The 2024 ENR Northwest Best Projects competition featured a host of innovative projects that spanned the construction and design spectrum.

Projects included an emergency seismic retrofitting of a naval dry dock, expansion of a regional light rail line and the innovative repurposing of a historic building into a creative arts space. Many projects managed to meet significant sustainability standards as they strove to hit their schedule deadlines and cost targets.

Of 48 submissions to ENR Northwest’s annual Best Projects competition from across Washington, Oregon and Alaska, an independent panel of judges selected 13 Best Projects and 15 awards of merit —including Excellence in Safety and Excellence in Sustainability.

A team of judges, selected from all corners of the AEC community, spent a month reviewing entries for achievement in five areas: project challenges and solutions, safety programs, innovative design and construction solutions, contribution to the construction industry and the community as well as design quality and craftsmanship. Projects were ineligible for an award if they had a construction-related death.

The extensive Washington Village campus modernization earned a Best Project in the interior/tenant improvement category.
Photo by Garrett Rowland

The judges independently reviewed the entries, scored each project on specific criteria and then convened virtually with fellow judges to finalize their choices for Best Projects, awards of merit and Project of the Year. Judges were asked to recuse themselves in cases of conflict of interest.

This year’s judges were:

• Matt Clafton, senior vice president/regional manager, Alston Construction
• Rick Fochtman, executive vice president, business development and marketing, Bernards
• Sam Holden, project executive, Skanska USA Building
• Kabri Lehrman-Schmid, project superintendent, Hensel Phelps
• Victor Nuñez, business development manager, Turner Construction
• Anne Timmermans, senior consultant, Parametrix

The Best Project winners will now advance to the national level where they will compete with the winners from nine other ENR regions for the magazine’s Best of the Best awards. Winners of the national contest were announced in November.

The Excellence in Safety Award has been a part of the competition for more than a decade, and the Excellence in Sustainability award is in its fourth year. The judges recognized two safety winners and two sustainability winners.

The safety contest was judged by Craig Decesare, manager, HSE federal programs - emergency management, at WSP, and Brian Sorensen, director of safety, Exxel Pacific Inc.

Sound Transit’s 3.7-mile Lynnwood Link light rail extension project was recognized for a superb safety record.
Photo courtesy Skanska USA Civil

The sustainability entries were judged by Don Davies, co-founder/principal, Davies-Crooks Associates, and Richard McDonald, director of corporate sustainability, Sundt.

Judges also chose three contenders for Project of the Year, the regional contest’s highest honor. The two finalists were Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock (Best Project in the airport/transit category) and Field Arts & Events Hall (Best Project in the specialty construction category). The Project of the Year honors went to the Native Salmonid Conservation Facility (Best Project for water/environment).

The winning project teams will be celebrated in Seattle on Dec. 17 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.