The Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) has announced the 2014 Project of the Year and National Award of Excellence winners.
The Denver Union Station Transit Improvement Project has been bestowed with DBIA's highest honor, Project of the Year, with Agua Nueva, Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Henry M. Jackson Federal Building Modernization, and the San Diego International Airport Terminal 2 and Airside Expansion projects being specially recognized for excellence in the critical areas of design, process and teaming.
"This year's award competition was the most rigorous to date with a greater emphasis on best practices and teamwork, as well as the successful delivery of the project," says Lisa Washington, CAE, DBIA's Executive Director/CEO.
Recognized for exemplary collaboration and integration in design-build project delivery, the award-winning projects were evaluated by a distinguished panel of industry experts. This year, 25 projects in nine categories were awarded National Awards of Merit.
One project in each of the nine categories was then considered for best in category as a National Award of Excellence winner along with Excellence in Design, Process and Teaming awards and Project of the Year. The selected projects showcase design-build best practices, in addition to achieving budget and schedule goals and exceeding owner expectations. All photos courtesy of DBIA.
DBIA 2014 Project of the Year – Denver Union Station Transit Improvements Project
(pictured above)
The Denver Union Station Transit Improvements Project transformed 20 acres of blighted former rail yards into the vibrant centerpiece of a bustling downtown Denver, anchoring and facilitating connections between the region's transit system with all modes of public transit: an iconic, eight-track commuter rail train hall, new light-rail station and an airy, airport-like underground bus concourse with 22 bays for regional and commercial bus service. At $374.8 million and spanning 20 acres and seven city blocks, it is the largest multimodal project to seek LEED Silver certification from the USGBC. The project is a Public-Private Partnership (P3) successfully delivered under a design-build contract model.
The Project of the Year team includes: Owner: Denver Union Station Project Authority; Design-Builder, Construction Manager: Kiewit; Architect: Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill LLP; Engineer: AECOM; BIM Specialist/Construction: Legacy Mechanical Inc.; and Specialty Consultant: Hargreaves Associates.
"The remarkable Denver Union Station Project is a shining example of what can be accomplished through Design-Build Done Right," says Lisa Washington. "The project team truly took integrated project delivery to the next level by releasing design packages in alignment with construction activities, embedding lead architects and engineers in the contractors' offices and through weekly owner/architect/contractor meetings to ensure key decision-makers were frequently engaged. We could not be more proud to present this prestigious award to the Denver Union Station Project Authority and the entire project team as DBIA's 2014 Design-Build Project of the Year."
DBIA 2014 Excellence in Design – Golisano Institute for Sustainability and the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse
The Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, N.Y., wanted a signature building that would serve as a living laboratory for scientific discovery and experimental learning that could serve as the Western Gateway to RIT. The result is an 84,000-square-foot complex, comprised of a four-story research and three-story academic and office building connected by a four-story galleria. It houses laboratories, classrooms and office space, with high-performance design features that make it a living laboratory of sustainability. The Golisano Institute is among the first in the world to offer a Ph.D. program in sustainability.
The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse was delivered through a unique Public-Private Partnership and is the first social infrastructure project in the United States procured under the principles of Performance-Based Infrastructure contracting. Constructed in downtown Long Beach, Calf., the design-build team successfully delivered the spectacular 545,000-square-foot courthouse and 399,000-square-foot parking facility 11 days ahead of schedule.
DBIA 2014 Excellence in Process – Agua Nueva Water Reclamation Facility
The Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department embarked on the largest capital program in its history, which includes the $172 million Agua Nueva Water Reclamation Facility in Tucson, Ariz. The 32-million-gallon-per-day facility produces A+ quality effluent and features state-of-the-art odor control technology. Key challenges were meeting stringent contractual/permit effluent requirements and compliance schedules, coordinating shutdown of the old facility with Agua Nueva startup, maintaining strong coordination with other projects and optimizing capital and life-cycle costs.
DBIA 2014 Excellence in Teaming – Henry M. Jackson Federal Building Modernization
The Henry M. Jackson Federal Building modernization in Seattle, Wash., served to reduce the building's energy consumption by 30 percent, increase the Energy Star score to 97 and achieve a LEED-EB Silver certification from the USGBC through multiple energy-related scopes. After shortlisting to three firms, cost and schedule were fixed to enable the teams to focus on innovative solutions to energy savings. To ensure accountability, the GSA used a performance guarantee that included one year of monitoring the Energy Use Intensity against goals established by the design-build teams, for which $1.8 million was held as retention.
DBIA 2014 National Award of Excellence by Category winners are:
• Aviation – The San Diego International Airport Terminal 2 and Airside Expansion, San Diego, Calif.
• Civic – FY11 228 PN UEPH Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter, Oahu, Hawaii
• Commercial/Office – Wendell August, Grove City, Pa.
• Education – Golisano Institute for Sustainability Research Building, Rochester, N.Y.
• Healthcare – California Health Care Facility Stockton, Stockton, Calif.
• Industrial/Process/Research – Rolls-Royce Advanced Aerofoil Machining Facility, Prince George County, Va.
• Rehabilitation/Renovation/Restoration – Henry M. Jackson Federal Building Modernization, Seattle, Wash.
• Transportation – Denver Union Station Transit Improvements, Denver, Colo.
• Water/Wastewater - Agua Nueva Water Reclamation Facility, Tucson, Ariz.
Related Stories
| Mar 30, 2011
China's low-carbon future city
In 2005, the Chinese government announced its target to reduce energy consumption per GDP unit by 20% by the year 2010. After a multi-billion investment, that target has been reached. The Chinese Climate Protection Program’s goal to increase energy efficiency, develop renewable energies, and promote energy savings while reducing pollutant emissions and strengthening environmental protection is reflected in the “Future City” by SBA Design.
| Mar 30, 2011
Is the AEC industry at risk of losing its next generation leaders without better mentoring?
After two or three horrifying years for the AEC industry, we are finally seeing the makings of a turnaround. However, data developed by Kermit Baker as part of the AIA Work-on-the-Boards survey program indicates that between 17% and 22% of design firms are eliminating positions for interns and staff with less than six years of experience. This data suggests the industry is at risk of losing a large segment of its next generation of leaders if something isn't done to improve mentoring across the profession.
| Mar 29, 2011
City's design, transit system can ease gas costs
Some cities in the U.S. are better positioned to deal with rising gas prices than others because of their design and transit systems, according to CEOs for Cities, a Chicago-based nonprofit that works to build stronger cities. The key factor: whether residents have to drive everywhere, or have other options.
| Mar 29, 2011
Chicago’s Willis Tower to become a vertical solar farm
Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is set to become a massive solar electric plant with the installation of a pilot solar electric glass project.
| Mar 29, 2011
Read up on Amazon.com's new green HQ
Phase IV of Amazon’s new headquarters in Seattle is nearly complete. The company has built 10 of the 11 buildings planned for its new campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and is on-track for a 2013 grand opening.
| Mar 29, 2011
Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura wins Pritzker Architecture Prize
Portugese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, whose precisely-honed buildings reflect the influence of the late Chicago modernist Mies van der Rohe, is the 2011 winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the field's highest honor.
| Mar 25, 2011
Qatar World Cup may feature carbon-fiber ‘clouds’
Engineers at Qatar University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering are busy developing what they believe could act as artificial “clouds,” man-made saucer-type structures suspended over a given soccer stadium, working to shield tens of thousands of spectators from suffocating summer temperatures that regularly top 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
| Mar 23, 2011
AIA adds 13 new contract documents to Documents-on-Demand service
Web-based solution adds 13 popular Architect’s Scope of Services Documents to AIA Documents-on-Demand, providing easy access to documents anytime, anywhere.
| Mar 23, 2011
After 60 years of student lobbying, new activity center opens at University of Texas
The new Student Activity Center at the University of Texas campus, Austin, is the result of almost 60 years of students lobbying for another dedicated social and cultural center on campus. The 149,000-sf facility is designed to serve as the "campus living room," and should earn a LEED Gold certification, a first for the campus.
