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As readers of ENR Texas & Southeast surely know, the regional publication’s editorial coverage area expanded in 2025, joining together the already sprawling Texas & Louisiana region with the robust Southeast zone into a single, massive super-region comprising 11 states as well as Puerto Rico.
At the same time, though, we’re making sure to thoroughly and consistently cover these robust construction markets by ensuring that each issue of ENR Texas & Southeast continues to include features and news from within both sub-regions. And that commitment continues with our annual Best Projects issue, which showcases the best in design and construction from across this wide landscape, with separate groups of winning projects for each sub-region.
Universal Studios’ How to Train Your Dragon attraction was one of this year’s Project of the Year finalists.
Photo by Chad Baumer
Judging panelists collectively reviewed a total of 18 different project categories, ranging from airport/transit to water/environment while evaluating factors such as safety, innovation, design execution, craft quality and community or industry benefit.
As always, we assembled separate sets of judging teams for both the Texas and Louisiana region and for the Southeast, with the numerous panels each reviewing and individually scoring all entries in a variety of categories before meeting with their fellow judges via video conference call to determine the winning projects and their respective award levels. Projects vying for the separate award categories of Excellence in Safety and Excellence in Sustainability were judged separately.
ENR extends a thank you to the industry professionals listed below who assisted with this year’s judging.
- Michelle Alvarez, water/wastewater engineer, Hanson Professional Services
- Scott Bartkowski, president/founder, Living Shoreline Solutions
- Robert Brown, senior director/local business lead, WSP
- Stuart Bruening, senior vice president, JE Dunn Construction
- Keith Douglas, executive vice president, The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.
- Robbie Ferris, president, SfL+A
- Julia Hodgins, architect, RNGD
- Dan Nawrocki, senior vice president, PC Construction
- Ron Osterloh, vice president, Moffatt & Nichol
- Natalie Pagano, director of marketing and communications, Manhattan Construction Group
- Ray Riddle, vice president, Holder Construction Co.
- Shirshant Sharma, senior project manager, AtkinsRéalis
- Grace Sober, technical leader, LAN Inc.
- Susan Stabler, regional vice president/division manager, Brasfield & Gorrie
- Aaron Thomas, president/CEO, Metcon Inc.
- Ron Whalen, vice president, Roger B. Kennedy Construction
The Mickey Leland International Terminal D project was a contender for this year’s Project of the Year.
Photo by Cloyce Wall
ENR will be presenting these Best Projects winners to their respective teams at separate awards events. The Texas & Louisiana projects will be recognized on Oct. 16 in Houston, and the Southeast region projects will be honored Oct. 23 in Orlando.
At each event, ENR will also be recognizing the respective 2025 Firms of the Year, including the Owner of the Year, Design Firm of the Year, Contractor of the Year, Specialty Contractor of the Year and Legacy Award honorees.
We invite you to read on, and judge for yourself the merits of 2025’s ENR Texas & Southeast Best Projects award winners.
Texas & Louisiana Best Projects
- Project of the Year/Best K-12: Freeman High School Builders Earn an A-Plus
- Project of the Year Finalist and Best Airport/Transit: IAH Mickey Leland International Terminal D
- Project of the Year Finalist/Best Health Care: Cook Children’s Medical Center, Dodson Specialty Clinics
- Award of Merit, Airport/Transit: Dart Silver Line Regional Rail
- Award of Merit, K-12 Schools: Northside ISD John Jay High School Fine Arts
- Best Cultural/Worship: Union Pacific Bush 4141 Locomotive and Marine One Helicopter Pavilion
- Award of Merit, Cultural/Worship: La Nube STEAM Discovery Center
- Best Energy: Skyfall Biologicals Pilot Plant
- Award of Merit, Energy: First Solar Civil & Sitework
- Best Government/Public Building: F-35A Flight Simulator Facility and F-35A Squadron Operations/Aircraft Maintenance Unit
- Award of Merit, Government/Public Building: Celina Police Headquarters
- Best Higher Ed/Research: Texas Christian University, Burnett School of Medicine – Arnold Hall
- Award of Merit, Higher Ed/Research: Tulane Reily Pavilion 4th Floor Renovation
- Best Highway/Bridge: 30 Crossing
- Award of Merit, Highway/Bridge: City of San Antonio Broadway Street Reconstruction
- Award of Merit, Highway/Bridge: City of Lewisville Windhaven Parkway at KCS Railroad
- Best Interior/Tenant Improvements: Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center Children’s Heart Institute Renovation
- Award of Merit, Interior/Tenant Improvement: HF Sinclair Dallas Headquarters
- Best Landscape/Urban Development: Hemisfair Civic Park
- Award of Merit, Landscape/Urban Development: San Pedro Creek Culture Park
- Best Manufacturing: Samsung T-Project
- Award of Merit, Manufacturing: Project JOY
- Best Office/Retail/Mixed Use: Pullman Market
- Award of Merit, Office/Retail/Mixed Use: 7001 Burnet Road
- Excellence in Sustainability, Award of Merit, Office/Retail/Mixed Use: The Offices at Southstone Yards
- Best Renovation/Restoration: Make Ready Market & Idle Beer Hall
- Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration: Southwestern University, Mood-Bridwell Hall Renovation
- Best Residential/Hospitality: The Emigrant
- Award of Merit, Residential/Hospitality: Great Wolf Lodge Texas Gulf Coast
- Best Small Project: Houston Texans Football Operations Renovation
- Award of Merit, Small Project: IAH Terminal B United Club Fly
- Award of Merit, Small Project: YWCA San Antonio Live & Learn Center
- Best Specialty Construction & Sustainability: Balcones Recycling San Antonio
- Award of Merit, Sustainability: University of Houston RAD
- Best Sports/Entertainment: Abilene Christian University, Crutcher Scott Field Renovation and Expansion
- Award of Merit, Sports/Entertainment: Cosm Dallas
- Best Water/Environment: Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion and Indirect Reuse Program
- Award of Merit, Water/Environment: City of Houston 108-in. Waterline
Southeast Best Projects
- Southeast Project of the Year & Best Project, Manufacturing: Success on a City Scale at Ford Manufacturing Plant
- Project of the Year Finalist & Best Highway/Bridge: Hurricane Ian Sanibel Access Project
- Project of the Year Finalist & Best Sports/Entertainment: How to Train Your Dragon Isle of Berk
- Best Airport/Transit: P199 F-35B Aircraft Maintenance Hangar at MCAS Cherry Point
- Award of Merit, Airport/Transit: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Main Security Checkpoint Standardization and Optimization
- Award of Merit, Airport/Transit: Plane Train Tunnel West Extension at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Best Energy/Industrial: BAE Jacksonville Ship Repair Shiplift and Drydocking Complex
- Award of Merit, Energy/Industrial: Confidential Client Solar Decommissioning
- Best Government/Public Building: U.S. Courthouse – Huntsville
- Award of Merit, Government/Public Building: Dormitories Complex at Tyndall Air Force Base
- Best Health Care: The Atrium Health Levine Cancer Proton and Advanced Radiation Center
- Award of Merit, Health Care: UNC Health, North Carolina Surgical Hospital
- Award of Merit, Health Care: Cape Fear Valley Medical Center -Valley Pavilion Vertical Expansion
- Best Higher Ed/Research: Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility
- Award of Merit, Higher Ed/Research: Chattahoochee Technical College Aviation Training Academy
- Award of Merit, Higher Ed/Research: University of Georgia (UGA) Holmes-Hunter Academic Building Renovations
- Award of Merit, Highway/Bridge: Wekiva Parkway Section 8 Interchange
- Award of Merit, Highway/Bridge: NASA Causeway Bridge Replacement
- Best K-12: DPS Murray-Massenburg Elementary School
- Award of Merit, K-12: Claxton Elementary School
- Best Landscape/Urban Development: Wells Fargo Customer Information Center (CIC) Parking Garage
- Award of Merit, Manufacturing: Hyundai Savannah Mobis PE Plant
- Award of Merit, Manufacturing: Project Scout
- Best Office/Retail/Mixed Use: North Hills Expansion
- Award of Merit, Office/Retail/Mixed Use: St. Regis Resort and Residences
- Award of Merit, Office/Retail/Mixed Use: Science Square
- Excellence in Sustainability: Neuhoff Mixed-Use Development
- Best Renovation/Restoration: Navy Yard Charleston
- Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration: Vanderbilt University Huber Center Basketball Practice Facility
- Best Residential/Hospitality: Shepherd Center Arthur M. Blank Family Residences
- Award of Merit, Residential/Hospitality: Maeve – 319 W. Lenoir Street
- Best Small Project: Galen College of Nursing – Orlando Campus
- Award of Merit, Sports/Entertainment: Covenant Health Park
- Best Specialty Construction: Jim Ayers Tower
- Award of Merit, Specialty Construction: Chastain Horse Park
- Best Water/Environment: Tampa Pipes – Comprehensive Infrastructure for Tampa’s Neighborhoods Design Build
- Award of Merit, Water/Environment: Central Water Reclamation Facility
- Award of Merit, Water/Environment: Santee Cooper Cross and Winyah ELG Projects
