SEATTLE, WA — The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) recognizes Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company, with two 2020 Design-Build Project/Team National Merit Awards for the Bellevue College Student Success Center and King County Children and Family Justice Center Phase 1A projects. DBIA’s awards program showcases design-build best practices and celebrates the achievements of owners and design-build teams across the spectrum of the construction industry.

The Bellevue College Student Success Center in Bellevue, Washington, was recognized in DBIA’s Educational Facilities category and King County Children and Family Justice Center Phase 1A in Seattle, Washington, was recognized in the Federal, State, County, Municipal category. The Merit Award winners compete for National Award of Excellence in their respective categories and Project of the Year, which will be announced at DBIA’s Design-Build Conference and Expo Awards Ceremony in October.

“We are honored to be nationally recognized for our team’s work as the design-builder on Bellevue College Student Success Center and King County Children and Family Justice Center,” said Dan Peyovich, Howard S. Wright President. “The awards are a true testament to the hard work of all those involved on both projects and the power of collaboration and innovation transforming the way our project teams design and deliver for our communities.”

The progressive design-build project involved a collaborative team approach with design partner Ankrom Moisan Architects to deliver a 71,000-square-foot, three-story structural steel Student Success Center for Bellevue College. The new Student Success Center is home to more than 15 departments and is prominently located at the main gateway and center of the college campus, convenient for students and visitors to obtain information about the public institution.

Inspired by the college’s mantra of “students first,” the flagship facility encompasses three floors that mirror students’ ascent and progression through their academic journey, with entry services located on the first floor, student support services on the second floor, and student success services on the top floor. The center includes several student commons areas, tutoring rooms, testing rooms, administrative offices, and coffee bar. On the top floor resides the Commons, a 979-person, 12,000-square-foot event space with a kitchen, which will be available for use by both student groups and the community at large to convene. The Student Success Center creates an integrated and seamless service experience for students by housing multiple support programs in one facility and is a place where they will receive guidance, reflect on their progress, and celebrate achievements.

The Children and Family Justice Center replaces an outdated Youth Services Center with a trauma-informed facility that provides modern youth and family court services as well as a flexible and therapeutic juvenile detention center. Howard S. Wright worked with design partners Integrus Architecture and HOK to construct the transformative project.

The new facility includes: 137,000-square-foot courthouse with 10 courtrooms; an increase of three courtrooms and 40,000 square feet; 92,000-square-foot, 112-bed juvenile detention center allowing for flexibility to reduce detention space in the future; 10,200 square feet of youth program space; and 1.55 acres of open area including pedestrian and bicycle pathways and a public plaza.