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SALT LAKE CITY — Six Jacobsen Construction Company project teams have been recognized with regional awards from Engineering News-Record (ENR) for their notable work across a diverse range of construction sectors.
In August, ENR Mountain States announced five Jacobsen projects in Utah were being honored for the highly acclaimed publication’s 2021 Best Projects contest. Another ENR region, ENR Texas & Louisiana, announced on Oct. 4 that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Lubbock Outpatient Clinic, another Jacobsen undertaking, had won an Excellence in Safety Award. On Tuesday, Oct. 19, the Utah project teams were honored at an ENR awards breakfast at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek; the Lubbock Veterans Affairs Clinic will be honored on Dec. 17 in Houston.
Each of Jacobsen’s winning projects are described in detail below.
Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center
Best Project, Cultural/Worship Category
Taylorsville, Utah | $39.1 Million
Architect: Method Studio
“The pandemic has been particularly difficult for artists and artist groups, so go out there, support them, see a show.” — Todd Kelsey with Method Studio, at the ENR Salt Lake City Regional Best Projects Awards Breakfast
The Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center primarily serves the Central and West communities of Salt Lake County. This multi-use regional performing arts center fulfills a critical need identified in the County’s Cultural Facilities Master Plan. It was designed for a broad spectrum of organizations and uses, including: theater, children’s theater, dance, music performances and rehearsals, visual arts classes and exhibitions. Key spaces include a 440-seat proscenium theater, 250-seat studio theater and a combination rehearsal/multi-purpose room. Additional amenities include pre/post function spaces, grand lobby, ticketing, concessions, dressing and wardrobe rooms, off stage restrooms, green rooms, loading, scene prep, costumes, lighting, and sound equipment storage.
The primary goals of the project were to provide affordable access to a wide variety of community cultural arts programs and uses and to drive facility usage and community engagement. Every building design decision and feature focused on those core goals. The building was designed for a variety of potential cultural arts uses and can adapt easily in the future. The project considered future expansions, which was incorporated into each aspect of how the venue was designed and built.
US Department of Veterans Affairs Lubbock Outpatient Clinic
Excellence in Safety Award
Lubbock, Texas | $38.4 Million
Architect: Hoefer Welker
“Having the opportunity to build two outpatient clinics for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs has been a true honor. I’m always quick to say ‘thank you for your service’ to any Veteran I see, but now, by building these clinics, I get to ‘do’ a thank you. It feels great to be able to provide them with the buildings they need for their health care.” – Darcy Zenger with Jacobsen Construction Company
There were zero OSHA-recordable incidents during the 19,447 worker hours recorded on the Lubbock VA project. Staying safe on this project ultimately came down each worker’s personal investment in a thriving safety culture and their commitment to strict protocols that protected one another. Expectations were set early in the project with a required project-specific orientation training for all workers that discussed anticipated risks and mitigation strategies.
There was constant dialogue on the jobsite about the importance of safety, keeping safe behaviors on the forefront of every person’s mind. For example, all meetings were started with a “safety share” by at least one participant describing one way they’ve been able to work safer. Workers were also required to complete a task plan risk analysis every time they switched a task during the day. This analysis required them to stop and analyze each new task and the associated risks involved in the task. Teams were required to conduct safety meetings weekly where they took an in-depth look at one specific safety topic.High-level construction activities and site logistics were all planned with safety as the top priority. For example, locations of cranes and scaffolding and work sequencing were determined first and foremost by analyzing how those decisions affected safety.
Aggressive adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols was non-negotiable. In coordination with Jacobsen leadership, the latest COVID-19 safety guidelines from local, state and federal health authorities were actively sought out by project leadership. Every effort was made to ensure that protecting the jobsite from COVID-19 was handled just as rigorously just as keeping employees safe from other risks at the jobsite, thus solidifying the project team’s coronavirus prevention efforts as central to their broader safety culture.
USU Biology & Natural Resources Building Renovation
Best Project, Higher Education Category
Logan, Utah | $20 Million
Architect: VCBO Architecture
“I’d like to give a shoutout to DFCM for being a great client and Jacobsen for being a great building partner.” — Lorianne Bisping with VCBO Architecture, at the ENR Salt Lake City Regional Best Projects Awards Breakfast
This project was an opportunity to give new life to a tired and dreary campus building at USU. The existing building was constructed in three separate phases shortly after the end of WWII. It lacked a social heart for building occupant collaboration, and lacked interior finishes and spaces matching its exterior modern aesthetic. It also didn’t have modernized research and teaching spaces due to its age.
Through an extensive remodel of the north wing and the addition of much needed lobby space to the west side, the building was completely transformed. The new lobby provides space for students to study and collaborate. Teaching and research laboratories were made bigger, more modern and more flexible, a major leap compared to the building’s prior offerings. A vivarium that supports the research laboratories was added to the facility and new state of the art offices were built to support researchers and department faculty and staff. A new outdoor courtyard area was also added. Seismic modifications strengthened the building, and a modern, higher-performing exterior skin was added to the north wing.
Amid these major changes, the renovated building nonetheless continues the prior version’s original modern aesthetic through the use of clean lines and materials.
Huntsman Cancer Institute Proton Therapy Center
Merit Award, Health Care Category
Salt Lake City, Utah | $9.1 Million
Architect: Architectural Nexus
“This is a unique and special and essential treatment facility for Utah and the Intermountain West. We were proud to be a part of it.” — Scott Jacobsen with Jacobsen Construction Company, at the ENR Salt Lake City Regional Best Projects Awards Breakfast
The Proton Therapy Center provides the “missing piece” for Huntsman Cancer Institute, a world-class cancer research and treatment complex. The precision of proton therapy is especially beneficial to patients with cancers on or near vital organs, and to children whose small bodies can less-easily tolerate more typical scattered radiation treatments. Huntsman Cancer Institute wanted to have this project completed as quickly and with as much exact precision as possible, in order to provide hope and remarkable treatment options to more individuals and families facing cancer. Jacobsen was chosen the task, giving the firm an opportunity to work on a project that would one day bring hope and better health care access to thousands of Utahns and others in the Intermountain West. Before this project, cutting-edge proton therapy treatment was only available in places that are out of reach for most families in Utah and its surrounding states.
Morgan Asphalt Corporate Office Building
Best Project, Specialty Construction Category
Magna, Utah | $6.2 Million
Architect: Gary Hunt Architect PC
“It’s not every day you get to build the state-of-the-art asphalt facility of the last 20 years in the Rocky Mountain area.” — Scott Braithwaite with Jacobsen Construction Company, at the ENR Salt Lake City Regional Best Projects Awards Breakfast
Jacobsen helped frequent trade partner Morgan Asphalt usher in a new era of their company’s history with a modern new office building and state-of-the-art asphalt batch plant. (Jacobsen was the general contractor on the office portion of the project, and a subcontractor on the batch plant portion.) The two-story, 28-foot high office building is co-located with all of Morgan Asphalt’s industrial shop space, and includes Browns’ Canyon stone at the entrance, hickory millwork walls and doors, and ample-sized windows with impressive views of both the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountain ranges.
Architectural Nexus Office Remodel
Best Project, Small Projects Category
Salt Lake City, Utah | $5.3 Million
Architect: Architectural Nexus
“We had to set a high standard for ourselves. We thank our partners who helped us achieve that vision.” — Robb Harrup with Architectural Nexus, at the ENR Salt Lake City Regional Best Projects Awards Breakfast
The Arch Nexus SLC Office Remodel was a renovation of 30,000 square feet of office space for Architectural Nexus, and included the addition of a sustainable gray water system used to flush toilets and for irrigation of planter walls (“living walls”), a highly efficient HVAC system, photovoltaic roof and covered parking that provide net positive energy, and an interior courtyard to the Architectural Nexus firm’s Salt Lake City headquarters. The project is notable for aiming to become the first certified commercial Living Building in Utah and one of only a few dozen such buildings worldwide. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that had employees working remotely, the firm decided it was time to make major upgrades to its SLC building while it was unoccupied.