| Midwest Construction's Best of 2005 Awards
Participation was healthy in Midwest Construction's Best of 2005 construction and design competition. by Craig
Barner This year, 85 entries were received, the second highest total since the competition was introduced in 1998. (The heaviest participation came in 2004, when there were 101 submissions.)
New this year was the solicitation of entries
from Eastern Missouri, which is fresh territory for the magazine. One entry from
the Show Me state was a winner.
Interest in the competition continued to
be strong in the magazine's long-standing territory of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
It
was not easy to pick the winners because of their quality. Entries came from a
broad mix of entities: public and private owners, general contractors, architects,
specialty contractors and developers. Projects ranged from dramatic skyscrapers
to small performing arts projects.
A jury of eight distinguished construction
and design professionals was selected to judge the submissions and comprised the
following:
Dave Alexander, senior vice president of James McHugh Construction
Co. in Chicago.
Faz Ehsan, vice president of the Thornton-Tomasetti
Engineers Division of the Thornton-Tomasetti Group in Chicago.
Kevin
Fitzpatrick, vice president of Alfred Benesch & Co. in Chicago.
Aleisha Jaeger, project manager of Opus North Corp. in Indianapolis.
Bob Krier, president of Hill Mechanical Group in Chicago.
John Patelski,
president of A. Epstein and Sons International Inc. in Chicago.
Richard
Smith, principal of Loebl Schlossman & Hackl in Chicago.
Bruce
Watts, vice president of business development of Bovis Lend Lease in Chicago.
Prior
to judging, the jurors received the written descriptions that arrived at Midwest
Construction's office by Sept. 2. On Sept. 22, jury members donated their day
and came to the magazine's office in the Prudential Building in Chicago to discuss
each project with their fellows. They also looked over late submissions.
Jury
members read the project descriptions and viewed photographs taken during the
entry's various stages of construction. In weighing a project's merit, consideration
was given to the complexity and number of challenges faced and the teamwork displayed
in completing the job.
Once each juror had the opportunity to review submissions,
discuss them with his or her fellows and view project images, the floor was opened
for award nominations. If a juror was affiliated with a project, he or she abstained
from voting. A project won if a majority of jurors found it worthy of distinction.
With
these points in mind, the jury selected 30 projects in 15 categories. They comprised
high-rise commercial, commercial, cultural, university education, K-12 education,
large health care and medical research, small health care and medical research,
institutional, interior design/fitout, renovation/restoration, residential, landscaping,
small projects and transportation, as well as the overall project of the year,
the 111 S. Wacker Drive office in downtown Chicago.
In some categories,
project-of-the-year awards and awards of merit were given. In others, only the
award of merit was granted.
Brief descriptions of each winning entry are
at the following links.
The winners will be honored at an awards luncheon
on Thursday, Jan. 12,
at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.
This
Year's Winners Project
of The Year: Overall -
111 S. Wacker Drive >>
Project
of The Year: High-Rise Commercial -
Hyatt Center >>
Project
of The Year: Commercial -
Alberici Corporate Headquarters >> Award
of Merit: Commercial -
Dane County Regional Airport >>
Award of
Merit: Cultural -
Indianapolis Museum of Art Expansion >> Award
of Merit: Cultural -
U-505 Submarine Relocation >>
Award of
Merit: Education (College) -
Illinois State University College of Business
>> Award
of Merit: Education (College) -
Kankakee Community College - Workforce Development
Center>> Award
of Merit: Education (K-12 School) >>
Townline Elementary School >>
Project
of The Year: Health Care/Medical Research (Large) -
Comer Children's Hospital
>> Award
of Merit: Health Care/Medical Research (Large) -
Clarian North Medical Center
>> Award
of Merit: Health Care/Medical Research (Large) -
Robert H. Lurie Medical Research
Center >> Award
of Merit: Health Care/Medical Research (Small) -
The Hansen Center >>
Award
of Merit: Health Care/Medical Research (Small) -
Benesse Oncology Center >>
Project
of The Year: Institutional -
Waukegan City Hall >> Award
of Merit: Institutional -
Mount Prospect Public Library >> Award
of Merit: Institutional -
Salem Baptist Church House of Hope >>
Award
of Merit: Institutional -
Wisconsin DNR Northeast Regional Headquarters >>
Award of
Merit: Interior Design/Fitout -
VJS Construction Services Headquarters >>
Project
of The Year: Renovation/Restoration -
Altgeld Hall >> Award
of Merit: Renovation/Restoration -
Illinois Toll Oases Redevelopment >>
Award
of Merit: Renovation/Restoration -
Loraine Condominium Homes >>
Award
of Merit: Residential -
The Lancaster >> Award
of Merit: Residential -
State Place >>
Award of
Merit: Site/Landscaping -
Morton Arboretum Children's Garden >>
Award
of Merit: Site/Landscaping -
The Park at Lakeshore East >>
Project
of The Year: Small Projects -
Little Black Pearl >>
Project
of The Year: Transportation -
Murray Baker Bridge >> Award
of Merit: Transportation -
Indianapolis Air Traffic Control Tower >>
Award
of Merit: Transportation -
U.S. Highway 12 >>
Top
of 2005 list>>
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