitted by McCarthy Building Cos.

Award of Merit - Higher Education/Research
University of California, Davis Teaching and Learning Complex
Davis, Calif.
Submitted by DPR Construction

Best Highway/Bridge
Sacramento I-5 Corridor Enhancement
Sacramento, Calif.
Submitted by Teichert Construction

Award of Merit - Highway/Bridge
San Mateo 101 Express Lanes – North Segment
San Mateo, Calif.
Submitted by Kiewit

Best Interior/Tenant Improvement
Cadence Building 5 Renovation
San Jose, Calif.
Submitted by Gilbane Building Company

Award of Merit - Interior/Tenant Improvement
Confidential Client Innovation Center
San Francisco
Submitted by HITT Contracting

Best Landscape/Urban Development
Presidio Tunnel Tops
San Francisco
Submitted by Swinerton Builders

Award of Merit - Manufacturing
SF-Marin Food Bank Expansion
San Francisco
Submitted by Truebeck Construction

Best Renovation/Restoration
One Beach Street
San Francisco
Submitted by Level 10 Construction

Best Residential/Hospitality
Gateway at Millbrae Station
Millbrae, Calif.
Submitted by Blach Construction

Award of Merit - Small Project
Air France Lounge at SFO
San Francisco
Submitted by Turner Construction

Best Sports/Entertainment
Red Hawk Casino Hotel and Entertainment Center
Placerville, Calif.
Submitted by Level 10 Construction

Best Water/Environment
Silicon Valley Clean Water Gravity Pipeline Project
Redwood City, Calif.
Submitted by Barnard Construction

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Best Airport/Transit
Toyota Logistics Services Vehicle Processing and Distribution Center
Long Beach, Calif.
Submitted by Oltmans Construction Co.

Best Cultural/Worship
Orange County Museum of Art
Costa Mesa, Calif.
Submitted by Clark Construction Group

Best Energy/Industrial
Rabbitbrush Solar
Rosamond, Calif.
Submitted by McCarthy Building Cos.

Award of Merit - Energy/Industrial
[H2] Innovation Experience
Downey, Calif.
Submitted by Primoris Services Corp.

Best Health Care
OneLegacy
Azusa, Calif.
Submitted by Pacific National Group

Best Higher Education/Research
Olympic + Centennial Residence Halls
Los Angeles
Submitted by PCL Construction Services

Award of Merit - Higher Education/Research
UCLA Southwest Campus Apartments
Los Angeles
Submitted by PCL Construction Services

Best Highway/Bridge
Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project
Los Angeles
Submitted by HNTB

Best Interior/Tenant Improvement
Mayer Brown LLP
Los Angeles
Submitted by Clune Construction

Award of Merit - Interior/Tenant Improvement
Children’s Institute Inc., Watts Campus
Los Angeles
Submitted by Oltmans Construction Co.

Best K-12 Education
Chino High School Reconstruction
Chino, Calif.
Submitted by Balfour Beatty

Award of Merit - K-12 Education
Logan Memorial Educational Campus
San Diego, Calif.
Submitted by Balfour Beatty

Best Landscape/Urban Development
Potrero Canyon Park - Landscaping
Los Angeles
Submitted by City of Los Angeles, Public Works, Bureau of Engineering

Best Office/Retail/Mixed-Use
(W)rapper
Los Angeles
Submitted by MATT Construction

Best Renovation/Restoration
Rose Garden Tea Room Renovation at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens
San Marino, Calif.
Submitted by MATT Construction

Best Residential/Hospitality
The Grand LA
Los Angeles
Submitted by DCI Engineers

Award of Merit - Residential/Hospitality
NMS La Jolla
Los Angeles
Submitted by Gilbane Building Co.

Best Small Project
Kolekole Bridge Repairs
Honomu, Hawaii
Submitted by Kiewit

Award of Merit - Small Project
Twitch LAX
Los Angeles
Submitted by HITT Contracting

Best Specialty Construction
P526, Super Nintendo World
Universal City, Calif.
Submitted by KHS&S Contractors

Award of Merit - Specialty Construction
California State University, Fullerton “The Suites” Student Housing
Fullerton, Calif.
Submitted by Sundt Construction, Inc.

Best Sports/Entertainment
Snapdragon Stadium
San Diego, Calif.
Submitted by Clark Construction Group

Award of Merit - Sports/Entertainment
NASCAR's Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Temporary Racetrack
Los Angeles
Submitted by KBE Building Corp.

Best Water/Environment
First Aqueduct Tunnels Rehabilitation Project
San Diego
Submitted by Michels Corp.

Award of Merit - Water/Environment
San Pasqual Undergrounding Project
Escondido, Calif.
Submitted by Sukut Construction