The 14 projects recognized by the judges in this year’s regional Best Projects program reflect the diversity of the Northwest’s physical and commercial environment.

The Allen Institute in Seattle—this year’s Project of the Year—and Google Building D are indicative of the growth of the region’s high-tech industry. The Kodiak Airport runway safety addition, the Excellence in Safety honoree, and small project Ivar’s Pier touch upon the natural wonders of the Northwest.

Six judges reviewed more than 30 projects that were completed between June 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016. The panel included: Todd Coleman, port sector manager, PBS Engineering & Environmental; Kai Kaoni, assistant professor of practice at Northern Arizona University; Michael Newbury, principal, Stantec; Chris Toher, executive vice president and general manager, Skanska; John Schaufelberger, dean, College of Built Environments, University of Washington; and Kyle Womack, associate principal, Hennebery Eddy Architects.

Submissions were awarded for 13 of the 19 Best Project categories: airport/transit; government/public building; green project; health care; higher education/research; highway/bridge; interior/tenant improvement; office/retail/mixed-use; renovation/restoration; residential/hospitality; small project (under $10 million); sports/entertainment; water/environment.

The judges rated the projects based on five criteria: overcoming challenges and teamwork; safety; innovation and contribution to the community; construction quality and craftsmanship; and the function and/or aesthetic quality of the design.

Projects that experienced a construction-related fatality were automatically disqualified.

Judges chose a category winner and one or more awards of merit. They also selected one overall Project of the Year and an Excellence in Safety winner. More than a dozen projects were considered for the Excellence in Safety Award, based upon their OSHA incident rates, lost-time accidents, total man-hours and the quality of the project’s safety programs.

The ENR Best Projects program covers all 50 states through 10 regional editions and honors more than 200 projects. The winners from each region then move on to the national Best of the Best awards, which will be awarded in April.