The 2016 Best Projects competition in the Mountain States featured nearly 100 entries. Projects were judged on design and construction quality, contribution to the community and the industry, and how they overcame unusual challenges through teamwork and innovation.

Projects had to be located in any of the five states in the Mountain States region: Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado as well as the extended reach of the Plains states: Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.  The judges allowed ties if aggregate scores were very close. Projects with a construction-related fatality on the jobsite were not allowed to enter.

This year’s judges included David Beckner, project manager, KEPHART community :: planning :: architecture; Will Buchanan, president, Treadwell; Becky Hawkins, principal, Method Studio; Patti Mason, executive director, U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter; Jessica Acosta, principal and CEO, Environmental Consulting Services; Monika Garrett, senior VDC specialist, Haselden Construction; Todd Kelsey, vice president and senior project manager, Method Studio; Lisa Larance, preconstruction manager, Swinerton Builders; John Legatt, project manager 1, TIC The Industrial Co. Wyoming Inc.; Patrick Roberts, project engineer, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers; Carrie Wallis, project director, Atkins; and Eric Young, retired engineer. All of the 2016 judges for safety awards were returnees from last year’s panel. They were: John Hymel, principal, Sentinel Safety Consultants; Matt Ogle, safety director, JE Dunn Construction; Tim Batz, risk control team leader, IMA Inc.; and Rick Zellen, senior risk engineer, Zurich North America.

In addition to the category winners, judges chose by consensus one project from the Colorado side and one in the Intermountain area to stand as Projects of the Year. Those honors went to the DIA Hotel and Transit Center in Colorado and the Provo City Center Temple in Utah. Other finalists, which were honored with Special Judges’ Recognitions, included the Southern Delivery System Program in Colorado Springs; Capitol Federal Hall at the University of Kansas in Lawrence; the Summit at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Snowbird, Utah; and the Traeger Wood Fired Grills Corporate Office in Salt Lake City.