The Association of General Contractors (AGC) and Construction Risk Partners recently honored this year’s best new and renovation construction projects with Build America Awards at the AGC Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Build America Merit Awards were also presented to construction companies at the convention.

“These awards are designed to set a new minimum standard of excellence for the construction industry,” said Tom Brown, AGC’s Vice President and President of Sierra Pacific West, Inc. in San Diego. “Considering what went into building these projects, that minimum standard is extremely high.”

For 41 years, the Build America Awards have recognized excellence in projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy industries. The projects are selected by a panel of judges comprised of contractors that look for projects excelling in: state-of-the-art advancement, project management, innovation in construction or use of materials, contribution to the community, client service, overcoming jobsite challenges, environmental sensitivity, and partnering excellence.

In the New England Construction area, the following projects were awarded with 2023 Build America Awards.

PC Construction was presented with an award in the Construction Management New (Under $99 Million) category for One Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont. Located in Vermont’s Green Mountains, the six-story, 125,000-square-foot mountain retreat at the base of Stowe Mountain Resort includes 27 ski-in/ski-out residences, townhomes, and penthouses, each with in-residence elevators, balconies, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The $46.5 million facility also has a private pool, below-grade parking, locker rooms, and ski storage.

“We’re grateful to AGC America for recognizing our work, and to the project owner, Spruce Peak Realty, for their strong and ongoing partnership,” said PC President/CEO Matt Cooke. “This project shows how a team’s creative approach, agility, and positive attitude can overcome even the biggest challenges.”

Construction of One Spruce Peak occurred during peak ski season and during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring extensive logistics and safety protocols. PC Construction’s team of project management staff, craftworkers, and more than 400 trade partner workers adopted an entirely new unconventional phased-delivery approach, without having to prolong the project’s completion date. In addition, the team accelerated the work by designing a temporary roof system that enclosed the building from the elements and by salvaging and reusing a first-aid facility.

Ongoing supply chain shortages posed a challenge for PC Construction, so the team identified and created alternative solutions throughout the project when prefabricated building products were not available. An extensive waste management plan was also used to divert most construction debris away from landfills.

Walsh Brothers, Incorporated was presented with an award in the Construction Management Renovation (Under $99 Million) category for Cambridge Health Alliance’s (CHA) Center for Inpatient Child & Adolescent Psychiatry in Somerville, Massachusetts. The need for this project arose from the exponential growth in mental health care issues among children in Massachusetts, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with acute mental health needs often spend days or weeks in the hospital waiting for an available inpatient placement.

"We are in the midst of a challenging and complex mental health crisis, which has only been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Assaad Sayah, MD, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance. "As a leader in behavioral health services, we want to be part of the solution. Our new Center for Inpatient Child & Adolescent Psychiatry will be a healing environment and positive resource for youth and families in need of acute care."

Construction work took place directly above an active hospital and required careful coordination from the Walsh Brothers team, which rapidly transformed the existing Somerville campus by renovating five floors of an existing structure to provide 69 patient beds and a food service cafeteria. The patient beds included a 24-bed Child Psychiatry Unit for ages 3-12, a 21-bed Adolescent Psychiatry Unit for ages 13-17, and a 24-bed Neurodevelopmental Unit for multidisciplinary and specialized care to children and adolescents with a variety of clinical needs.

Kingsbury Companies, LLC was presented with an award in the Construction Management Civil category for Salisbury AD1 - Goodrich Farm in Salisbury, Vermont. To reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural industry, Kingsbury built the Northeast’s largest full anaerobic digest plant and installed a phosphorus removal system that cleans effluent before it is released into the soil at Goodrich Farm. 3-D modeling was used to prefabricate and install many of the components for the $12.4 million project.

The anaerobic digest plant is capable of processing 28,000 tons of cow manure and 65,000 tons of food waste, along with 7,000 tons of recycled cow bedding each year. During construction, the Kingsbury team installed radiant tubing in the digester’s vertical walls to speed up the concrete curing process. The power and methane generated by the plant supplies nearby Middlebury College with a third of its annual heating, and the surplus gas is injected into the Vermont gas pipeline.

Some challenges the team overcame included contending with the bitter New England winters and coordinating specialty equipment deliveries from overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The construction team also worked closely with the Goodrich family to keep farm workers and over 900 cows safe during construction.