The Facebook Data Center is a project of many firsts.

Photo courtesy Turner Construction Co. Best Health Care Project: Helen DeVos Children's Hospital (exterior) Photo courtesy Turner Construction Co. Best Health Care Project: Helen DeVos Children's Hospital (interior) Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners Helen DeVos Children’s HospitalGrand Rapids, Mich.  Region ENR MidwestProject TeamOwner Spectrum Health, Grand RapidsArchitect URS Corp., Southfield, Mich.General Contractor Wolverine Group, Grand Rapids; Turner Construction Co., DetroitMEP Engineer URS, San FranciscoStructural Engineer Zinser Grossman Structural, DallasSpaces within this 11-story, $286-million facility are rooted in sustainable design principles as well as decades of research in creating optimal healing environments for

Photo courtesy Lend Lease Best Interior Design/Tenant Improvement Project: BP Bright Lights Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners BP Bright LightsChicago  Region ENR MidwestProject Team Owner BP Products North America, ChicagoArchitect Gensler, ChicagoConstruction Manager Lend Lease, ChicagoStructural Engineer Tylk Gustafson Reckers Wilson Andrews, ChicagoMEP Engineer Environmental Systems Design Inc., ChicagoCost Consultant Faithful+Gould, ChicagoBP Bright Lights calls it the largest LEED-CI project in the Midwest to achieve Platinum status, in part due to the diversion from landfill of some 85% of construction and demolition waste as well as the implementation of an under-floor air-delivery

Photo courtesy of Sasaki Associates Best Landscape/Urban Development Project: Wilmington Waterfront Park Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners Wilmington Waterfront ParkWilmington, Calif.  Region ENR CaliforniaProject TeamOwner Port of Los AngelesConstruction Manager Berg & Associates, San Pedro, Calif.Architect Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Mass.General Contractor Griffith Co., Brea, Calif.Engineers Moffatt + Nichol, Long Beach, Calif.; ARUP, San Francisco; TMAD Taylor & Gaines, Pasadena, Calif.Consultants Earth Mechanics, Fountain Valley, Calif.; Dudek, Encinitas, Calif.Built as a buffer between a residential community and an active port, Wilmington Waterfront Park is a 30-acre project that creates space for sports, recreational

Photo courtesy Layton Construction Co. Best Residential/Hospitality Project: Montage Deer Valley Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners Montage Deer ValleyPark City, Utah  Region ENR Mountain StatesProject TeamOwner Ohana Real Estate Investments, San DiegoArchitect HKS Hill Glazier Studio, Salt Lake CityGeneral Contractor Layton Construction Co., Sandy, UtahEngineers Alliance Engineering, Park City, Utah; Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle; Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers, Lakewood, Colo.Construction Manager The Athens Group, PhoenixBuilt on 16 acres at the Deer Valley Ski Resort, this LEED-Silver luxury lodge was designed in a "mountain craftsman" style, with four wings arranged in a butterfly

Photo Courtesy Clark Construction Best Office Project: United States Institute of Peace Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners United States Institute of PeaceWashington, D.C.  Region ENR New YorkProject TeamOwner United States Institute of Peace, Washington, D.C.Lead Design Safdie Architects, BostonGeneral Contractor Clark Construction Group, Bethesda, Md.Construction Manager United States Institute of PeaceOwner's Representative Stranix Associates, Vienna, Va.The United States Institute of Peace, an independent conflict-management center, has its first permanent home in 27 years with construction of this $112-million headquarters and offices for the Global Peacebuilding Center on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall. The

Photo by Timothy Hursley Best Retail/Mixed-Use Development: Square 54 Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners Square 54Washington, D.C.  Region ENR New YorkProject TeamDeveloper Boston Properties, Washington, D.C.Executive Architect Hickok Cole Architects, Washington, D.C.Lead Designer Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, New Haven, Conn.General Contractor/Construction Manager Clark Construction Group, Bethesda, Md.Structural Engineer Thornton Tomasetti, Washington, D.C.MEP Engineer TOLK Inc., Fairfax, Va.Consuming an entire city block and including as many as five radii at different parts of the building's perimeter and courtyard, the $162-million Square 54 mixed-use project posed several challenges for the project team. These hurdles included

Photo Courtesy Fretz Construction Co. Best Small Project: St. Marys Catholic Church Expansion and Upgrade Photo Courtesy Fretz Construction Co. The $1.5-million project was delivered under budget and early. Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners St. Mary’s Catholic Church Expansion and UpgradePlantersville, Texas  Region ENR Texas & LouisianaProject Team Owner Archdiocese of Galveston-HoustonArchitect Ziegler Cooper Architects, HoustonGeneral Contractor Fretz Construction, HoustonEngineers/Design-Build Subcontractors Gessner Engineering, College Station, Texas; Raven Mechanical, Houston; Solomon Electric, Montgomery, Texas; J&S Mechanical, HoustonSt. Mary's Catholic Church in Plantersville, Texas, has grown considerably in recent years, thanks in part to

The fourth annual Best of the Best Projects Awards recognize outstanding projects completed in 2011. The projects honored here were chosen from more than 730 entries received by regional juried competitions overseen by our regional editors. From the preliminary round, 119 contenders moved on to Engineering News-Record’s Best of the Best Projects 2011 Awards competition to be reviewed by the panel of 17 industry veterans from all across the U.S. and all walks of construction and design. The panel scored each project on criteria such as innovation, community contribution, teamwork, safety and design and construction excellence, and then discussed the

Photo by Bill Timmerman Photography Best Government/Public Building: Chandler City Hall Related Links: See all of the Best of the Best Projects 2011 Winners Chandler City HallChandler, Ariz.  Region ENR SouthwestProject TeamOwner City of ChandlerArchitect SmithGroup Inc., PhoenixGeneral Contractor Sundt Construction, Tempe, Ariz.Engineers Dibble and Associates, Phoenix; Caruso, Turley and Scott, TempeAn elegant design, highly detailed construction plan and integral community involvement were just a few of the reasons judges raved about the first city hall built for this Phoenix suburb. An LED-lit kinetic sculpture graces the front of a six-story office tower that is supported laterally by unusual cast-in-place,