DBIA Project of the Year winning team from 1021 O Street State Office Building

DBIA recognized nearly 50 project and team awards during a special Awards Ceremony last Thursday at the 2023 Design-Build Conference & Expo. In addition to celebrating Merit Award winners from each category, DBIA revealed the recipients of this year’s Excellence Awards, several Best-In honors and the coveted Project of the Year.

Learn more about the 2023 DBIA Award recipients.

Project of the Year

Each year, one project’s commitment to Design-Build Done Right® rises above the others to receive Project of the Year. This project excels in teaming, design and process –– and far exceeds the basic requirements of DBIA awards submissions. The team solved challenges with innovative solutions, collaborated at the highest levels, offered impressive design and exceeded expectations.

1021 O Street State Office Building

Chair’s Award

Chosen by the Chair of DBIA’s National Board of Directors, the Chair’s Award is a special honor recognizing design-build teams that have shown extraordinary commitment to triple bottom line success –– economically, environmentally and socially –– and have worked to positively impact the communities they’ve engaged.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority DC Headquarters

Enlightened Owner

An Enlightened Owner is one that has studied and committed to Design-Build Done Right® and demonstrated a track record of success across multiple projects, building on their design-build education and experience to elevate the process each time.

University of Washington, Health Sciences Education Building

University of Washington Health Sciences Education Building

I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. Owner

A new award for 2023, the I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. Owner, acknowledges a newcomer to design-build that truly embraced the importance of the mental shift and culture needed for success. This Owner took careful preparation that led to an exceptional first-time experience and project. I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. stands for Innovative Newcomer Showcasing Preparedness, Insight, Readiness and Enduring Diligence.

Silicon Valley Clean Water Gravity Pipeline Project

Project Exemplifying Meaningful DEI Practices

We continue to encourage meaningful ways to better engage Minority, Women-Owned and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in the design-build process. The project that receives the Exemplifying Meaningful DEI Practices award knows that “meaningful” is more a checkbox –– it’s about teams embracing these firms early in the process, respecting their roles on the team and providing mentoring and support as needed.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority DC Headquarters

Best in VDC

The Best in VDC award recognizes a project and team that illustrates how effectively integrating processes and technology delivered significant benefits in both process and improved project outcomes. The winner must clearly show how the use of BIM/VDC and other technologies played a role in achieving design excellence, increased quality and productivity and improved lifecycle cost.

Hunts Point Interstate Access Improvement Project Contract 1

Best in Design –– Engineering

The winner of the Best in Design –– Engineering award demonstrates how design-build allows the team to harness innovation and creativity to achieve memorable design solutions and exceed the Owner’s vision, project goals and defined functional requirements.

Silicon Valley Clean Water Gravity Pipeline Project

Best in Design –– Architecture

While design excellence can sometimes be in the eye of the beholder, Best in Design –– Architecture winners showcase memorable, state-of-the-art design that includes a holistic awareness that considers context, site and the environment.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority DC Headquarters

Best in Process –– Best Value

Winners of Best in Process –– Best Value awards masterfully implement Design-Build Done Right® best practices throughout the entire project –– from pre-award decisions and procurement all the way to post-award execution. They deliver cost and schedule successes and harness the power of innovation and creativity inherent in design-build.

University of California, Irvine: Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences Building and Sue and Bill Gross Nursing and Health Sciences Hall

Best in Process –– Progressive Design-Build

Like Best Value award winners, Best in Process –– Progressive Design-Build award recipients also masterfully implement best practices, but they also exemplify the flexibility of progressive design-build and an awareness of of the importance of choosing the right procurement method for their project.

1021 O Street State Office Building

Best in Small Projects

The jury reviews project submissions of all sizes, ranging from just a few million dollars to multi-billion dollar projects. While the core concepts of Design-Build Done Right® apply to projects of any size, in any sector, the jury also acknowledges that smaller projects typically involve fewer resources and should, therefore, receive additional consideration as being the “best” among other small projects. Best in Small Projects winners illustrate that design-build can deliver huge impacts even in small projects.

Judi’s House

Judi's House

Best in Teaming

Successful teaming doesn’t just happen; it must be planned and implemented with purpose. While all good design-builders know that teaming is critical to our success, Best in Teaming winners take it to the next level and create a team environment that opens the door to innovation and outcomes. The jury looks for how and when teaming partners were selected and integrated and the approaches used to engage and interact as one team with one goal.