From educational facilities to courthouses to central utility buildings and art museums, the winning submissions to the ENR MidAtlantic Best Projects 2024 competition represent what a panel of judges said were “outstanding” projects across the region
Located in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, projects were evaluated based on a team’s ability to overcome challenges, contribution to the construction industry, innovation and best practices, community impact, safety and quality of construction and design. Projects also had to have been completed between May 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024. Judges could not vote in categories that included projects in which they or their companies were involved.
After reviewing nearly 80 entries, the judges selected 31 projects for a Best Project Award or Award of Merit. Entries for the main categories were reviewed by two industry judges; separate safety and sustainability judges reviewed the entries in these categories.
This year’s judges for the top categories were: Philip Brault, Regional Director, MidAtlantic for Consigli Construction Co.; Andrew J. Graham, Senior Associate, CTO of Leo A. Daly; Brian Neckermann, Senior Project Manager, The Walsh Group – Walsh Construction & Archer Western; Ben Nichols, President and CEO of Harkins Builders; Rod Jones, Operations Project Manager at Holder Construction; and Sara A. Sadek, director of corporate quality assurance and quality control at PJ Dick.
Sustainability judges were Josh Rollins, director of marketing at Suffolk Research Marketing, and Nate Russo, civil engineer at AECOM. Rollins and Russo scored projects based on overall sustainability strategy, choice of materials and energy savings. While major green designations such as LEED and WELL were considered, they were not essential to win in the sustainability category. Ryan Resilience Lab of Norfolk, Va., was named this year’s Sustainability Excellence Winner.
This year’s safety judge, Bob McCall, director of safety for the Master Builders Association of Western Pennsylvania, selected the Virginia General Assembly Building in Richmond as the Excel winner Degree in Security. ENR MidAtlantic’s Overall Project of the Year was Bard High School Early College in Washington, DC
- Project of the Year and Best Project; Education K-12: Bard High School Early College
- Project of the Year Finalist and Best Project, Government/Public Building: Australian Embassy
- Project of the Year Finalist and Best Project, Renovation/Restoration: Raymond Elementary School
- Best Airport/Transit: Potomac Yard Metro Station
- Airport/Transit Merit Award: Lehigh Valley International Airport Terminal Connector and Security Checkpoint
- Best Project, Cultural/Cultural: Penn State University Palmer Art Museum
- Award of Merit, Energy/Industrial: University of Pittsburgh, Central Utility Building
- Merit Award, Energy/Industrial: BRT Underground Distribution Project
- Award of Merit, Government/Public Building: Virginia General Assembly Building
- Merit Award | Government/Public Building: DC Courts C Street Addition
- Best Project, Healthcare: Verstandig Pavilion at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
- Award of Merit, Health Care: Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building
- Best Project, Higher Education/Research: Carnegie Mellon University Forbes & Beeler Residence Hall
- Award of Merit, Higher Education: Swarthmore College Dining and Community Commons
- Best Project, Road/Bridge: Delaware Memorial Bridge Deck Rehabilitation Project
- Award of Merit, Road/Bridge: Emergency repairs and permanent replacement of the I-95 bridge collapse
- Award of Merit, Road/Bridge: Wellsburg Bridge
- Best Project, Interior Improvement/Tenants: Confidential Project
- Merit Award, Health Care: Center for Specialized Care in Child Health and Ambulatory Surgery of Nemours
- Award of Merit, K-12 Education: Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School
- Best Project, Office/Retail/Mixed Use: 20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
- Sustainability and Office/Retail/Mixed Use: Ryan Resilience Lab
- Merit Award, Renovation/Restoration: Rehabilitation of the Tres Germanes bridge
- Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration: National Museum of Women in the Arts Renovation and Restoration
- Award of Merit, Residential/Hospitality: Great Wolf Lodge Maryland
- Merit Award, Small Project: Supernal Innovation Center
- Best Project, Specialty Construction: University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center Renovation
- Award of Merit, Sports/Entertainment: Longwood University, Joan Perry Brock Center and Tennis Courts
- Best Project, Water/Environment: Atlantic Treatment Plant Thermal Hydrolysis Process and FOG Receiving Station
- Award of Merit, Water/Environment: Williams Lake Dam Rehabilitation
