flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Denver transit project wins design-build Project of the Year honor

Denver transit project wins design-build Project of the Year honor

The Denver Union Station Transit Improvement Project is among 25 projects honored by the Design Build Institute of America for excellence in design-build project delivery.


By Design-Build Institute of America | October 8, 2014

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

Architects | May 23, 2023

DEI initiatives at KAI Enterprises, with Michael Kennedy, Jr. and Gyasi Haynes

Michael Kennedy, Jr. and Gyasi Haynes of KAI Enterprises, St. Louis, describe their firm's effort to create a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion—and how their own experiences as black men in the design and construction industry shaped that initiative.

Multifamily Housing | May 23, 2023

One out of three office buildings in largest U.S. cities are suitable for residential conversion

Roughly one in three office buildings in the largest U.S. cities are well suited to be converted to multifamily residential properties, according to a study by global real estate firm Avison Young. Some 6,206 buildings across 10 U.S. cities present viable opportunities for conversion to residential use.

Architects | May 23, 2023

Ware Malcomb hires Francisco Perez-Azua as Director, Interior Architecture & Design, in its Miami office

Ware Malcomb hires Francisco Perez-Azua as Director, Interior Architecture & Design, in its Miami office.

K-12 Schools | May 22, 2023

The revival of single-building K-12 schools

Schools that combine grades PK through 12 are suddenly not so uncommon. Education sector experts explain why. 

Architects | May 19, 2023

Snøhetta architects make a bid to unionize the firm's New York studio

Employees at the New York office of architecture firm Snøhetta have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to unionize the studio. Snøhetta employees’ action marks the third time architects at a private-sector architecture studio in the U.S. took that step.

Healthcare Facilities | May 19, 2023

A new behavioral health facility in California targets net zero energy

Shortly before Mental Health Awareness Month in May, development and construction firm Skanska announced the topping out of California’s first behavioral health facility—and the largest in the nation—to target net zero energy. Located in Redwood City, San Mateo County, Calif., the 77,610-sf Cordilleras Health System Replacement Project is slated for completion in late 2024.

Government Buildings | May 18, 2023

GSA launches first biennial construction award program

Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the new biennial GSA Construction Award program, which is seeking submissions this summer. The program was created to honor outstanding achievements in construction, with a focus on quality and craftsmanship, collaboration and team dynamics, sustainability, innovation, and technology. The first Construction Awards ceremony will take place in 2024. 

K-12 Schools | May 17, 2023

Designing K-12 schools for students and safety

While bullying, mental health, and other acts of violence are all too common in schools today, designers have shown that smart and subtle preventive steps can make a big difference. Clark Nexsen’s Becky Brady shares how prevention and taking action at the design level can create safe and engaging learning environments. 

Affordable Housing | May 17, 2023

Affordable housing advocates push for community-owned homes over investment properties

Panelists participating in a recent webinar hosted by the Urban Institute discussed various actions that could help alleviate the nation’s affordable housing crisis. Among the possible remedies: inclusionary zoning policies, various reforms to increase local affordable housing stock, and fees on new development to offset the impact on public infrastructure.

University Buildings | May 17, 2023

New UC Irvine health sciences building supports aim to become national model for integrative health

The new College of Health Sciences Building and Nursing & Health Sciences Hall at the University of California Irvine supports the institution’s goal of becoming a national model for integrative health. The new 211,660-sf facility houses nursing, medical doctorate, pharmacy, philosophy, and public health programs in a single building.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021