The 8,000-sq-ft interior build-out of a 160-seat restaurant in the Renzo Piano-designed Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago features custom art displays, a curved metal garde-manger and a wine room with custom glass and metal racks. The $1.1-million project was completed under an extremely aggressive schedule. Photo: COURTESY OF TURNER SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards The circular design of the garde-manger required material and site coordination for a spline-curved wall clad in powder-coated metal and stone with a curved glass soffit on stand-offs. Each material was fabricated separately, making on-site assembly tricky.

World renowned architect Renzo Piano said his desire was to root the Art Institute�s new Modern Wing deeply in the ground while also giving it the air and lightness to levitate. Photo: COURTESY OF MICHELLE LITVIN THE NEW YORK TIMES REDUX Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards His first major design in Chicago has succeeded. On the first floor, a daylit court is flanked by new educational facilities, galleries, and a garden, all actively linking the Art Institute with urban life. The second and third floors are dedicated to the viewing of art. The third floor is lit

Midwest Construction’s Best of 2009 award competition again attracted a record-tying 128 entries. Forty-four of the projects are being honored for excellence in design, construction, and overall performance. In addition, four are also being honored with special awards for architectural function, engineering function, outstanding project management, and owner of the year recognition. Photo: Mike Larson This year’s jury intently studies the Best of 2009 entries, Clockwise from left front: John Mick II (Baxter & Woodman); Dave Alexander (James McHugh Construction); Michael Kaufman (Goettsch Partners); Warren Hill (Hill Mechanical Group); facilitator Tony Figueroa (McGraw-Hill, who did not vote); hidden next to

The original Sears, Roebuck & Co. world headquarters was constructed in North Lawndale on the west side of Chicago at the beginning of the 20th century to serve its blossoming mail order business. The 55-acre site included a number of buildings at the time, among them a 55,000-sq-ft powerhouse that electrified, heated and cooled the entire complex. Rehabilitating this facility for use as the Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center and Power House High necessitated balancing historic preservation requirements with the needs of a modern school facility. The design also included green building technology Photo: © RUSSELL PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY

The $26-million Chlapaty Recreation and Wellness Center includes a 6,900-sq-ft two-level fitness space for cardiovascular and strength training, a six-lane 200-meter synthetic indoor track, four multipurpose courts, training room, locker rooms, lounge, juice bar, and offices. Photo: © Fentress Photography Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards As part of the project, the football field was with new lighting, synthetic turf, a surrounding track, and new seating. The two-story press box and suite rooms rise above the bleachers, mimicking the forms seen throughout campus. Key Players Owner: University of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa General Contractor: Conlon Construction Co., Dubuque, Iowa

The $420-million construction of a 1.27-million-sq-ft midfield terminal and airside development included a terminal, concourses for 40 gates, airside apron, roadways, utilities and special systems. The project also included a 22-ft-thick apron of 518,000 sq yds and underpavement hydrant fueling system. Photo Courtesy Of Hunt Construction Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal Building at Indianapolis International Airport Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards Some of its elements: segregation of waste materials performed on-site to facilitate recycling; extensive daylighting implemented through use of clerestories, curtainwall (250,000 sq ft) and skylights (50,000 sq ft); low-water-usage plumbing fixtures; a lighting control system

Cottingham & Butler wanted to create a 1st floor presence for its 21st century insurance firm while being respectful to the history of the company and the 100-year-old building that houses its offices. PHOTO BY JOEY WALLIS PHOTOGRAPHY Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards To maintain historic characteristics of the original time period, the local architect installed prism glass in the transom area above the windows of the exterior walls. This installation magnified the amount and intensity of natural light coming into the open plan. Key Players Owner: Cottingham & Butler, Dubuque, Iowa General Contractor: Conlon Construction, Dubuque,

Covidien’s Webster Groves, Mo., Pilot Plant, the research and development center for oral solid dose research, focuses on formulation research for generic pharmaceuticals, primarily involving Covidien’s active pharmaceutical ingredients. This pilot plant adds significant capacity to the company’s product development capability by permitting Covidien to work on four products, simultaneously. Photo: COURTESY OF CRB BUILDERS Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards The design of the new $21.5-million pilot plant in Webster Groves, Mo., empowers Covidien’s scientists to develop up to five new drug products simultaneously. The equipment and the processing suites were built to handle potent compounds, to

Danisco, a food ingredients, enzyme and bio-based solutions company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, commissioned the $7-million design-build construction of a walk-in storage freezer that is the coldest in the United States and the largest in the world. Photo: COURTESY OF TRI-NORTH BUILDERS, INC. Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards The facility in Madison, Wis., is used for the advancement of and research in dairy cultures to make cheese, yogurt and probiotics. The project team took 10 months to design a 7,000-sq-ft walk-in freezer to operate at -76° Fahrenheit and a corresponding 11,000-sq-ft building addition to house this ultra-cold

The project constructed the first new office building completed on Campus 2 at the Verona, Wis., headquarters of Epic Systems Corp., a world-leading provider of medical software. Photo courtesy Epic Systems Related Links: Midwest Constructions Best of 2009 Awards Campus 2 joins Epic’s existing Campus 1 on the headquarters site, allowing the company’s 3,400 employees to all work at one location. Key Players Owner: Epic Systems Corp., Verona, Wis. General Contractor: J. P. Cullen & Sons Inc., Madison, Wis. Design Firm: Cuningham Group, Minneapolis Building K is a three-story, 171,866-sq-ft building that houses 415 offices, a 225-person meeting room, and