The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announced the winners of the 2020 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards, who were honored during the Institute’s Virtual Concrete Convention, on October 26, 2020.

The highest honor was presented to Kennedy Center Expansion Project, Washington, DC, United States.

The Kennedy Center Expansion Project, known as the REACH, consists of three new buildings—the Welcome, Skylight, and River Pavilions—situated on the 4.6 acre (1.9 ha) campus along the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Each structure features titanium-white board-formed concrete, sweeping curves, and crisp clean lines that complement the existing monument.

The Welcome, Skylight, and River Pavilions are all interconnected below-grade under a green roof where visitors can meander through the labyrinth of concrete curves. Multiple board form patterns and custom “crinkle” form liners add to the texture of the architectural concrete both above and below-grade. While the “crinkle” concrete creates a wonderful acoustic effect in the performance and rehearsal rooms, the visual effect is absolutely stunning.

The ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards were created to honor the visions of the most creative projects in the concrete industry, while providing a platform to recognize concrete innovation, technology, and excellence across the globe.  To be eligible for participation in the Excellence Awards, projects needed to be nominated by an ACI Chapter or International Partner. 

An independent panel of esteemed industry professionals judged projects and selected winners based on architectural and engineering merit, creativity, innovative construction techniques or solutions, innovative use of materials, ingenuity, sustainability, resilience, and functionality.

Additional winning projects were selected from among several possible categories, and included:

  • High-Rise Buildings
    • 1st Place: Hudson Commons/441 Ninth Avenue, New York, United States.
    • 2nd Place: W Hotel Tower, Washington, United States.
  • Mid-Rise Buildings
    • 1st Place: Science Complex—Campus MIL, Québec, Canada.
    • 2nd Place: 725 Ponce, Georgia, United States.
  • Low-Rise Buildings
    • 1st Place: Kennedy Center Expansion Project, Washington, DC, United States.
    • 2nd Place: Amélioration des infrastructures de l’Assemblée nationale du Québec, Québec, Canada.
  • Decorative Concrete
    • 1st Place: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, Saudi Arabia.
    • 2nd Place: SSENSE MONTRÉAL, Québec, Canada.
  • Infrastructure
    • 1st Place: Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, State Route 99 Tunnel, Washington, United States.
    • 2nd Place: Samuel de Champlain Bridge, Québec, Canada.

Repair & Restoration

1st Place: Conococheague Aqueduct Rehabilitation, Maryland, United States.

2nd Place: Berri-Sherbrooke Underpass Rehabilitation, Québec, Canada.

The winning project details can be found at ACIExcellence.org. Entries for the 2021 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards are being accepted now through April 19, 2021.