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ENR’s annual Best Projects award program is dedicated to honoring the best construction projects and the companies that designed and built them in all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Click here to read about the ENR Global Best Projects Awards program.

]]> https://www.enr.com/rss/636 en-us Nationwide Competition Reveals Pinnacles of Design, Construction blairs@enr.com (Scott Blair) These 20 winners reflect the ‘Best of the Best’ in the U.S. for fostering innovation, advancing a culture of safety and bettering their communities. 

]]> http://www.enr.com/blogs/13/post/62238 Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/blogs/13-critical-path/post/62238-nationwide-competition-reveals-pinnacles-of-design-construction ENR Northwest Best Projects Wow Industry Judges ENR West’s Northwest Best Projects competition honors an array of work from across Washington, Oregon and Alaska that displays dynamic and innovative design and construction methods.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62163 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62163-enr-northwest-best-projects-wow-industry-judges Award of Merit, Water/Environment: La Pine Water and Wastewater Systems Improvements (WWSI) Project For decades, the city of La Pine faced a critical public health and environmental challenge due to widespread reliance on aging and failing septic systems.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62162 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62162-award-of-merit-water-environment-la-pine-water-and-wastewater-systems-improvements-wwsi-project Best Water/Environment: Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station Rather than hiding behind fences, this wet weather facility sits prominently at the gateway to the Georgetown neighborhood

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62161 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62161-best-water-environment-georgetown-wet-weather-treatment-station Award of Merit, Sports/Entertainment: Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion Combining living habitats, hands-on exploration and behind-the-scenes functions, the $141-million, 50,000-sq-ft Ocean Pavilion differs from other aquariums by highlighting the interconnectedness of human and marine life.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62160 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62160-award-of-merit-sports-entertainment-seattle-aquarium-ocean-pavilion Best Sustainability, Award of Merit, Higher Education/Research: Western Washington University Kaiser Borsari Hall Washington State’s first publicly funded zero-energy and zero-carbon academic building on a university campus is a $54.8-million, four-story mass timber facility for the electrical engineering and computer science department.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62159 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62159-best-sustainability-award-of-merit-higher-education-research-western-washington-university-kaiser-borsari-hall Award of Merit, Specialty Construction: Concrete Technology Corp. Graving Dry Dock Caisson Gate After more than 100 gate docking and undocking operations across more than 45 years, Concrete Tech Corp.’s Tacoma dry dock was in need of a replacement caisson gate, a 150-ft-long floating concrete structure that serves as a watertight lock at the dry dock entrance.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62158 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62158-award-of-merit-specialty-construction-concrete-technology-corp-graving-dry-dock-caisson-gate Best Specialty Construction: Portland UG Network Willamette River Crossing As part of the EPA Harbor Superfund Mile 11 Cleanup initiative, the project team installed two parallel horizontal directional drills beneath Portland’s Willamette River.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62157 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62157-best-specialty-construction-portland-ug-network-willamette-river-crossing Award of Merit, Small Project: Round Butte Dam Spillway Tunnel Aerator This critical dam infrastructure upgrade, located 200 ft down a spillway tunnel at a sustained 52-degree slope within Round Butte Dam, is only the fifth retrofit concrete tunnel aerator constructed in the U.S.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62156 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62156-award-of-merit-small-project-round-butte-dam-spillway-tunnel-aerator Best Small Project: North Unit Irrigation District (NUID) 43 Lateral Segment 2 Piping Project As a key component of a broader infrastructure modernization initiative aimed at enhancing water conservation

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62155 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62155-best-small-project-north-unit-irrigation-district-nuid-43-lateral-segment-2-piping-project Award of Merit, Residential/Hospitality: The Confidential This 29-story mixed-use stepped tower in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood is home to 212 residential units, 9,000 sq ft of street-level retail and restaurants as well as commercial office space.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62154 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62154-award-of-merit-residential-hospitality-the-confidential Best Residential/Hospitality: First Light Conceived as a building in the round, the $216-million, 48-story mixed-use tower called First Light features a facade composition that transforms as it rises, with white vertical bands wrapping around prominent corners.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62153 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62153-best-residential-hospitality-first-light Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration, Excellence in Sustainability: BNBuilders Headquarters This adaptive reuse project achieved an 83% reduction in embodied carbon compared with new construction and is expected to earn Zero Carbon certification from the International Living Future Institute as well as LEED Gold certification.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62152 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62152-award-of-merit-renovation-restoration-excellence-in-sustainability-bnbuilders-headquarters Award of Merit, Office/Retail/Mixed-Use: Splash As the first phase of the larger Pop Blocks master plan to reimagine a former Pepsi bottling facility, this project transformed an industrial site into a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented hub centered on art, community and sustainable urban living.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62151 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62151-award-of-merit-office-retail-mixed-use-splash Best Office/Retail/Mixed-Use: TikTok USDS Bellevue What began as a simple interior renovation that encompassed a paint and carpet refresh on a 40,000-sq-ft space transformed into a standard-bearing office for TikTok.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62150 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62150-best-office-retail-mixed-use-tiktok-usds-bellevue Best Landscape/Urban Development: Parklane Park A $20.4-million effort has transformed a 5-acre park into a 25-acre community hub in East Portland.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62149 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62149-best-landscape-urban-development-parklane-park Award of Merit, K-12 Education: Washington School for the Deaf, Divine Academic and Hunter Gymnasium To create a warm, welcoming environment for 150 students who are deaf or hard of hearing, this $53-million LEED Gold mass timber structure delivers a non-institutional aesthetic while serving as a critical element supporting deaf users’ interaction with the physical environment.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62148 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62148-award-of-merit-k-12-education-washington-school-for-the-deaf-divine-academic-and-hunter-gymnasium Award of Merit, Interior/Tenant Improvement: Lane Powell Tenant Improvement Featuring a “flourishing workplace” concept, this 50,000-sq-ft office transformation across three floors of Seattle’s Russell Investment Center features dynamic common areas, state-of-the-art conference rooms and equitable natural light access.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62147 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62147-award-of-merit-interior-tenant-improvement-lane-powell-tenant-improvement Award of Merit, Highway/Bridge: I-5 over SW 26th Ave. Bridge Replacement To replace the heavily worn I-5 overcrossing with a delaminated concrete deck at SW 26th Avenue in Southwest Portland, the project team had to navigate challenging site conditions, limited right-of-way, sensitive residential and environmental areas and difficult topography.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62146 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62146-award-of-merit-highway-bridge-i-5-over-sw-26th-ave-bridge-replacement Best Highway/Bridge, Excellence in Safety: NE 8th Street Eastrail Crossing As part of the broader Eastrail program converting 42 miles of former railroad tracks into a multipurpose trail, this $18.2-million project serves as a vital link in King County’s shift toward sustainable, transit-oriented transportation.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62145 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62145-best-highway-bridge-excellence-in-safety-ne-8th-street-eastrail-crossing Award of Merit, Higher Education: University of Washington Interdisciplinary Engineering Building Spanning 72,000 sq ft, this $81-million engineering building provides hands-on learning space supporting more than 950 students across 10 departments.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62144 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62144-award-of-merit-higher-education-university-of-washington-interdisciplinary-engineering-building Best Higher Education/Research, Excellence in Sustainability: Washington State University Vancouver Life Sciences Building This $57-million, 55,000-sq-ft instructional and research facility is the university’s first new academic building in 11 years.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62143 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62143-best-higher-education-research-excellence-in-sustainability-washington-state-university-vancouver-life-sciences-building Best Government/Public Building, Excellence in Safety: Clackamas County Circuit Courthouse As a replacement for an outdated, overcrowded and seismically at-risk facility built in 1936, this new courthouse represents a transformative $230-million investment in the state’s justice system.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62140 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62140-best-government-public-building-excellence-in-safety-clackamas-county-circuit-courthouse Award of Merit, Energy/Industrial: Project Murphy Completed on time and under budget in June 2024, this 87,750-sq-ft warehouse facility ensures Amazon customers in rural areas receive the same service level as those in metropolitan centers.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62139 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62139-award-of-merit-energy-industrial-project-murphy Best Energy/Industrial: Hydrogen Production and Fueling Facility Washington State’s first large-scale green hydrogen production facility uses power from the Wells Dam to produce hydrogen through membrane electrolysis

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62138 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62138-best-energy-industrial-hydrogen-production-and-fueling-facility Award of Merit, Cultural/Worship: Multnomah County Midland Library Renovating an active public facility while simultaneously constructing a mass timber addition demanded careful phasing and coordination to minimize disruptions and ensure safety.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62137 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62137-award-of-merit-cultural-worship-multnomah-county-midland-library Best Airport/Transit: Lynnwood Link Extension An 8.5-mile expansion carries Sound Transit’s Link light rail system from north Seattle to Snohomish County, providing the county with its first light rail extension. The $3.3-billion project is expected to serve 55,000 daily riders by 2026.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62136 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62136-best-airport-transit-lynnwood-link-extension Project of the Year Finalist, Excellence in Safety, Best Renovation/Restoration: MAX Red Line Extension and Reliability Improvements Project The $149.8-million MAX Red Line Extension and Reliability Improvements Project—TriMet’s “Better Red” program—delivers the most significant capacity and operational upgrade to Portland’s Red Line since the service opened more than two decades ago.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62134 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62134-project-of-the-year-finalist-excellence-in-safety-best-renovation-restoration-max-red-line-extension-and-reliability-improvements-project Project of the Year Finalist, Best Health Care: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, St. Francis Family Birth Center When St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, Wash., confronted steadily rising demand across its emergency and acute-care programs, expanding capacity became a priority.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62133 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62133-project-of-the-year-finalist-best-health-care-virginia-mason-franciscan-health-st-francis-family-birth-center ENR Northwest Project of the Year: Mass Timber Center Aims to Foster Community Culture The nonprofit Latino Network’s vision for its first-ever all-encompassing home, La Plaza Esperanza, translated as “a place of hope,” looked to bring programming and people together at the east Portland site.

]]> http://www.enr.com/articles/62130 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 https://www.enr.com/articles/62130-enr-northwest-project-of-the-year-mass-timber-center-aims-to-foster-community-culture