ENR New York's annual Best Projects contest received 65 entries this year. Impressively, some contestants managed to complete while also dealing with COVID-19-spurred closures of non-essential construction sites in New York and New Jersey.

Equally impressive, but not as surprising, is the quality of the entries received, continuing ENR New York's long tradition of noteworthy contest submissions. Our judges took great care and deliberation in their scoring and discussions to ultimately present 30 awards to 26 projects. These include three Finalists, to be announced soon -- and one of those will become the region's Project of the Year.

All the winning projects will be featured in depth in the November print issue of ENR New York -- and then celebrated at our Regional Best Projects Cyber Celebration on Nov. 16, 2020, along with 2020's Firms of the Year and Legacy Award honorees hailing from New York and New Jersey.

I'd like to especially thank this year's judges. Theirs was no small task! Also note that jurists recused themselves when a project presented a conflict of interest. In alphabetical order by last name, 2020's panelists are:

  • Dawid Ditrich, lead technical instructor at TSCTA Training Academy
  • Nenad Gucunski, chairman and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rutgers University
  • Michael Horodniceanu, IDC Foundation’s chair in design and construction and professor at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering
  • Craig Hughes, chief inspector at the New York City Dept. of Buildings
  • Melissa Johnson, founder and president of Melissa Johnson Associates and an ENR New York Top Professional 2020 winner
  • Peter Marchetto, president of building construction at AECOM
  • Feniosky A. Pena-Mora, executive director and engineering professor at Columbia University’s CBIP

And now, here are ENR New York's 2020 categorical Best Projects winners:

  • Airport/Transit Best Project: LaGuardia Airport, Terminal B Arrivals and Departures Hall (Headhouse), submitted by Skanska-Walsh JV
  • Airport/Transit Award of Merit: Delta Air Lines LaGuardia Concourse Redevelopment, submitted by Burns & McDonnell
  • Airport/Transit Award of Merit: Rehabilitation of 9 Stations and Line Structures on the Sea Beach Line, submitted by HDR
  • Cultural/Worship Best Project: BAM Strong, Brooklyn Academy of Music, submitted by Mitchell Giurgola Architects LLP
  • Cultural/Worship Award of Merit: LMCC's Arts Center at Governors Island, submitted by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP
  • Green Project Best Project: Iowa Court & South Green Living Shoreline Project, submitted by T&M Associates
  • Health Care Best Project: The David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, submitted by Perkins Eastman
  • Health Care Award of Merit: Medical and Research Translation (MART) Building and Hospital Pavilion, submitted by The LiRo Group
  • Health Care Award of Merit: SUNY Stony Brook Alternate Care Facility, submitted by Jaros, Baum & Bolles
  • Higher Education/Research Best Project: CUNY New York City College of Technology (City Tech) Academic Building, submitted by Perkins Eastman
  • Higher Education/Research Award of Merit: Sarah Lawrence College, Barbara Walters Campus Center, submitted by Consigli Construction NY
  • Higher Education/Research Award of Merit: Cornell University's Mui Ho Fine Arts Library (FAL), submitted by Welliver
  • Highway/Bridge Best Project: Kosciuszko Bridge Phase 2, submitted by WSP USA Inc.
  • Highway/Bridge Award of Merit: Arthur Sheridan Enhancement Project, submitted by AECOM/Dewberry Joint Venture
  • Highway/Bridge Award of Merit: Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges, submitted by WSP USA Inc.
  • Interior/Tenant Improvement Best Project: Shiseido Americas, submitted by J.T. Magen & Company Inc.
  • Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Best Project: World Trade Center Downtown Restoration Program Phases I & II, submitted by WSP USA Inc.
  • Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Award of Merit: One Vanderbilt Avenue, submitted by Universal Builders Supply
  • Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Award of Merit: Wells Fargo at 30 Hudson Yards, submitted by The Switzer Group
  • Renovation/Restoration Best Project and Safety Best Project: Tammany Hall/44 Union Square East, submitted by CNY Group
  • Renovation/Restoration Award of Merit: Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Palm Dome Restoration, submitted by New York Botanical Garden
  • Residential/Hospitality Best Project: 53W53, submitted by Lendlease (US) Construction LMB Inc.
  • Residential/Hospitality Award of Merit: One Manhattan Square, submitted by Lendlease (US) Construction LMB Inc.
  • Safety Award of Merit: Contract No. RK-07, Design-Build of Electrical and Mechanical Rehabilitations at the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Bridge Harlem River Lift Span (HRLS), submitted by HNTB New York Engineering and Architecture PC
  • Specialty Construction Best Project: Nordstrom facade restoration, submitted by J.T. Magen & Company Inc.
  • Specialty Construction Award of Merit: NYC Ferry Homeport Pier C Redevelopment Citywide Ferry Program, submitted by Hunter Roberts Construction Group LLC