This year our submissions were up by more than 20 over last year, a sign that despite the hard times the industry has experienced over the last 18 months, there is still plenty of incredible work being done throughout the region.

Judging was done by a panel of industry experts: Scot Brooks, director of construction and real estate management, Centura Health; Dennis Disney, manager of operations, Saunders Construction Inc.; Stuart Coppedge, principal, RTA Architects; Gary Orazio, president, Swanson Rink; Tania Salgado, design principal, RNL; Michael Sullivan, senior vice president of development management Trammell Crow Co.; Phil Voegtle, director of technical services, Merrick & Co.

And, this year they selected 41 project teams out of 104 total submissions in 19 categories as the best projects in the region.

Winners included the top prize, Best Overall Project of 2010, won by the team that designed and built the Denver Botanic Gardens Capital Improvement Projects.

Our judges also chose to honor the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Research Support Facility in Golden with a Judges Special Award for Community Contribution for its net-zero-energy prototype office building.

Projects were selected based on design quality and innovation, craftsmanship, the project’s contribution to the community and the industry, solution of unique design and construction challenges and overall excellence.

The winners are:

Outstanding Architectural Design

• Gold: Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, Denver, submitted by klipp

• Silver: Airport Residences, Erie, Colo, submitted by Architectural Workshop

• Bronze: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Science and Engineering Building, Colorado Springs, submitted by AR7 Architects

Outstanding Civil/Public Works

• Gold: City of Rifle Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility, Rifle, Colo., submitted by Stanek Constructors Inc.

• Silver: Facility 3 (Phase V) Water Treatment Plant, Kansas City, Kan., submitted by Grimm Construction

• Bronze (tie): Big Tooth Dam Modifications 2009, Colorado Springs, submitted by Garney Cos. Inc.

• Bronze (tie): Lazy Valley Tank and Pump Station, Evergreen, Colo., submitted by The Engineering Co.

Outstanding Cultural

• Gold: Denver Botanic Gardens Capital Improvement Projects, Denver, Submitted by GH Phipps Construction Cos.

• Silver: Phipps Gallery, Denver, submitted by Haselden Construction

Outstanding Engineering Design

• Gold: Veterans Pedestrian Bridge at HARP, Pueblo, Colo., submitted by Matrix Design Group

Outstanding Government/Public Building

• Gold: Copper Mountain Fire Station & Administration Building, Copper Mountain, Colo., submitted by Pahl Architecture

• Silver: Space Innovation and Development Center Headquarters, Colorado Springs, submitted by MWH Constructors Inc.

• Bronze: CDC – Building No. 401, Fort Collins, Colo., submitted by JE Dunn Construction Cos.

Outstanding Green Building

• Gold: U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Research Support Facility at NREL, Golden, Colo., submitted by Haselden Construction

• Silver: Paleontology Building at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, S.D., submitted by Mark Young Construction Inc.

Outstanding Health Care

• Gold: Denver Health & Hospital Core Remodels, Denver, submitted by GH Phipps Construction Cos.

• Silver: Yampa Valley Medical Center Expansion, Steamboat Springs, Colo., submitted by Adolfson & Peterson Construction

Outstanding Higher Education/Research

• Gold (tie): Auraria Science Building, Denver, submitted by Haselden Construction

• Gold (tie): Colorado State University-Pueblo Student Housing Village, Pueblo, Colo., submitted by PageSoutherlandPage Architects & Planners

Outstanding Industrial

• Gold: NREL Row 4 Turbines, Golden, Colo., submitted by The RMH Group

• Silver: SMA at Enterprise Park, Denver, submitted by Murray & Stafford

Outstanding Interior Design

• Bronze: United States Olympic Committee Headquarters Building, Colorado Springs, submitted by GE Johnson Construction Co.

Outstanding K-12 Education

• Gold: Blue Valley High School, Overland Park, Kan., submitted by Crossland Construction Co. Inc.

• Bronze: Green Valley Ranch Shared Facilities Campus, Denver, submitted by Saunders Construction

Outstanding Landscape/Urban Planning

• Silver: Westminster City Center Park, Westminster, Colo., submitted by Colorado Hardscapes

Outstanding Multifamily Residential/Hospitality

• Gold: The Little Nell, Aspen, Colo., submitted by First Finish

• Silver: The Seasons at Cherry Creek, Denver, submitted by Saunders Construction

• Bronze: One Steamboat Place, Steamboat Springs, Colo., submitted by Haselden Construction

Outstanding Renovation/Restoration

• Bronze: Woodbury Library Renovation, Denver, submitted by Humphries Poli Architects

Outstanding Retail

• Gold: University Village Colorado, Colorado Springs, submitted by Matrix Design Group

Outstanding Small Project

• Gold: Community Support Center, Douglas County, Colo., submitted by MW Golden Constructors

• Silver: Soldier Family Assistance Center, Colorado Springs, submitted by Mass Service & Supply

• Bronze:  U.S. 34 Upper Big Thompson Bridges, Estes Park, Colo., submitted by SEMA Construction Inc.

Outstanding Specialty Contracting

• Gold: SMA North America, Denver, submitted by Trinity Mechanical

Outstanding Sports/Recreation

• Gold: Mesa State College Maverick Center, Grand Junction, Colo., submitted by Adolfson & Peterson Construction

• Silver: Colorado State University – Student Recreation Center Addition & Remodel, Fort Collins, submitted by Saunders Construction

Outstanding Transportation

• Gold: West 6th Avenue Viaduct Rehabilitation, Denver, submitted by Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc.

• Silver: I-25 and Plum Creek Parkway, Castle Rock, Colo., submitted by Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc.

• Bronze: 18th Street Pedestrian Bridge, Denver, submitted by Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc.

The annual Gold Hard Hat Awards is a competition to determine the best projects in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota completed in a calendar year. Firms involved in any aspect of the project submitted the entries. Deadline for submission to the 2011 awards competition is June 10, 2011. For more information, e-mail: melissa_leslie@mcgraw-hill.com.