Safety Award of Merit: UNM Domenici

University of New Mexico Health Education Building, Domenici Center

The three-story, 63,000-sq-ft building provides the center’s main teaching spaces, including active-learning classrooms, hands-on labs and student-focused study spaces.

Photo by Travis Lewis, courtesy Dekker/Perich/Sabatini

University of New Mexico Health Education Building, Phase 3, At Domenici Center
Albuquerque
Award of Merit

Owner/Developer: University of New Mexico
General Contractor: HB Construction
Lead Design Firm: Dekker/Perich/Sabatini
Civil Engineer: High Mesa Consulting Group
MEP Engineer: Bridgers & Paxton
Structural, Interiors, Landscape Architect: Dekker/Perich/Sabatini

The University of New Mexico’s Health Education Building is the final phase of the Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education. Construction was completed in March 2018, more than 17 years after the first phase was built. The three-story, 63,000-sq-ft building provides the center’s main teaching spaces, including active-learning classrooms, hands-on labs and student-focused study spaces.

Since this was the last phase, construction activity on the building took place adjacent to active learning areas. Excavation for the basement mechanical room and drilling for the auger cast pile deep foundation system took place adjacent to the existing Health Science Center shear wall and within a constricted construction site. General contractor HB Construction prioritized excavations and earthwork safety through education and enforcement of sloping and trenching standards. Each morning, Bill Davis, superintendent at HB Construction, led daily task planning sessions to increase coordination between crews. A total of 135,000 work-hours were logged with zero OSHA recordable incidents.