ENR West is pleased to announce the winners for the 2026 Regional Best Projects competition in the Northwest subregion!

After several weeks of hard work, an independent group of AEC experts reviewed 39 projects from across Washington, Oregon and Alaska to select 13 Best Projects and 14 Awards of Merit. Projects were evaluated on the ability of the project team to overcome challenges, their contribution to the industry and community, safety and construction and design quality. 

The judges for the 2026 contest are:

• Brian Cook, preconstruction services director, JE Dunn Construction
• Rick Fochtman, project executive, Blach Construction
• Robbie Maxey, estimating manager, JE Dunn Construction
• Victor Nuñez, post security C&S and enabling lead, Turner Construction
• John Schmidt, project executive, Largo Construction
• Anne Timmermans, division manager PM CM group, Parametrix

Additionally, Pooja Sannamani, senior associate, Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure Lead with AECOM, judged the Excellence in Sustainability contest and Brian Sorensen, director of safety, Exxel Pacific, Inc. judged the Excellence in Safety contest.

As always, to avoid conflicts of interest, our judges did not score any categories in which their firms submitted entries, and abstained from scoring projects on which they had any involvement.

All winning project teams — as well as the Owner of the Year, Design Firm of the Year, Contractors of the Year, Specialty Contractor of the Year and Legacy Award winners – will be profiled in depth in the December print issue of ENR West and recognized at an award event on Dec. 15 in Seattle. (click here for more info)

In addition to selecting category winners, judges also chose three finalists for the ENR West's Northwest 2026 Project of the Year. The finalists will be announced in October and the winner revealed at the December awards event.

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

ENR West Northwest 2025 Regional Best Projects Winners

Best Airport/Transit
Federal Way Link Extension
Federal Way, Wash
Submitted by Kiewit

Award of Merit - Airport/Transit
Portland International Airport (PDX), Terminal Core Redevelopment
Portland, Ore.
Submitted by Skanska USA Building

Award of Merit - Government/Public Building
Oregon State Police Southern Oregon Command Center
Central Point, Ore.
Submitted by JE Dunn Construction

Best Health Care
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Vista Pavilion
Portland, Ore.
Submitted by Skanska USA Building

Award of Merit - Health Care
Compass Health
Everett, Wash.
Submitted by BNBuilders

Best Highway/Bridge
Edgewater Creek Bridge Replacement
Everett, Wash.
Submitted by David Evans and Associates, Inc.

Award of Merit - Highway/Bridge
Combs Flat Road Extension and OID Ironhorse Piping Project
Prineville, Ore.
Submitted by Taylor Northwest

Best Interior/Tenant Improvement
UW Institute for Protein Design Tenant Improvement
Seattle
Submitted by DPR Construction

Best Landscape/Urban Development
Waterfront Seattle Main Corridor
Seattle
Submitted by City of Seattle, Office of the Waterfront & Civic Projects

Award of Merit - Landscape/Urban Development
Seattle Waterfront Pier 58 Improvements
Seattle
Submitted by Pacific Pile & Marine

Best Office/Retail/Mixed-Use
Four106 Office Tower
Bellevue, Wash.
Submitted by Mortenson

Award of Merit - Office/Retail/Mixed-Use
Experience Center One (EC1)
Redmond, Wash.
Submitted by Skanska Balfour Beatty (SBB), a joint venture between Skanska and Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company

Best Renovation/Restoration
The Metropole Building
Seattle
Submitted by W.G. Clark Construction Co.

Best Residential/Hospitality
Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel Expansion
Snoqualmie, Wash.
Submitted by Skanska USA Building, Inc.

Award of Merit - Residential/Hospitality
Kaye
Seattle
Submitted by Skanska USA Building, Inc.

Best Specialty Construction
Akuluraq Fiber Project
Dillingham, Alaska
Submitted by Meridian Management, Inc.

Best Sports/Entertainment
Hillsboro Hops Ballpark
Hillsboro, Ore.
Submitted by Mortenson

Award of Merit - Sports/Entertainment
University of Washington ICA Basketball Training Facility
Seattle
Submitted by Mortenson

Best Water/Environment
Wrangell Water Treatment Plant
City and Borough of Wrangell, Alaska
Submitted by Stanley Consultants and Dowl Engineering 

Award of Merit - Water Environment
Everett WFP
Sultan, Wash.
Submitted by IMCO General Construction, Inc.

Excellence in Safety

Excellence in Safety
Federal Way Link Extension
Federal Way, Wash
Submitted by Kiewit

Award of Merit - Excellence in Safety
Kaye
Seattle
Submitted by Skanska USA Building, Inc.

Award of Merit - Excellence in Safety
Alaska Airlines Global Training Center
Renton, Wash.
Submitted by Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company

Excellence in Sustainability

Excellence in Sustainability 
The Metropole Building
Seattle
Submitted by W.G. Clark Construction Co.

Award of Merit - Excellence in Sustainability 
Federal Way Link Extension
Federal Way, Wash
Submitted by Kiewit

Award of Merit - Excellence in Sustainability 
Downtown Redmond Link Extension (R200)
Redmond, Wash.
Submitted by Stacy and Witbeck, Inc.

C.J. Schexnayder is the Editor of ENR West. He has contributed to ENR's coverage of the construction industry for more than a decade. His work has focused on major projects, industry trends and emerging technology. He previously was the South America correspondent for the magazine based in Lima, Peru. During that time, he covered numerous large-scale infrastructure projects across the region including the Third Lane Expansion of the Panama Canal. In addition, CJ has been an award-winning newspaper reporter in Southern California, Texas and Louisiana.