2021 Lean Construction Institute Design Award
The Lean Construction Institute is pleased to recognize the two awardees of the first annual Lean in Design Award:
Dr. Anne Anderson High School
- Owner: Edmonton School
- Design Firm: BR2 Architecture w/ AODBT Architecture & Interior Design
- General Contractor: Clark Builders
- Engineering firm: D.A. Fox Engineering and SMP Engineering
Dr. Anne Anderson High School in Edmonton, Alberta is the largest project undertaken by the owner using deliberate Lean practices. The school’s namesake preserved the Cree language and Métis heritage and her legacy is woven into the inspiring architecture. Using IPD, this 21st Century school is a first in the region in terms of innovative design elements and the building methodology. The unique features of this school support learning predicated on the provision of rigorous programming, ensuring authenticity in experience, fostering community and collaborative connections, and having a future focus to ensure students are prepared for an ever-changing world.
The team engaged in significant community consultation both locally and with Indigenous Elders to envision a project reflective of the legacy of Dr. Anderson. With a focus on “Respect for All People,” the design provides an atmosphere of warmth and inclusion while embracing 21st Century learning features, including cross-disciplinary innovation labs, interconnected classrooms, open-concept learning commons, expansive natural lighting, and an outdoor stone amphitheater.
The school is targeting LEED® Gold certification and incorporates 500 solar panels on the roof and within the cladding system, contributing 248kW of energy.
In addition, culturally significant designs elements were incorporated throughout the building, including architectural “trees” that structurally support the clerestory, a central agora featuring a “tipi” fireplace inscribed with Cree language, and a “living” wall.
Pleasant Prairie Medical Center
- Owner: Advocate Aurora Health
- Design Firm: HGA Architects
- General Contractor: The Boldt Company
Together with Aurora, HGA designed an Ambulatory Surgery Center and Medical Office Building within the Village of Pleasant Prairie. This $130 million investment, which opened in the summer of 2020, offers new and expanded services intended to meet the rapidly growing healthcare needs of individuals residing in Pleasant Prairie and the surrounding communities in southeastern Wisconsin. When Aurora Health Care merged with Advocate Health Care in 2018, the design team reorganized plans for a new site in Pleasant Prairie after initial design had been completed for a Kenosha site. To support the market strategy, the design adaptation needed to happen without impact to schedule, so best practices, system standards, and Lean project delivery innovation informed by the team’s work to achieve objectives.
Boulevard was introduced to indicate the importance of the project as well as create a pleasant patient experience. The building was oriented on the site to provide a southern facing entry that is bright and protects users from the cold northern winds. Parking is reserved for the south side of the site, while the north side of the site is preserved for views and future expansion possibilities.
The massing of the building is broken down into understandable elements through form and materiality. The two large programmatic elements, the ASC and MOB are represented in brick and are connected by transparent elements. The use of stone and glass helps to signify a warm and welcoming main entry. The east end of the Medical Office Building is used as a billboard through signage and a dynamic composition of the façade.
The main entry vestibule punctures the glass atrium and acts as a mediator between inside and drop-off canopy to keep visitors dry on a rainy day. The main entry vestibule ceiling is lowered to help make the users aware of their surrounds as well as to make the use of double height spaces more impactful.
Upon entry, visitors are met with public amenities such as a café and retail pharmacy to the right as well as a fireplace to the left. Transparency through the building was important to help a big building feel small and to also help in wayfinding.
Honorable Mentions:
Salt River Project
- Owner: Salt River Project
- Design Firm: Corgan
- General Contractor: Mortenson
The Sutter Natomas Family Practice Tenant Improvement
- Owner: Sutter Health
- Design Firm: Boulder Associates
- General Contractor: Deacon Construction, Mark III Construction
About the award –
The Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Lean in Design Award recognizes project teams that are delivering outstanding design while advancing the industry through collaborative Lean Project Delivery. The purpose of this award is to encourage the adoption of Lean approaches and methods to improve project outcome and elevate design.
While the focus is on the design elements, the LCI Lean in Design Award recognizes an entire project team. This includes the engineers, designers, architects, clients and builders who work collaboratively to improve the whole design and construction process start to finish. The design firms working on these projects have implemented Lean methods into their work process. By doing this they are improving the project flow and communication. The design firms on these projects are examples of design excellence, they have brought Lean to the design space.
Submissions were scored by factor:
- Overall Aesthetic
- Respect for People
- Generation of Value
- Optimize the Whole
- Continuous Improvement
- Lean Methods
- Removal of Waste
- Process/Flow
- Cost Approach
- Schedule Approach
We would like to acknowledge the 2021 LCI Lean in Design Award planning team for pioneering this award program. LCI Design Award Planning Team Members and Design Award Jury Committee:
Planning team: Diane Anglin, Clark Construction Group, LLC; Bernita Beikmann, HKS, Inc.; Stan Chiu, Gensler; Michael Murray, The Beck Group; Romano Nickerson, Boulder Associates; Victoria Navarro, Advocate Aurora Health; Neelanjana Sen, HGA Architects and Engineers; Andrea Sponsel, HKS, Inc.
Jury facilitators: Bernita Beikmann, HKS, Inc. and Stan Chiu, Gensler
Jury Committee: Diane Anglin, Clark Construction Group, LLC; Michael Murray, The Beck Group; Glenn Ballard, University of California Berkeley; Renee Cheng, University of Washington College of Built Environments; Ron Migliori, Buehler; Andrea Sponsel, HKS, Inc.
LCI received many impressive submissions and would like to extend our appreciation to all those who submitted. Awardees will be recognized on Thursday, October 20th at the 2021 LCI Congress Award Ceremony in Phoenix, AZ!