It’s been quite the awards season for the UC Merced 2020 and UCSF Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision design-build teams. After presenting at the DBIA-WPR Conference & Awards Ceremony in September, both were recognized at this year’s DBIA Conference & Expo in Denver, CO for their exceptional delivery of these major design-build projects.
On Nov. 2, both teams were presented with a National Award of Merit in their respective categories: the UC Merced 2020 Expansion team was recognized in the Educational Facilities category, and the UCSF Wayne and Gladys Valley Center for Vision was recognized in the Healthcare Facilities category.
“UCSF Block 33 was a complex and intensely challenging project for many reasons,” says Vice President Todd Mercer. “It is fantastically rewarding to be recognized as one of the best design-build projects in the nation and validating the hard work the project team. Well done, everyone!”
“Being a part of a team of talented, determined, and passionate individuals who genuinely enjoyed working with one another was already an honor,” adds Project Director Ted Williams. “Getting to know the incredible things that would take place and the people who would work in the structure we designed and built was an even bigger honor. Receiving local, regional, and now national recognition shows just how special it is when you bring together the right people and build meaningful projects.”
Both teams were aware that they’d been selected as National Award of Merit winners, so leaders from each team were prepared to accept the award. However, the big news item of the night came when it was announced that UC Merced 2020 had won the Best in Teaming award -- an award given to one team across all DBIA award categories.
“There’s no doubt that the UC Merced 2020 team deserved every bit of this award, and the recognition validates what a tremendous team this was,” says Vice President Jansen Tredway. “When anyone talks about the success of this project, it always starts with the team. This project meant something to everyone involved, from our client Plenary Partners to everyone who spent millions of hours in the field. Without that sense of ownership across the board, there is no way it would have been successful. Everyone involved with this team should feel a great sense of pride in winning this award because it was well-deserved.”
“In all my years in this industry, I’ve never witnessed better teaming than occurred on this project,” adds Sr. Design Manager John Spahr. “As a Design Manager, what I saw every day over the four years of the project was fantastic cooperation between all parties involved with both the design and build portions of the work. Our consultants and trade partners, as well as the regulatory agents, teamed up with our operations folks to do what others believed to be impossible. Truly, everyone associated with the UC Merced 2020 expansion can be proud of our joint accomplishments!”
DBIA’s awards honor the most successful design-build projects and most effective teams in the advancement of the design & construction industry and -- as a minimum requirement -- projects must be completed on time, within budget, and without litigation. Projects submitted for consideration must be delivered under a single-source contract between the Owner/user and the design-builder, and award status is determined by a panel of judges consisting of industry experts, including DBIA credential holders and Owners.
