Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington chose nine outstanding projects as recipients of the 2007 Excellence in Construction Awards.

"ABC members build commercial projects that run the gamut from churches and schools to mixed-use and industrial projects," said Vic Peri, 2006–2007 ABC chair and owner of VP Peri Painting Co. "All of the projects entered are indicative of the high standards made possible when contractors and subcontractors are selected on the basis of merit — qualifications, performance and price."

The awards credit all members of the teams responsible for winning projects, from contractors, subcontractors and suppliers to owners, architects and engineers.

Rafn Co. earned the Eagle of Excellence, ABC's highest honor, and the Historical Restoration award for Trinity Parish Church in Seattle. Built immediately following the Great Fire of 1889, Trinity Parish Episcopal Church is home to one of the city's oldest congregations. The building, which is on the National Historic Register as well as designated as a state and city landmark, was badly damaged in 2001 by the Nisqually earthquake.

The church took immediate action to shore the building and make it safe, while simultaneously starting fundraising efforts to begin restoration. A local engineering firm shored up the northeast corner spire by bracing it with steel pipes inside and steel cables outside with crack monitors installed to measure any shifts in the structure.

All of the historic elements that could be safely removed were carefully numbered, catalogued and photographed before they were removed from the building and then stored off-site for the duration of construction. Miraculously, all but one of the stained glass windows were undamaged and remained carefully protected while restoration work proceeded on the rest of the structure.

The most delicate work was the church's seismic retrofit. Rafn removed all of the plaster and lath from the exterior stone walls to expose the stone and brick and removed portions of the basement and perimeter of the first floor, while leaving the 100-year-old floor supports intact. The crews then poured a new foundation in the basement and chiseled grooves in the stone walls to insert 18-inch-wide steel I-beams that spanned the entire height of each wall in two or more places. In addition to the structural steel supports, rebar steel was placed over the walls and tied into an incised grid. Shotcrete was then sprayed over this grid, giving the walls even more strength. A plaster treatment and decorative plaster features were restored, covering the walls' new structural elements. The plaster features were created by taking molds of intact features and then pouring plaster in the molds to replicate the decorative elements.

The Trinity Parish Church restoration was a success and on Saturday, February 11, 2006, the church was re-consecrated, and the congregation celebrated its new home.

Rafn had no time-loss or other injuries while working 16,653 hours on this $4.2-million project.

Other ABC members who participated in this project are: Advanced Fire Protection Inc., Bratrud Middleton Insurance, Clark Nuber PS, Clearview Mechanical Inc., Commercial Welding & Fabrication, Inc., Kirby Electric Inc., Matheus Lumber Co., Nuprecon LP, Pro-Staff Mechanical Inc., Tradesmen International, and United Reprographics.

Donovan Brothers won for the Pediatric Interim Care Center in Kent, Wash. Designed by Omicron LTD, of Vancouver, B.C., the 11,800-square-foot, two-story building looks like a mansion for babies.

Because the building did not fall into a specific category and was constructed within two blocks of the Kent City Hall, PICC was subject to several unusually restrictive requirements. Additional challenges to the project included the architect closing its U.S. office shortly after the project began, and the client releasing their construction manager as a cost-saving measure. During construction, the subcontracting market was extremely busy, necessitating Donovan Brothers to self-perform a significant portion of the work including all structural concrete and interior/roof framing.

Other ABC members who participated in this project are: Northshore Paving Inc. and Heiberg, Inc.

Rushforth Taylor Construction won for Pioneer Park Activities Center and Condominiums, a 55,000-square-foot, mixed-use complex adjacent to the Puyallup, Wash., Public Library, Pioneer Park and the Puyallup Pavilion. It was designed to blend seamlessly with the public facilities and provide easy access for seniors.

The project represents a highly successful team build collaboration between Rushforth Taylor, TCF Architecture, Catapult Community Developers, and the city of Puyallup. Other ABC members who participated in this project were: Acoustics Northwest, Air Systems Engineering, Inc., CHG Building Systems Inc., and Tacoma Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Express Construction Co., Inc. won for The Mercer a mixed-use complex featuring luxury apartments and ground floor retail in Mercer Island, Wash.

One of the design and cost-saving measures that Express suggested was to use a geopier system in lieu of an auger cast pile system. Using geopiers was ideal for the questionable soil conditions and, even after the cost of re-engineering the footings and foundation walls, the owner realized sizeable cost savings.

There were no injuries or time-loss accidents recorded in the 32,353 hours worked on the job.

Other ABC members who participated in this project were: AAR Testing, BD Roofing, CHG Building Systems Inc., Custom Sprinkler Corp., HUB International, Short Cressman & Burgess PLLC, Traffic Control Services, Tri State Plumbing, and United Systems Mechanical LLC.

Rafn Co. for DESC Connections, the Downtown Emergency Service Center's facility created as a day shelter and hygiene center to serve downtown Seattle's homeless population. Designed by Stickney Murphy Romine, the myriad functions of the center fit into less than 9,000 square feet of the historic Morrison Hotel, which underwent a massive renovation and seismic retrofit in 2005.

Challenges on the project included working in a historic building in space adjacent to the Morrison's 190 transitional housing units and 200-bed shelter, all which remained occupied for the length of the construction process.

This $1.5-million renovation required 3,814 hours of work and was completed with no injuries or time-loss accidents. Other ABC members working on this project were: Argens Inc., Bratrud Middleton Insurance, Clark Nuber PS, Custom Sprinkler Corp., Kirby Electric Inc., Nuprecon LP, Matheus Lumber Co., Inc., and Safety & Supply Company.

Marpac Construction LLC won for Nihonmachi Terrace. This building provides much needed low-income housing while preserving the history of Seattle's International District.

Designed by Pyatok Architects, the doughnut-shaped building allows all units to face an open-air, landscaped courtyard. The location on a very steep slope required Marpac to install shoring with soldier piles and wood lagging as well as massive erosion control. The original design was completed prior to huge increases in the cost of steel, which required Marpac to do extensive value engineering in order to meet the owner's budget.

The $8.35-million project was completed on time. It required 19,156 work hours and experienced no injuries or time-loss accidents. Other ABC members who working on this project were: Bratrud Middleton Insurance, DeBolte Plumbing & Heating Inc., Matheus Lumber Co., Inc., and Tueffers, Guckian & Gamon PLLC.

S.D. Deacon Corp. of Washington won for the Everett Mall Renovation & Expansion. Originally built in 1973, the mall had received very little care for 30 years and, in order to acquire key tenants, the owner needed to re-energize the mall.

S.D. Deacon established an on-site office to be staffed with up to 12 employees directing as many as 100 craftspeople at a time during the four phases of the project. There was only one medical injury and no time-loss injuries during the 38,326 hours worked.

Other ABC members working on this $21.9-million project were: Andgar Corp., Audio Acoustics Inc., DCI Engineers, General Storefronts Inc., Lakeridge Plumbing & Mechanical, Merit Mechanical Inc., Northshore Sheet Metal Inc., Nuprecon LP, Olympian Precast Inc., and Wilder Construction Co.

Kirtley-Cole Associates, LLC won for Zoomazium. Woodland Park Zoo's Zoomazium is an 8,500-square-foot environmental learning and play space for young children. Designed by Mithun, with the environment in mind, the building earned LEED-Gold certification.

Kirtley-Cole implemented many measures to ensure the project would earn LEED certification, including the diversion of more than 33 tons of construction waste from local landfills, recycling just over 93 percent of the project's construction waste. Kirtley-Cole completed the project in just over seven months.

There were no injuries during the 8,763 hours worked. Other ABC members participating in this project were: Artistic Drywall Textures Inc., Audio Acoustics Inc., Bratrud Middleton Insurance, Kibble & Prentice, a USI Company, Mastercraft Electric Inc., and Northshore Paving Inc.

Nuprecon, Inc. won for Lincoln High School. Originally built in 1913, the 140,000-square-foot Tacoma school had four, three-story wings and needed comprehensive renovation, restoration and modernization. The general contractor contracted with Nuprecon to perform the complete interior strip and gut demolition of the main building, select demolition in several auxiliary buildings, and demolition of all mechanical and electrical components in an underground tunnel. Nuprecon was also contracted to demolish a two-story addition to the historical building to be replaced by a new three-story addition. Prior to demolition, EWR, the Environmental Services division of Nuprecon, performed asbestos abatement.

This $3.14-million project was completed in just over six months, three of which occurred while school was in session. There were no time loss injuries for the 24,535.5 hours of teams working. In addition, Nuprecon participated in a Department of Labor & Industries' consultation with excellent results. Other ABC members participating in this project were: Reprographics NW and Williams Scotsman.