Clark Nexsen Wins Five Design-Build Project Awards

Clark Nexsen received five awards from the Design-Build Institute of America Hampton Roads Chapter. The annual DBIA Awards program honors projects that exemplify the Design-Build Done Right best practices to achieve successful projects. “The winning projects demonstrate advanced and innovative project delivery and excellence in design, process and teaming, in addition to achieving budget and schedule goals and exceeding owner expectations.” On Nov. 23, 2015, the DBIA Hampton Roads Chapter honored four Clark Nexsen projects with Merit Awards and Operation Smile World Headquarters won the coveted Project of the Year Award.

Clark Nexsen projects receiving Merit Awards included the Transient Warrior Lodge, Bethesda, Maryland; VCU West Grace Street and West Broad Street Housing, Richmond, Virginia; and 4525 Main Street Office Building, Virginia Beach, Virginia, with an Honor Award for the Route 60 Bridge Replacement, Clifton Forge, Virginia.

The Project of the Year was awarded to the Operation Smile World Headquarters located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The aesthetic, open design, the budget control and providing purpose within the landscape fabric won the Design Build Association Project of the Year. The goal for the project was to design and construct a new headquarters facility for the nonprofit organization that works with volunteers, primarily in developing countries, to provide surgical repair of cleft palate, cleft lip, and facial deformity in children.

When the original headquarters for the international children’s medical charity organization could no longer accommodate the growing number of employees, Clark Nexsen was selected to provide design services for a new Operation Smile World Headquarters. The headquarters serves as three major functions for office, exhibition, and warehouse spaces. The unique facility blends the uses together to educate visitors about the mission of Operation Smile. The jury noted that the spaces are “bright, open and collaborative with beautiful detailing in a park-like environment.” The project is situated within the Tidewater Community College and was delivered below budget saving Operation Smile the equivalent of 913 facial deformity surgeries.

Transient Wounded Warrior Lodge in Bethesda, Maryland received a Merit Award. The contractor was dck/TtEC (a joint venture of dck) and the project serves as a sanctuary for wounded warriors to heal from injuries after returning back to the United States. The jury noted, “The Lodge features interior environments designed beyond the normal ADA requirements and landscaping that enhance the experience for wounded warriors and their families during treatment. The project is of high quality throughout and makes excellent use of the rooftops for photovoltaics and landscaped roof areas for the users. The entry courtyard created by the shape of the building is a nice feature.” The jury noted that the project process included outreach and interviews with wounded warriors to ensure that the design worked for their special circumstances.

4525 Main Street Tower in Virginia Beach, Virginia received a Merit Award. The $46 million project was designed by Clark Nexsen and constructed by Armada Hoffler. With an attached parking garage and adjacent residential apartments, the office tower boasts nine floors of office space. The tower serves as a pinnacle of mixed-use space in the popular Town Center district of Virginia Beach. The project was commended by the jury for its “iconic design and the interior detailing of the lobby spaces.”

VCU West Grace Street and Broad Street Housing is a set of residence halls designed to keep the honor and place of the residential area of Grace Street and the more industrial part of Broad Street. As these residence halls are located within the Richmond City limits, it was critical to have these buildings blend in with the existing surrounding architecture. W.M. Jordan served as the contractor and Clark Nexsen as the designer. Winning a Merit Award, the jury noted that “each building is unique to its street fronts…and they create diversity in space and design between the buildings while unified in their appearance.”

Route 60 Bridge Replacement won an Honor Award for its 180 foot-long design and construction. This bridge although located in the small, idyllic town of Clifton Forge, Virginia, had many facets and constraints that had to be considered such as maintaining the surrounding historical structures. Clark Nexsen designed this bridge with the Virginia Department of Transportation serving as the owner and Orders Construction as the contractor. An important economic factor was ensuring that the businesses where the bridge would be replaced remained in operation while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the downtown appeal. The jury noted, “In the end, it is hard to believe that the road is actually a bridge.”