ENR Mountain States magazine announced its 2015 Best Projects award winners in early August (see previous editor’s blog on this website). Now, after tabulating final results and polling our judges, we are ready to announce the winners of this year’s Best Projects Safety Awards.
This year’s safety competition was the tightest one so far. Our safety judges noted that many firms have improved not only their safety records but also their approaches to safety through comprehensive, job-specific programs with well-documented plans and good follow-through. As always, we asked the judges not to make the size of the projects a major consideration, but larger and more complex projects tend to demand more extensive safety measures. Here are this year’s safety winners, by region:

Colorado/Wyoming & Plains States (incl. Kansas, Nebraska, Dakotas)

Winner: 16M
Denver
The new 16M tower features 36 luxury residential rental units on the upper four floors, 130,000 sq ft of Class A office space, 15,000 sq ft of ground-floor retail space and three levels of underground parking.
Entry submitted by Gensler
Owner: Integrated Properties
General Contractor: Milender White Construction
Architect: Gensler
Civil Engineer: Martin/Martin
Structural Engineer: Monroe Newell
MEP Engineer: Design Mechanical

Merit (tie): DIA Hotel and Transit Center
Denver
Kiewit’s work at the new DIA transit site consisted of preconstruction and construction for excavation, utility relocations, multiple bridge demolitions, roadway relocation, temporary construction office tenant improvements and relocation of the airport’s main roof anchor system.
Entry submitted by Kiewit Co.
Owner: City and County of Denver
General Contractor: Kiewit Infrastructure Co.
Lead Design: Hartwig and Associates

Merit (tie): DPS/Emily Griffith Technical College Downtown Campus Project
Denver
The 14-story building at 1860 Lincoln consolidates the Denver Public Schools’ administration offices, a new 400-student elementary school and the 8,500-student Emily Griffith Technical College and companion high school.
Denver
Entry submitted by Weifield Group Contracting
General Contractor: PCL Construction Services
Owner: Denver Public Schools
Architect: SLATERPAULL Architects
MEP Engineer: MKK Consulting Engineers
Electrical Contractor: Weifield Group Contracting

Merit (tie): Gore Canyon Whitewater Feature at Pumphouse
Kremmling, Colo.
The Gore Canyon Whitewater Park at Pumphouse Recreation Park is the latest, non-cement/grout, man-made whitewater park and stream conservation project in Colorado.
Entry submitted by: Kissner General Contractors Inc.
Contractor: Kissner General Contractors Inc.
Owner: Grand County
Lead Design: River Restoration.org


Intermountain Area (Utah, Montana, Idaho)

Winner: 201 Commerce Center Building #6
West Valley City, Utah
The more than 300,000-sq-ft warehouse and distribution building has 104 dock high doors, nine grade level doors and trailer parking for 61 trailers.
Entry submitted by: Layton Construction Co. Inc.
Contractor: Layton Construction Co. Inc.
Owner/Developer: 201CC Venture 1 LLC
Lead Design Firm: Beecher Walker Architects
Structural Engineer: Dunn Associates
Civil Engineer: Psomas
MEP Engineer: David L Jensen & Associates
Electrical Engineer: GSL Electric

Merit (tie): Aroma Tools
Pleasant Grove, Utah
Aroma Tools’ new 25,000-sq-ft, two-story, concrete tilt-panel building not only includes retail space but also has space reserved for offices, classrooms, product assembly, events and shipping/receiving areas.
Entry submitted by: Big-D Construction
Contractor: Big-D Construction
Owner/Developer: ACH Properties
Lead Design Firm: Pasker, Gould, Ames & Weaver Inc.
Structural Engineer: BHB Consulting Engineers
Civil Engineer: ALM & Associates Inc.
MEP Engineer: MSS Mechanical Service & Systems Inc.
Electrical Engineer: Hunt Electric
Interior Designer: Opal Design Group

Merit (tie): Nampa Library Square
Nampa, Idaho
The new three-story library anchors the redevelopment of an entire city block in downtown Nampa, including a 300-stall parking structure and two single-story office and retail buildings.  
Entry submitted by: Engineered Structures Inc. (ESI)
Contractor: Engineered Structures Inc. (ESI)
Owner/Developer: Nampa Development Corp.
Design-Builder/Owner Consultant: Gardner Co.
Lead Design Firm: Babcock Design Group
Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Civil Engineer: Horrocks Engineers Inc.
MEP Engineer: PVE Engineering Inc.
Interior Design and Planning: FFA Architecture + Interiors

Congrats to this year’s safety award winners. We hope to see you in Salt Lake City or Denver for the awards ceremonies on Oct. 27 and Oct. 29, respectively. Information and registration for the Best Projects events is available at: http://www.enrbestprojectsawards.com/

We will announce our finalists for Best Overall Projects of the Year soon. Stay tuned.