The projects earn high marks from the judges

The Midwest construction industry continued to thrive in 2023, bolstered by a steady stream of projects that kept many companies busy producing work that pushed the boundaries of innovation, promoted sustainability and safety, reinvented historic structures and they pushed advanced construction solutions.

From a new transit center built on the site of an old dairy barn in Michigan to reimagining the paddocks at Churchill Downs in Kentucky as an entertainment attraction, to converting a warehouse into a production center for sports content in Chicago, regional project teams overcame numerous challenges. including tight sites, complex geotechnical issues, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages.

A total of 87 projects were submitted to ENR Midwest’s annual Best Projects competition this year, a significant increase in submissions compared to 2023, giving the judges a difficult task when choosing award winners on the following pages.

The projects were submitted in 22 categories, including safety and sustainability, and had to be completed between May 2023 and May 2024. Despite their differences, they all stood out for one reason: excellence lens

The goal of the Ohio Landfill Desulfurization Plant project is to limit the emission of sulfur dioxide, which is a precursor to acid rain.
Photo courtesy of ET Design Build

Court criteria

This year, 10 expert judges from the industry evaluated the projects for the main competition, divided into two teams to score the projects against various criteria. Judges assessed how these teams overcame obstacles, innovated and contributed to the industry, and also assessed projects for quality and craftsmanship, function and aesthetics. The judges did not vote on projects in which they or their companies were involved.

In choosing the winners, the judges particularly highlighted the teams that worked closely together to achieve excellence. One such project was the Jason Hargrove Transit Center in Detroit, which was named Best Project in the airport/transit category. The project involved converting the historic Dairy Cattle Barn at the former Michigan State Fairgrounds into a state-of-the-art transit center.

The plan to adaptively reuse the barn was conceived after community members expressed a desire for the city to find a way to preserve this aspect of Michigan history.

Adapting the hayloft also involved removing lead paint and strengthening or removing deteriorated structural materials.

Commenting on the project, competition judge Vivek Prasad, Americas Lead Estimator for Microsoft, said: “The project team showed exceptional coordination and collaboration, overcoming significant challenges related to the adaptive reuse of a historic structure and guaranteeing the commitment and satisfaction of the community”.

Another project that reached the top is the Alliant Solar Energy Project in Wisconsin, which won recognition from the judges for overcoming several challenges, including complex geotechnical issues.

“Creating an all-season outdoor attraction in four-season Indiana is truly a feat.”

—Brandon Maurisak, Transit and Rail Project Manager, HNTB

The project, which won the Best Project Award in the Energy/Industrial category and the Sustainability Merit Award, involved the construction of nine utility-scale solar panels in Wisconsin.

To address the challenging underground conditions, the team assembled a toolbox of repair options to address various conditions. They also kept safety a priority, using custom-made trailers to handle cable and traction operations, limiting crew members’ exposure to muscle strains and injuries.

These safety and training measures were praised by Angelo Arzano, senior director of HOK, St. Louis, who also noted that the team, in another case, showed “a great response that saved a person’s life.”

Working together, seven team members helped a crew member who was experiencing chest pains and difficulty breathing. He was quickly escorted to the health and safety trailer before losing consciousness and going into cardiac arrest. An external defibrillator restored his heartbeat and he was then taken to a hospital.

The project application noted that “without the proper training, the right resources, and the quick thinking of colleagues and safety professionals, this crew member could have lost his life within minutes.”

Another project, the Ohio Landfill Desulfurization Plant, which won the Safety Excellence Award, aimed to avoid the emission of sulfur dioxide, which is a precursor to acid rain, in two landfills. There were no recordable safety incidents during construction, which Judge Danielle Dy Buncio, founder and CEO of VIATechnik, attributed to thorough planning.

“Short-, medium- and long-term impacts were reviewed and mitigation measures were developed to address each,” he noted. “Specific crisis management plans were prepared for each site.”

The Plaça de la Unitat del Bicentenario, which won an award of merit in the landscape/town planning category, is an example of another project that required intensive planning. It was to build a season-long outdoor plaza on the site of a parking lot at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. The new space is a community gathering place with a basketball court in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter. A twisted arched metal sculpture that is 140 feet long and 40 feet tall welcomes visitors.

“Creating an all-season outdoor attraction in four-season Indiana is truly a feat,” said Judge Brandon Maurisak, Director of Transit and Rail Projects, HNTB. “During planning, each team member had to consider the natural elements when choosing materials. Large-scale artworks were completed later in the construction schedule and the team had to quickly shift gears to prepare for the installation of these unique parts.”

A project that transformed a 1908-era mansion in Minneapolis received an award of merit in the renovation/restoration category. It is now an institute dedicated to preserving Swedish culture and customs and was cited by the judges for its level of detail and teamwork.

The project included upgrading building systems, cleaning and replacing masonry with custom-cut stone, and restoring tile floors, plaster walls, ceilings, and decorative crown molding. He also converted part of a carriage house for use as an administrative space. “With the high level of detail throughout the building, all functions had to be coordinated,” noted Dy Buncio.

In addition to Arzano, Prasad, Dy Buncio and Maurisak, this year’s judges also included: Laura Drescher, Sustainability Technical Service Leader, Burns & McDonnell; Marc Hanson, senior director, construction operations, Clayco; Jill Katic, Senior Director, Knowledge Management and Learning, Barton Malow Holdings; Lynda Leigh, development manager, CedarSt Cos.; Sam Mishelow, Director of Client Development, Mayer Najem; and Steve Zimmerman, JTC Principal, Associate Principal, Wis., Janney Elstner Associates Inc.