July 28, 2026 — The winners of this year’s regional Best Projects competition were announced today, honoring design and construction projects across Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Marking its 30th year, the competition drew almost 100 entries spanning a wide range of categories, and this year’s list of winners includes projects recognized for their scale, technical complexity and local community benefits. In addition to selecting category winners, judges named recipients for two special honors: Excellence in Safety and Excellence in Sustainability. The winning teams will be featured in the October 26 print edition of the regional magazine and will be honored at an awards luncheon scheduled for Nov. 6 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel in Phoenix.
An independent panel of industry judges reviewed the submissions and selected winners across the categories. The category judges included Sergio Carrasco, architect at Holly Street Studio; Michael D'Andrea, vice president of development & construction at GCON Inc.; Stephanie Handley, business development manager with Arizona Buildings Group at PCL; Kai Kaoni, associate professor of practice and Beavers Endowed Distinguished Professor of Infrastructure at Northern Arizona University; Ryan O'Donnell, operations director at Balfour Beatty; Pete Rasmussen, principal at Shepley Bulfinch; Gabrielle Robinson, design phase manager at Kitchell; and Cassie Saba, Arizona Higher Education core market lead at DPR Construction. Separate judges were appointed to evaluate the Excellence in Safety entries—Matt Gilliland, safety director at CHASSE Building Team, and Ryan Martin, director of safety, quality & lean at Kovach Enclosure Systems LLC—while Linnea Brudenell, director of sustainability at RSP Architects, served as the Excellence in Sustainability judge. To avoid conflicts of interest, any judge whose firm had a project entered in the competition was assigned to judge other categories.
Organizers indicated the judging panel also identified several finalists for the competition’s Project of the Year; the Project of the Year winner will be revealed at the November luncheon. The awards event will also acknowledge annual honors presented throughout the year: Owner of the Year (New Mexico DOT), Design Firm of the Year (Jacobs), Contractor of the Year (Hoffman Construction) and the region’s Legacy Award recipient, Mike Hoover. Members of the public and industry professionals are invited to attend the Nov. 6 luncheon in Phoenix to celebrate the winning teams and to learn more about the projects recognized this year.
The competition’s category winners span infrastructure, civic, educational, private sector and community-focused projects. In the Airport/Transit category, the Best Project award went to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Terminal 3 North Concourse 2 – Package 1, submitted by Kiewit. Cultural and worship projects were led by the Mesa Gateway Library in Mesa, Ariz., submitted by Willmeng Construction, which earned the Best Project title; an Award of Merit in that category was given to the Dr. Stacie J. and Richard J. Stephenson Theatre in Phoenix, submitted by RSP Architects. In the Government/Public Building category, the Glendale Downtown Campus Reinvestment in Glendale, Ariz., submitted by Okland Construction, won Best Project, while the City of Las Vegas/College of Southern Nevada Westside Education & Training Center in Las Vegas, submitted by Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto Architects, received an Award of Merit.
The health care and higher education categories recognized a range of projects. In health care, Sunset Health Somerton Clinic in Somerton, Ariz., submitted by Loven Contracting, was named Best Project; Awards of Merit were presented to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Behavioral Health Journey to Recovery in Scottsdale, submitted by Kitchell, and to the CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center in Santa Fe, N.M., submitted by Jaynes Corp. In Higher Education/Research, the Best Project honor went to the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ISTB12) in Mesa, Ariz., submitted by McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. Two Awards of Merit in that category were given: the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine in Tucson, submitted by Line and Space LLC; and the Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media in Tucson, submitted by DPR Construction.
The University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, pictured from the street as a light-rail vehicle passes, was an Award of Merit winner in the Higher Education/Research category.
Projects in infrastructure and specialty construction received acknowledgment across other categories. The I-15/Tropicana Interchange in Las Vegas, submitted by Kiewit, won Best Project in the Highway/Bridge category. In Interior/Tenant Improvement, Chandler Regional Medical Center Endoscopy & Cardiovascular Expansion in Chandler, submitted by Kitchell, was named Best Project, with an Award of Merit going to the Gen Digital office in Tempe, submitted by Layton Construction. K-12 Education Best Project honors went to Desert Horizon Elementary School Phased Campus Rebuild in Phoenix, submitted by CORE Construction, while an Award of Merit was presented to LCPS Columbia Elementary School in Las Cruces, N.M., submitted by HB Construction. In Landscape/Urban Development, the Best Project was Hualapai Moving Forward – Veteran’s Memorial and Recreational Park in Peach Springs, Ariz., submitted by SEMA Construction Inc., with an Award of Merit for Surprise Stadium Public Art: Bounce + Swing in Surprise, Ariz., submitted by RSP Architects.
Cranes and crews lift and install a bridge span over a river in the Southwest — an infrastructure project representative of the community-benefit and innovation winners featured in ENR’s Best Projects.
Manufacturing, office/mixed-use and renovation categories also produced notable winners. The Best Project in Manufacturing was Aligned PHX-06 in Chandler, Ariz., submitted by Holder Construction, with an Award of Merit to the XNRGY Manufacturing Facility & Headquarters in Mesa, submitted by Wespac Construction. In Office/Retail/Mixed-Use, The Maeve and ANOVA Central Station in Phoenix, submitted by Layton Construction, took Best Project, while a Merit award went to the Zara Flagship at The Forum Shops in Las Vegas, submitted by Shawmut Design and Construction. Renovation and restoration honors included Best Project recognition for Las Vegas Convention District Phase Three, submitted by Hunt-Penta, a Joint Venture; Awards of Merit were presented to Grand Canyon National Park Lookout Studio Preservation at Grand Canyon National Park, submitted by Loven Contracting, and Phoenix Police Headquarters, submitted by Okland Construction.
The Residential/Hospitality Best Project was The REMI Hotel in Scottsdale, submitted by RSP Architects, with an Award of Merit to Sol Modern in Phoenix, submitted by Layton Construction. Small Project (under $10 million) Best Project went to the HonorHealth Shea Medical Center Operating Room #10 Renovation in Scottsdale, submitted by Jacobsen Construction, and an Award of Merit was given to the Rio Verde Foothills Standpipe in Rio Verde, submitted by PCL Construction. Specialty Construction Best Project honors were awarded to the Symphony Park Hotel & Conference Center in Las Vegas, submitted by Helix Electric LLC. The Marana Aquatic and Recreation Center in Marana, Ariz., submitted by CHASSE Building Team, was named Best Project in Sports/Entertainment. Water and environment recognition included Best Project for West Bank Underwater Pit Reclamation in Wadsworth, Nev., submitted by Q&D Construction, and an Award of Merit for Kurt R. Segler Water Reclamation Facility Phase 4 Improvements in Henderson, Nev., submitted by McCarthy Building Cos. Inc.
Two special awards capped the list of winners. In Excellence in Safety, Las Vegas Convention District Phase Three Renovation Project in Las Vegas, submitted by Hunt-Penta, a Joint Venture, was named Best Project; an Award of Merit in safety was presented to Project Bighorn Data Center in Sparks, Nev., submitted by BZI. For Excellence in Sustainability, the Best Project was the UNM Hospital Critical Care Tower in Albuquerque, submitted by AECOM Hunt, with an Award of Merit to the Tempe Municipal Operations Center in Tempe, Ariz., submitted by DWL Architects + Planners Inc. The full roster of winners reflects a cross-section of public and private projects selected by the judges for recognition this year. Further information about the winners, finalists for Project of the Year and the November awards luncheon will be available as the event approaches.
The UNM Hospital Critical Care Tower — which the article lists as the Excellence in Sustainability winner — has since earned LEED v4 Gold certification; the University’s HSC Newsroom reports the 684,000-square-foot tower achieved roughly a 32.19% reduction in interior water use (more than 2 million gallons/year), a 52% reduction in exterior water use (about 1.9 million gallons/year), nearly 6 million kWh/year of energy savings (avoiding over 3,400 metric tons of CO2 annually), and recycled 81.41% of construction waste by weight as part of its sustainability performance.
ENR’s Legacy Award profile notes that Mike Hoover, the region’s Legacy Award recipient named in the article, is Sundt Construction’s executive chairman and is credited with leading a major market expansion that increased Sundt’s revenue roughly fivefold to more than $4 billion; ENR published a leadership profile on Hoover in its March 2026 Mountain States & Southwest coverage.