Judges Shine Spotlight on Community Benefits, Innovation Among Southwest Project Winners

I'm pleased to announce the winners of ENR Southwest’s annual Best Projects competition. For 30 years, we have honored the best in design and construction in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, and this year had numerous standout projects. Our panel of industry judges reviewed almost 100 entries in a variety of categories and for two special awards, Excellence in Sustainability and Excellence in Safety. 

Winners will be highlighted in more detail in the October 26th print edition of ENR Mountain States & Southwest, and at an awards luncheon on November 6th.   

Thank you to our category judges, listed below in alphabetical order:

• Sergio Carrasco, Architect, Holly Street Studio
• Michael D'Andrea, Vice President of Development & Construction, GCON Inc.
• Stephanie Handley, Business Development Manager, Arizona Buildings Group, PCL
• Kai Kaoni, Associate Professor of Practice & Beavers Endowed Distinguished Professor of Infrastructure, Northern Arizona University
• Ryan O'Donnell, Operations Director, Balfour Beatty
• Pete Rasmussen, Principal, Shepley Bulfinch
• Gabrielle Robinson, Design Phase Manager, Kitchell
• Cassie Saba, AZ Higher Education Core Market Lead, DPR Construction

Our Excellence in Safety judges:

• Matt Gilliland, Safety Director, CHASSE Building Team
• Ryan Martin, Director of Safety, Quality & Lean, Kovach Enclosure Systems LLC

And the Excellence in Sustainability judge:

• Linnea Brudenell, Director of Sustainability, RSP Architects

Any judge whose firm had a project in the competition was assigned to judge other categories to avoid conflicts of interest. 

Come celebrate with all of the winning project teams in Phoenix at a luncheon on Nov. 6 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel. Click here for more information about the event.

In addition to selecting category winners, our judges have also chosen several finalists for ENR Southwest’s Project of the Year, with the winner to be announced at the event in November. We will preview the finalists in another blog leading up to the event.

The event will also recognize several other award winners from throughout the year: Owner of the Year New Mexico DOT;  Design Firm of the Year Jacobs; and Contractor of the Year Hoffman Construction. We will also recognize Southwest’s Legacy Award winner Mike Hoover.  

Congratulations to this year's Best Projects winners, listed below by category: 

Airport/Transit

Best Project: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Terminal 3 North Concourse 2 – Package 1, located in Phoenix. Submitted by Kiewit

Cultural/Worship

Best Project: Mesa Gateway Library, located in Mesa, Ariz. Submitted by Willmeng Construction

Award of Merit: Dr. Stacie J. and Richard J. Stephenson Theatre, located in Phoenix. Submitted by RSP Architects

Government/Public Building

Best Project: Glendale Downtown Campus Reinvestment, located in Glendale, Ariz. Submitted by Okland Construction

Award of Merit: City of Las Vegas/College of Southern Nevada, Westside Education & Training Center, located in Las Vegas. Submitted by Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto Architects

Health Care

Best Project: Sunset Health Somerton Clinic, located in Somerton, Ariz. Submitted by Loven Contracting

Award of Merit: Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Behavioral Health Journey to Recovery, located in Scottsdale, Ariz. Submitted by Kitchell

Award of Merit: CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center, located in Santa Fe, N.M.. Submitted by Jaynes Corp.

Higher Education/Research

Best Project: Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ISTB12), located in Mesa, Ariz. Submitted by McCarthy Building Cos. Inc.

Award of Merit: University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, located in Tucson. Submitted by Line and Space LLC

Award of Merit: Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media, located in Tucson. Submitted by DPR Construction

Highway/Bridge

Best Project: I-15/Tropicana Interchange, located in Las Vegas. Submitted by Kiewit

Interior/Tenant Improvement

Best Project: Chandler Regional Medical Center, Endoscopy & Cardiovascular Expansion, located in Chandler, Ariz. Submitted by Kitchell

Award of Merit: Gen Digital, located in Tempe, Ariz. Submitted by Layton Construction

K-12 Education

Best Project: Desert Horizon Elementary School Phased Campus Rebuild, located in Phoenix. Submitted by CORE Construction

Award of Merit: LCPS Columbia Elementary School, located in Las Cruces, N.M. Submitted by HB Construction

Landscape/Urban Development

Best Project: Hualapai Moving Forward – Veteran’s Memorial and Recreational Park, located in Peach Springs, Ariz. Submitted by SEMA Construction Inc.

Award of Merit: Surprise Stadium Public Art: Bounce + Swing, located in Surprise, Ariz. Submitted by RSP Architects

Manufacturing

Best Project: Aligned PHX-06, located in Chandler, Ariz. Submitted by Holder Construction

Award of Merit: XNRGY Manufacturing Facility & Headquarters, located in Mesa, Ariz. Submitted by Wespac Construction

Office/Retail/Mixed-Use

Best Project: The Maeve and ANOVA Central Station, located in Phoenix. Submitted by Layton Construction

Award of Merit: Zara Flagship - The Forum Shops, located in Las Vegas. Submitted by Shawmut Design and Construction

Renovation/Restoration

Best Project: Las Vegas Convention District Phase Three, located in Las Vegas. Submitted by Hunt-Penta, a Joint Venture

Award of Merit: Grand Canyon National Park Lookout Studio Preservation, located in Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. Submitted by Loven Contracting

Award of Merit: Phoenix Police Headquarters, located in Phoenix. Submitted by Okland Construction

Residential/Hospitality

Best Project: The REMI Hotel, located in Scottsdale, Ariz. Submitted by RSP Architects

Award of Merit: Sol Modern, located in Phoenix. Submitted by Layton Construction

Small Project (under $10 million)

Best Project: HonorHealth Shea Medical Center Operating Room #10 Renovation, located in Scottsdale, Ariz. Submitted by Jacobsen Construction

Award of Merit: Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe, located in Rio Verde, Ariz. Submitted by PCL Construction

Specialty Construction

Best Project: Symphony Park Hotel & Conference Center, located in Las Vegas. Submitted by Helix Electric LLC

Sports/Entertainment

Best Project: Marana Aquatic and Recreation Center, located in Marana, Ariz. Submitted by CHASSE Building Team

Water/Environment

Best Project: West Bank Underwater Pit Reclamation, located in Wadsworth, Nev. Submitted by Q&D Construction

Award of Merit: Kurt R. Segler Water Reclamation Facility Phase 4 Improvements, located in Henderson, Nev. Submitted by McCarthy Building Cos. Inc.

Excellence in Safety

Best Project: Las Vegas Convention District Phase Three Renovation Project, located in Las Vegas. Submitted by Hunt-Penta, a Joint Venture

Award of Merit: Project Bighorn Data Center, located in Sparks, Nev. Submitted by BZI

Excellence in Sustainability

Best Project: UNM Hospital Critical Care Tower, located in Albuquerque. Submitted by AECOM Hunt

Award of Merit: Tempe Municipal Operations Center, located in Tempe, Ariz. Submitted by DWL Architects + Planners Inc.