BD&C Reconstruction Awards Judging Criteria

Design, Engineering & Construction Criteria

• Unusual owner/client requirements

• Inventive use of materials, successful use of unusual or new materials

• Structural engineering issues and solutions

• M/E/P innovations, fresh approaches

• Energy/environment breakthroughs

• Sustainable design, green building design, LEED

• Craftsmanship, detailing, elegance of execution

• Use of innovative technology, methods, tools

• Use of value engineering to produce better results for the project

• Cost/budget issues – and evidence of resolution

• Evidence of performance-based design

• Overall design & construction quality

• Security issues, unusual approaches, results

• Social or cultural relevance of project

• Other measures of success (creating jobs, neighborhood renewal, etc.)

• Wayfinding

• Innovative construction methods, approaches

• Construction safety

• Construction & demolition waste recycling efforts

• Unusual scheduling issues,timing demands

• Commissioning results

• Post-occupancy evaluation, metrics of satisfaction

• Any patents, inventions or technology innovations resulting from project?

• Project complexity – Was the project unusually challenging? In what way?

SUMMARY: Did this project push the envelope? How? By what measure? Proof?

Social, Planning, Economic & Community Criteria

• Evidence of extraordinary efforts to meet owner needs

• Involvement of surrounding community, neighbors, affected stakeholders

• Involvement of public officials, public agencies

• Charettes, planning sessions with community, end users, other relevant stakeholders

• Attention to surrounding environment, historic areas, community sensitivities

• Attention to environmental issues: wetlands, open space, recreation areas, etc.

• Extensive surveying, polling, or other techniques to gauge public opinion or gather ideas

• Unusual “gaming” or innovative tools to assess client or end-user needs

• Evidence of involvement of ‘less-empowered end-users’ (students in school project, nurses in hospital, minorities, immigrants, etc.)

• Overcoming unanticipated changes in the program

• Overcoming natural disaster (flood, hurricane), man-made disaster (loss of power supply), materials shortages

• Unusual solutions to budget restrictions

• Unusual solutions to keep project schedule on time

• Extra effort in hiring women-owned, minority-owned, or disadvantaged-owned firms

• Special social or cultural relevance of project

• Additional measures of community-related success (jobs, neighborhood renewal, etc.)

• Evidence of performance-based design, engineering, and/or construction

SUMMARY: Did the project perform a public good or create a public benefit?

Also see BD&C's How to to Win Tip Sheet.

Click here to register.