Source: Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago
Twenty-four projects throughout North America were recognized in the 50th Annual PCI Design Awards Competition. The awards program includes best-in-class awards for both transportation structures and buildings, as well as special awards for industry advancement, sustainable design, and all-precast concrete. Eighteen buildings and six transportation projects were recognized in this year’s competition.
The 10 PCI members behind the honored building projects are High Concrete Group LLC, Denver, Pa.; Bétons Préfabriqués Du Lac, Alma, Quebec, Canada; PRETECSA, Atizapan de Zaragoza, Estado de Mexico; Enterprise Precast Concrete Inc., Omaha, Neb.; Clark Pacific, West Sacramento, Calif.; Metromont Precast Building Solutions, Hiram, Ga.; Gate Precast Co., (Hillsboro, Texas; Monroeville, Ala.; and, Ashland City, Tenn. plants); Unistress Corporation, Pittsfield, Mass.; Advance Cast Stone, Random Lake, Wis.; and, Walters & Wolf Precast, Fremont, Calif.
Producers behind the honored bridges are Coreslab Structures (Omaha) Inc., LaPlatte, Neb.; Gulf Coast Pre-Stress Partners Ltd., Jonesboro, Ga.; Plum Creek Structures, Littleton, Colo.; Coreslab Structures (Missouri) Inc., Marshall, Mo.; EnCon Colorado LLC, Denver, Colo.; and, Standard Concrete Products, Theodore, Ala.
The PCI Design Awards recognize design excellence and construction quality using precast concrete. The program demonstrates how designers are continuing to use precast/prestressed concrete components to achieve sustainable, more cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing, and quickly constructed projects.
“Designers are pushing the envelope in their use of precast concrete to meet specific project demands,” said Debra Kunce, FAIA, LEED AP, an associate with Schmidt Associates Inc. in Indianapolis and a member of the Buildings Jury. “Several of the projects took an honest approach to precast concrete, yet seamlessly integrated it with other materials. The jury was impressed with the versatility of precast concrete.”
Three panels of judges selected this year’s winning projects. One focused on buildings, one on bridges/transportation projects, and a third selected the special awards for Sustainability, All-Precast Solution, and the Harry H. Edwards Award for Industry Advancement. Members of the Buildings Jury were Robert Powers, AIA, LEED AP, senior associate, HOK Architects, St. Louis, Mo.; Debra Kunce, FAIA, LEED AP, associate, Schmidt Associates Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.; David Craddock, OAA, FRAIC, AIA (Hon.), project manager, NORR Ltd, Architects Engineers Planners, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Wanda Lau, LEED AP, associate editor, Hanley Wood Business Media, Washington, D.C.; and Tom Brock, AIA, principal, Thomas Brock Architect and associate studio professor, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Ill.
Members of the Special Awards Jury were Jeff R. Carlson, P.E., S.E., SECB, executive vice president and chief operating officer, The Consulting Engineers Group Inc., Mount Prospect, Ill.; Dennis A. Andrejko, FAIA, chairman of the Master of Architecture Program, Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.; and Gil Heldenfels, vice president, Heldenfels Enterprises Inc., San Marcos, Texas.