DBIA names 32 merit winners for 2026 design-build awards

The Design-Build Institute of America announced 32 Merit Award winners across 10 categories for its 2026 National Design-Build Project/Team Awards. The projects, spanning from Washington state to Washington, D.C., will be recognized at DBIA’s conference in Cleveland on Nov. 5.

Why it matters: - DBIA’s Merit Awards spotlight design-build projects that reflect how teams are delivering infrastructure, buildings and public works across the U.S. - The 32 winners span aviation, healthcare, transportation, water, education and other sectors, showing where design-build is being used to solve complex project needs. - The awards also serve as a pipeline to DBIA’s top honors, including Awards of Excellence and Project of the Year.

What happened: - The Design-Build Institute of America announced the 2026 National Design-Build Project/Team Award Merit Winners. - A jury of design-build professionals selected 32 projects in 10 categories. - DBIA will recognize the Merit Award winners at its 2026 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Cleveland. - The annual awards ceremony will be held Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The details: - Aviation winners include Alaska Airlines North Main Terminal Redevelopment Project in SeaTac, Washington; SAN New Terminal 1 in San Diego; and SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1 in San Francisco. - Commercial Buildings winners are 600 San Pedro in Los Angeles and The Apiary Hotel & Residences in Denver. - Educational Facilities winners are Innovation Hall in Bothell, Washington; UC San Diego Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood in La Jolla, California; University of Cincinnati, Chemistry Building Renovation and Expansion in Cincinnati; and University of Washington Interdisciplinary Engineering Building in Seattle. - Federal/County/State/Municipal winners are IDOT Materials Testing and Research Center in Springfield, Illinois; NASA Langley Research Center – Flight Dynamics Research Facility in Hampton, Virginia; Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center in Oklahoma City; and Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in New York. - Healthcare Facilities winners are UC Davis Health 48X Complex in Sacramento, UCI Health - Irvine in Irvine and Yellowhawk Tribal Health Facility in Pendleton, Oregon. - Industrial, Process and/or Research Facilities winners are BlueOval Battery Park in Glendale, Kentucky; Modernization of Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia; and Pharmavite - Project Sunrise in New Albany, Ohio. - Office Buildings winners are ALDI Batavia Corporate Campus Improvement Project in Batavia, Illinois, and Innovation Center & Central Utility Plant (CUP) 2 in Huntsville, Alabama. - Rehabilitation/Renovation/Restoration winners are Great Lakes Water Authority CSO Structural Improvements Project in Detroit, NYCHA Brownsville Boiler Plant Replacement and DHW Decoupling in Brooklyn, and Resources Building Renovation in Sacramento. - Transportation winners are 16th Street Revitalization in Denver; CXST Howard Street Tunnel (HST) Clearance Project in Baltimore; Federal Way Link Extension in Federal Way, Washington; and I-295 Fayetteville Outer Loop (AA-AB) in Fayetteville, North Carolina. - Water/Wastewater winners are James River Crossing (JRX) in Newport News, Virginia; Mobile Turbidity Reduction System – Hurricane Helene Emergency Response in Asheville, North Carolina; Rehabilitation of Potomac Interceptor Manhole 31 in Washington, D.C.; and Tampa Bay Water Desalination Intake Pump Station - Phase II in Gibsonton, Florida. - DBIA said the Merit Award recipients represent a wide range of project types, markets and approaches to design-build delivery. - DBIA Executive Director/CEO Lisa Washington said the projects show what can be achieved when expertise and ingenuity are paired with a shared commitment to excellence. - Washington said the work demonstrates design-build at its best by bringing people together to drive innovation and deliver better outcomes for owners and communities. - A full list of winners, including photos and descriptions, is available on DBIA’s Project/Team Awards page.

Between the lines: - The awards list suggests design-build remains a broad delivery model, not limited to one asset class or one type of owner. - DBIA is using the Merit Awards to elevate projects that may not take the top prize but still represent notable execution and collaboration. - The inclusion of emergency response work and major transit and utility projects points to design-build’s role in both planned development and urgent infrastructure fixes.

What's next: - DBIA will announce National Awards of Excellence, “Best of” distinctions, special Owner awards, the Chair’s Award and Project of the Year during the Nov. 5 ceremony. - The organization will continue highlighting the winning projects on its awards page with supporting photos and descriptions.

The bottom line: - DBIA’s 2026 Merit Awards put 32 projects on the map ahead of the conference’s bigger prizes, with winners ranging from terminals and campuses to tunnels, water systems and emergency response work.