The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute recognizes creative and innovative uses of precast.
The 2025 PCI Design Awards program honored 20 building and transportation projects including a mixed-use eTOD in Chicago’s South Side, a television and film production facility backed by a Hollywood legend, and a historic Maine bridge for their use of precast.
“This year’s winning projects leave no doubt that precast concrete is the construction material of choice for a wide variety of building and transportation projects,” said PCI President and CEO Bob Risser, P.E. “The projects demonstrate precast concrete’s superior sustainable, resilient, aesthetic attributes. Congratulations to all of the winners.”
A panel of engineers, architects, and precast concrete producers judges all nominees on aesthetic, structural, and use versatility; site, energy and operational efficiency, and risk reduction; and resiliency, such as structure durability, multi-hazard protection, and life safety and health.
Special Award: All-Precast Concrete Solution Award
The 43 Green Phase 1 project in Chicago’s South Side revitalizes a historic neighborhood with a new equitable transit-oriented development (eTOD) featuring ground-level retail and 99 mixed-income residential units. Local LBBA Architects, in partnership with Dukane Precast (Naperville, Ill.), selected precast concrete as the primary construction material because of its versatility, efficiency, sustainability, and long-term resilience.
Dukane Precast produced 376 precast wall panels, 15 beams, and 354 slabs for the 10-story building. Leveraging precast on the project helped the design team achieve Enterprise Green Communities and Energy Star certifications.
The project was also a honorable mention for the Multi-Family Building award.
Transportation Award: Best Bridge with a Main Span from 76-200 Feet
To preserve the historic qualities of the Blue Hill Falls Bridge in southeast Maine, granite stone masonry pieces from the original 1926 bridge were integrated into the new precast replacement structure. J.P. Carrara & Sons of Middlebury, Vt. produced 16 precast concrete approach beams, five prestressed NEBT girders, and eight precast arched fascia panels to ensure the long-term resilience of the bridge.
Accelerated bridge construction methods were deployed on the project to shorten the construction timeline and minimize impacts to the surrounding environment. Furthermore, high-strength materials were specified to combat saltwater erosion, including 10,000-psi concrete, stainless steel prestressing strands, and ChromX 9100 grade 100 rebar.
Building Award: Best Theater Building
Situated in the heart of Astoria, Queens, Wildflower Studios is a massive television and film production facility backed by lifelong New Yorker and film veteran Robert De Niro. Working closely with the design team at Brooklyn-based Bjarke Ingels Group, Universal Concrete Products (Stowe, Pa.) manufactured more than 900 architectural precast concrete panels to serve as a highly resilient facade for the facility.
With a dark exterior finish, checkerboard pattern, and chevron shapes, the panels create varied visual effects as sunlight changes throughout the day. In addition to visual flair, the prefabricated panels provide superior acoustic insulation and enhanced thermal performance.
