Celebrating Winning Teams – Hensel Phelps Receives Seven DBIA Awards

Tuesday December 6, 2022

With over 20 years of Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) award achievement, design-build projects continue to be an area of expertise for Hensel Phelps. Since their first design-build project delivery in 1977, Hensel Phelps has completed over 400 design-build projects nationwide. As the nation’s cities continue to grow, Hensel Phelps’ knowledge, collaboration and technology continues to advance, allowing them to deliver more elevated projects that go above and beyond their clients’ expectations. Hensel Phelps is dedicated to delivering design-build projects that evolve communities, inspire innovation and continue to change the way America builds.

“Today, the design-build project delivery methodology represents over 45% of all projects constructed in the U.S., thus it is no longer an alternative delivery method. Design-build, when done right, is a very power option in an owners’ tool box of available options for project delivery. The teamwork, trust and collaboration inherent in design-build creates an exceptional environment to help achieve exceptional project outcomes. Hensel Phelps is extremely proud of our long successful track record of highly successful design-build projects and for being recognized as an industry leader in Design-Build.”

– Steve M. Grauer, DBIA Chairman, Hensel Phelps Vice President

Since receiving its first DBIA project award in 1999, Hensel Phelps has received over 55 DBIA awards. The firm continues to hold the highest amount of DBIA awards, and almost two dozen more than their second highest awarded competitor. This year, Hensel Phelps received seven DBIA awards:

Department of General Services California Air Resources Board – Mary D. Nichols Campus

The Mary D. Nichols Campus project consolidated California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) seven existing locations spread throughout Los Angeles into a single 19-acre location in Riverside, CA. The $411 million state-of-the-art facility includes an extended range of dedicated test cells for testing of heavy and light duty vehicles, an advanced chemistry laboratory and workspace for accommodating new test methods for future generations of vehicles throughout its 408,175 SF. The project also includes space for developing enhanced onboard diagnostics and portable emissions measurement systems, visitor reception and education areas, a media center, flexible conference areas and a large public auditorium.

Award: National Award of Merit

Award Category: Federal / State / County / Municipal

Location: Riverside, California

Owner: Department of General Services

Market: Research/Labratories

Contract Value: $441 Million

Square Footage: 408,175 SF

Completion Date: September 2021

Architect: ZGF Architects

Sound Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility East

Sound Transit (ST) sought to double its Light Rail Vehicles (LRV) fleet to support the East Link expansion of the light rail network to connect downtown Seattle to communities on the east side of Lake Washington. The project required a joint land-use entitlement for the maintenance facility and a surplus property development / Master Development Plan design that preserved 6.9 acres of the 28-acre site for a Transit Oriented Development, which includes affordable housing, and market-rate housing, and commercial spaces. This project was launched to support the needs of the growing community, and the resulting design-build, LEED Gold certified Operations and Maintenance Facility East (OMF East) project in Bellevue, WA will store, maintain, and deploy a 96 light rail vehicle fleet to support the Sound Transit (ST) expansion.

Aerial of the Maintenance Facility at the Sound Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility East

Award: National Award of Merit

Award Category: Industrial/ Process / Research Facilities

Location: Bellevue, Washington

Owner: Sound Transit

Market: Ground Transportation

Contract Value: $236 Million

Square Footage: 165,150 SF

Completion Date: December 2020

Architect: Stantec

The first DBIA award of its kind, both projects also received the Projects Exemplifying Meaningful DEI Practices award. With a continued focus on diversity, inclusion and equity on all project sites, Hensel Phelps took home two of three awards presented in this category.

Brian G., Ryan P., Shannon, Kelly Jefferson – KCD Trucking, LLC, DeChelle Henderson – City Group Solutions, LLC, Linneth Riley-Hall Executive Project Director Sound Transit, and Brian Barson Project Manager Sound Transit

In the Best Awards category, Hensel Phelps’ Mary D. Nichols Campus took home the Best Use of BIM/VDC and the Best in Design – Engineering awards. The Sound Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility East received the Best in Teaming award.

As DBIA’s highest individual honor, Hensel Phelps’ Director of Design Services Greg Gidez received the 2022 Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award. As an industry leader, innovator and teacher, members stated that Greg truly “embodies the spirit of this award.”

To learn more about Hensel Phelps’ award-winning delivery and history in the design-build community, please visit their DBIA Recognition Timeline.