ENR California’s best projects hit the mark

The ENR California 2024 Best Projects Competition recognizes a number of projects with dynamic and innovative construction and design methods. This year’s entries featured ambitious green energy projects, major transport improvements and a range of impressive building renovations and improvements.

ENR California’s top projects are divided into two regions, Northern California and Southern California (which includes Hawaii). In this year’s competition, nearly 100 projects were submitted for judging. An independent jury selected 57 of them for recognition: 30 best projects and 27 awards of merit.

Judges from all corners of the AEC community spent weeks reviewing entries to reach five areas: project challenges and solutions, safety programs, innovative design and construction solutions, contribution to the construction industry and community, and like the quality and craftsmanship of the design. Projects were not eligible for an award if they had a construction-related death.

The painstaking renovation of a Los Angeles landmark earned UCLA’s Nimoy Theater a Best Project award.
by Paul Vu/HANA

Judicial judges

Entries from each California region (North and South) were evaluated by separate panels of judges. Over the course of a month, the entries were independently reviewed, scored according to specific criteria, and then discussed in a virtual meeting with other judges to finalize the Best Projects, Merit Awards and Projects of the Year selections. Judges were asked to recuse themselves in cases of conflict of interest.

Special thanks to this year’s team of judges from Northern and Southern California:

• Amer Batadeputy director of department, AECOM
• Doug Conrathdirector (retired), CRB
• Steve FrareUS Western Regional Planning Director Hensel Phelps
• Red invitationregional executive/special projects, Bernards
• Donald Kahnproject executive, Largo Concrete
• Beatriz Kimhead of the engineering team, Rosendin
• Phil LeCocqproject management, engineering division, California Department of Water Resources
• Rory Maddensenior project manager, coDesign
• Danica Masondirector, Red Team Go!
• David Moriengineering manager, City of Anaheim Public Works
• Allison OttoPresident and CEO, Otto Construction
• Caleigh Raymerconstruction manager, PCL

Winners at the Best Project level from each California region will now advance to the national competition, where they will compete with winners from nine other regions for ENR’s Best of the Best awards. Judging for the national competition will begin later this year and results will be announced in early 2025.

YouTube’s campus expansion in San Burno, California won an award of merit in part for its emphasis on sustainable materials.
Photo by Mariko Reed/Google

Excellence in Safety and Sustainability

This year’s competition also includes two special awards for each region of California: Excellence in Safety, which has been part of the competition for more than a decade, and Excellence in Sustainability, which is in its third year. The judges recognized two safety winners and five sustainability winners between the two regions.

The two special sustainability and safety awards for the two California regions were judged by separate independent panels.

Safety judges were Matt Jones, Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety, Tutor Perini and Alan Hayes, California Safety Director, JTM Construction Group.

Sustainability judges were Erin McConahey, Director, Arup, and Celia Hoag, Sustainability Lead, Southwest, DPR Construction.

Projects of the year

In addition to selecting the category winners, the main competition judges also chose three projects from each California region to be considered as Project of the Year, the highest honor in the regional competition.

For Northern California, the finalists were Sonoma Academy Community Performing Arts Center (Best Project for K-12 Education) and St. Clare at Capitol Park (Best Project for Renovation/Restoration). Northern California Project of the Year honors went to 200 Park (Best Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Project).

For Southern California, the finalists for Project of the Year were the I-405 Improvement Project (Best Road/Bridge Project) and Tarzana Reimagined (Best Health Care Project). Southern California Project of the Year honors went to the Delta Sky Way program at LAX (Best Airport/Transit Project).

The winning Southern California project teams will be honored on October 15 in Los Angeles at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza. The winning project teams from Northern California will be celebrated in San Francisco on October 17 at the Parc 55 Hilton.