ENR Southwest's 2021 Project of the Year is a 182,000-sq-ft temporary care facility that could serve up to 1,400 COVID-19 patients—and was designed and built in only 10 days.

A total of 84 projects vied for honors in ENR Southwest’s 2021 Best Projects competition across Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

Photographs chosen by our editors from submissions to ENR.com/southwest/photos

Updates about construction professionals in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

Updates on projects and companies in the Southwest region.

Reports from key industry events across the Southwest region.

The historic Derby Dam diverts water into the Truckee River that would otherwise flow into Pyramid Lake. However, that diversion led to the near extinction of the endangered native Lahontan cutthroat trout in the lake.

A significant upgrade to the original facility, this new plant serves the water reclamation needs of the city of Mesa and the towns of Gilbert and Queen Creek, Ariz.

In constructing the Allegiant Stadium project in Las Vegas, the joint venture contractor led a team of more than 100 firms to complete one of the country’s largest design-build projects under budget and on time despite a demanding 32-month construction schedule in the midst a global pandemic.

One installation features psychedelic lights projected onto KHS&S-installed rockwork painted to look like cotton candy. The mix of sound, lighting and art pieces throughout Meow Wolf means each visit will be different.

Circa is the first ground-up casino built in downtown Las Vegas since the 1980s. Completed in October 2020 after 3.9 million worker hours, the project occupies an entire city block and includes a 38-story tower, a two-level casino with restaurants, a six-tier pool amphitheater and a stadium-style, three-story sportsbook. 

Design revisions, unexpected structural issues and supply delays made for a challenging historic restoration for the team on the 750 Reno project.

Built adjacent to Sunstate’s North America headquarters, this building serves as the national training center for the equipment-rental company and also accommodates sales and administrative staff.

After the COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent global need for ventilators, a manufacturing line was built in an 86,000-sq-ft Reno warehouse in just one month for an international ventilator company.

This 916,000-sq-ft brewery, packaging and distribution center for Mark Anthony Brands is the first and only ground-up facility in the world that produces  White Claw hard seltzer.

This facility for a growing city west of Phoenix includes a 3.5-acre fishing and irrigation lake, 21 acres of sports turf and other recreational features.

The memorial contains more than 1,500 commemorative columns that represent the sailors and Marines killed Dec. 7, 1941, on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Following the completion of the first phase in 2011, the second phase of work on this Las Vegas campus added an administration building, a health sciences building, an information technologies building and a culinary and educational building with the only high school-operated restaurant in Las Vegas open to the public.

This elementary school renovation in Paradise Valley was completed in April 2021 in three phases on an active campus during the pandemic. 

This 50,000-sq-ft tenant improvement project transformed an empty shell into an immersive art installation that features over 250 unique pieces from more than 325 art, music and digital creators.

This project replaced a partial cloverleaf interchange originally built in 1965 that connects Interstate 19 and Ajo Way (State Route 86) in Tucson.

As the fourth building on this fast-growing campus, this LEED Silver facility is a key addition to the college’s fast-growing Las Vegas campus. 

As the latest addition to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, the seven-story, 240,000-sq-ft 850 PBC project involved multiple stakeholders, each with specific requirements for the facility.<

This five-story medical center provides comprehensive neurological care and includes an infusions suite, bio-skills lab, offices for surgeons, a conference center and physical therapy and wellness centers. 

This two-phase addition and renovation project in Avondale, west of Phoenix, provides a state-of-the-art facility with more space to store sensitive material.

A delicate touch, creative thinking and an eye toward safety went into the historic renovation of the Santa Fe County Courthouse.

The Expo at the World Market Center project added 315,000 sq ft of exhibition and conference room space to the center’s 5 million sq ft of showroom facilities.

Since being built in 1956, parts of the Salt River Project’s corporate headquarters had undergone additions every decade to support the company’s growth.

Improved sustainability, efficiency and emergency response times were top of mind in construction and design of the new Fire Station 85 for the city of Henderson, Nev.  

An aggressive fast-track approach enabled the project team on this $900-million convention center expansion to keep up with a breakneck delivery schedule—even after COVID-19 restrictions were in place—and complete construction in just 26 months.

The 21,000-sq-ft central utility plant (CUP) is the first phase of a major overhaul to an aging county hospital campus that primarily serves underprivileged and uninsured patients in  Maricopa County.

Completed in December 2020, the 61-MWdc solar farm is built on 180 acres of igneous rock in the 2,200-acre Reno Technology Park.

To support the needs of this growing community south of Tucson, the 17,000-sq-ft library includes areas for specific types of book collections; meeting rooms; a large multipurpose room that expands to the outdoor performance patio for special presentations; and the “next big thing room,” designed to accommodate future community needs.

This $12.25-million passenger terminal replaces an antiquated 1948 structure. Completed in April 2021, the project required crews to work in an active airport, rerouting roads leading into the complex, relocating utilities and making other improvements.

An expansion of the Sky Train maintenance and storage facility at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix supports the new line that connects Terminal 3 to the Rental Car Center.