Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us for the 61st Annual PCI Design Awards. To begin our program, I'd like to recognize and thank our PCI Design Awards sponsors Crezo GCP Applied Technologies and SpliceSleeve. As many may be aware, PCI is celebrating a milestone this year. PCI turned 70 on June 18th. For seven decades, PCI has been providing dedicated resources to the precast concrete industry. Because of our members, PCI can continue its legacy, which includes this awards program. The PCI Design Awards is a program that involves hard work and dedication each year. I'd like to thank the PCI staff, Nicole Clough, Becky King, and Tom Bagsarian for their outstanding work on the PCI Design Awards and for their year-long work to ensure this program is the best it can be. The PCI Design Awards program would not exist without all of you incredible members of this industry and the stunning projects you create. The 2024 PCI Design Awards-winning Precast Concrete Projects showcase the beauty and innovative ways that precast concrete is being incorporated into a wide variety of structures to meet sustainable needs and construction and design challenges. In fact, that is one of the elements that makes this program so valuable. The PCI Design Awards program provides designers, producers, and owners with inspiration while highlighting architectural and engineering advances, as well as showcasing the multiple attributes of precast concrete. Last fall, three judging panels comprised of design professionals assembled to select this year's PCI Design Awards winners across specials, buildings, and transportation. The judges chose 19 winners and 15 honorable mentions. Thank you to our PCI Design Awards judges. Our specials jury included Ned Cleland with AG&E, Dirk McClure, Enterprise Precast Concrete, Tony McConnell, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and Leslie Sneed, University of Illinois-Chicago. Our buildings jury included Timothy Hawk with WSA Studio, Kavitha Sadhasavam, FINFROC, and Vanessa Schutte, DLR Group. Our transportation jury included Jamie Farris with the Texas Department of Transportation, Reggie Holt with the Federal Highway Administration, and Steve Sageron, Concrete Technology Corporation. It is with great pride we present to you this year's Precast Concrete winners. In our specials categories, Amanda and G. Brint Ryan Tower at University of North Texas at Dallas, in Dallas, Texas, is awarded the All Precast Concrete Solution Award. Enterprise Precast Concrete is the Precast Concrete Producer, and DARE and Isbell Construction, now merged with Schuff Steel Company, is the Erector. What we really liked about this project is the innovative use of Precast Concrete to create such an ornate, classic, and aesthetically excellent product. It is an extremely elegant building that's utilizing Precast finishes in a way that we don't see done very often. This is a really great example of being able to show the versatility of Precast. The tower is a fully self-supported Precast system. By incorporating the thin brick into the Precast wall panels, the Precast system was able to match the other brick buildings on campus and achieve an overall campus aesthetic. Up the main part of the tower, the project utilized a herringbone pattern with a coursing brick that stepped out. That's a really hard detail to achieve correctly, but in this situation, they utilized it with a form liner and cast it right into the Precast. Using Precast Concrete eliminated the need for extensive scaffolding, which minimized site impact and allowed for a more aggressive schedule. One of the important parts about this project was it was erected in 15 days. That's unheard of. There's no way we would be able to do that with a modern, hand-laid situation. This project had to take into account wind and seismic loading. We're talking about a 180-foot tall building. The moment connections that were utilized solely out of Precast on this project had to resist all of those movements. Western Carolina University Lower Campus Residence Halls in Cullowheed, North Carolina won the Building Information Modeling Award. Tyndall Corporation is the Precast Concrete producer as well as the erector. This attractive three-building dormitory project incorporated Building Information Modeling. The jury was particularly impressed by the way BIM allowed production machinery to lay out 3D production of blocks for the floor slabs. It was a complete application of BIM to a Precast Concrete project that made this project stand out. The project included the integration of mechanical, electrical, plumbing work within the Precast in a level that was much higher than we see in most Precast Concrete projects. All of this worked into a high-performance solution. Precast was key and it was a core part of developing these residences. Then it provided a total Precast solution with a unique system that had been brought from Europe to the United States for the first time. It represented Precast Concrete in an outstanding way and it really will be something that the owners and the occupants will treasure for the use going forward for decades. It's a great example of how Precast builds. The Harry H. Edwards Industry Advancement Award went to the Steele District Office Building in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Gage Brothers is the Precast Concrete producer and Gil Hogan Construction is the erector. This project hit the ball out of the park. What we really liked about this project is its use of Ultra High Performance Concrete or UHPC in its Precast structural components. It's a beautiful building. It's also a complicated building with thousands of Precast Concrete components all supported and developed by a smaller number of Ultra High Performance Long Span Beams. The UHPC beams are designed to span 70 feet which allowed for eliminating interior columns which in turn improved the interior design flexibility and increases sustainability. It reduced the overall structural weight and it increased the structure's durability. Another important feature of the UHPC beams is that they have large web openings which facilitate placement of utilities and allow HVAC and electrical systems to run directly through the beams. As a result, each floor gained additional clear height. The credit to the producer and the developer for taking the risk and coming through is just an absolutely extraordinary compliment to what they were able to do with this material. This is the start of a new era in Precast Concrete. Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville, Tennessee won the Sustainable Design Award and an Honorable Mention in the category Government and Public Buildings. Gate Precast Company is the Precast Concrete Producer, Precision Stone Setting Company is the Erector, and Heidelberg Materials is the PCI Associate Supplier. The jury was impressed with the way this project incorporated a photocatalytic cement. By using this cement, the concrete itself becomes photocatalytic, meaning energy from the sun's ultraviolet rays will react to the concrete surface to actually oxidize nitrogen oxides. An additional major benefit is the self-cleaning aspect of the mix, which is an innovative advancement for green building technology. It cleans itself and the air around it. The resiliency aspect of Precast is very front and center here, as the GSA building was designed with both blast resistance and progressive collapse, which is a great example of Precast protecting life. Another important sustainable building aspect of this project is its durability and long life expectancy, as it will serve this community for many decades to come. On top of that, it also was a LEED Gold project, and it utilized some very unique materials and techniques in the Precast itself to help add to the sustainability. Over a year, this building removed the equivalent of taking off 233 cars from the road or planting over 1,000 trees in the city. That's a really cool thing to be able to do with something that we think of as more of an aesthetic or a structural system in Precast concrete. It is an absolutely fantastic looking project. Congratulations to our 2024 PCI Design Awards Specials winners. Next up, we have our Buildings winners. The Buildings Jury awarded 11 projects among the categories. The Best Government and Public Building is awarded to Winter Park Library and Events Center in Winter Park, Florida. Gage Precast Company is the Precast Concrete Producer, and the Erector is Team Precast Group. We as a panel picked this project because of the wow factor that it brought to our eyes. This project showcased innovation, engineering, and craftsmanship. The distinctive color, asymmetrical shaped panels that defy gravity, and convex exterior are not something that's easily achievable with any other cladding material. The team would not have been able to achieve this without BIM technology. Precast allows this building to have a strong sense of artistry. We have these really incredibly beautiful forms and panels that have created this sculptural element. The use of Precast allowed the design team to have freedom to provide large span cladding. Almost every panel had a different skew, angle, or twist, making it very unique. The outward slant panel posed a significant engineering challenge, which was neatly handled by the efficient use of a push and pull connection system. The project is located in a very warm and humid climate, and the mass of the exterior walls and the way the library space is pressed down into the earth helps to reduce heat transfer. This reduces the demand for energy consumption, for cooling, and contributes strongly to the sustainable characteristics and features of this project. Precast was a solution to have a structure that's resilient to withstand hurricane winds. The first co-winner recipient of Best Healthcare Medical Building goes to the University of Illinois Health Specialty Care Building in Chicago, Illinois. International Concrete Products is the Precast concrete producer, and Creative Erectors is the erector. Precast allows this building to have amazing depth, and that brings sophistication and energy to the overall piece of architecture. It's unique in the fact that it feels like it's floating. The Precast places what might have been a flat, monolithic façade into an energetic and dynamic environment. The use of a similar Precast module that's fabricated to various lengths and widths allowed the design team to break down the façade and easily create subtle cues on the façade to articulate entry and other features. The use of Precast allowed them to phase the project and step into it in a way that allowed them to coexist with the really active urban environment. The design team was able to work with local fabricators to come up with a solution which helped drive effective costing on the project. You can see the aesthetic versatility within this project. The versatility that was achieved in the design of the building really was playing with the forms of that Precast itself, and that was created with the depth that allowed for the building to transform as you walked around it and looked at it, so incredibly versatile. The second co-winner of Best Healthcare Medical Building is Emory Musculoskeletal Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. Gate Precast Company is the Precast Concrete Producer. Precision Stone Setting Company is the Erector. Precast was chosen for its ease in constructability, schedule, cost, and performance. We did appreciate the use of the form liners within this project. The vertical texture that was created was quite nice. We also appreciated how they had the gentle curves around the corner, which you don't often see in Precast. One of the design challenges for the team was implementing a brick stone look on a U-shaped panel. This type of application can only be achieved using Precast. This facility is powered by 100% clean, renewable energy. The fact that they added a storm water reclamation system, automatic glass tinting to help regulate the temperature to reduce the energy consumption was great from a sustainability standpoint. It's a lead gold building. That's not an easy thing to achieve. Precast is a perfect material for that because it is incredibly durable and incredibly long-lasting. It's not something that you have to think about on a renewable basis coming back to it. It stands the test of time. Rubenstein Commons in Princeton, New Jersey won Best Higher Education University Building. The Precast Concrete Producer is Northeast Precast. We as a panel picked this project because of the wow factor that it brought to our eyes. It's simply a very unique structure. This project is a piece of sculpture, and it would not have been able to be achieved without the use of Precast. The form of the building, as a result, fits into the context of this very classic higher education campus. So there's a sense of the building being in a garden since the landscape envelops the building, and it makes for an acceptable, beautiful building that can easily coexist on campus next to the more traditional buildings. Precast was the answer to achieving an excellent quality finished surface for a highly expressive geometrical panel project such as this one. No two pieces were the same. Over 75% of the pieces needed custom forms. The use of smooth curvilinear Precast panels adds elegance and a timelessness to the building. And the NMB splice sleeve techniques and the individual sandblasting technique used by the fabricators contributes to the beauty. The Shepherd Hotel in Clemson, South Carolina won Best Hotel Motel Building with Metromont being the Precast Concrete Producer. Davis Erecting and Finishing Incorporated is the erector. The reason the jury chose this particular project was, aesthetically, the hotel was very pleasing. Designing within an 8-inch of property line is not easy, especially when designing for a seismic Category C. The ability to use Precast allowed the construction to move fluidly. We also appreciated the depth of the building with inset of the Precast and the reveals along the parapet and throughout the entire building. You can tell from looking at this building that there was special attention paid to the brickwork. The brick color and the texture looked very neat and crisp. Achieving this kind of look and while keeping the same footprint using traditional methods would almost have been impossible. Also, this led to significant time and money savings. The thin brick that was inlaid in the Precast had a lot of dimension and texture on the sides of the building. That's what makes this building look incredibly rich is the little details within the brick and how they laid together, how the brick color and tone worked with the actual Precast that serves as their mortar. It was artfully done. The Maputo New U.S. Embassy Compound in Maputo, Mozambique won Best International Building. The Precast Concrete Producer is Fibro Baton. There is an amazing amount of craft that's being demonstrated here on this project. The building uses ultra-high performance concrete, UHPC. There are 330 different shapes and 265 canopy elements with very little repetition. This proves that Precast was very important to provide the uniqueness to this building. The fin shade panels span a long distance vertically and they're super thin, which allows them to be delicate while performing. And they're incredibly hard to successfully cast, so the team is to be applauded for their artistry and their technical accomplishments. There's a lot of pressure on this particular building because of its coastal environment. So these elegant fins are able to withstand the forces of these elements on the coast. I think the wow factor in this is how the building transforms as you look at it from different angles. So in one direction, it appears very opaque and white. And then if you turn back, you actually see through the precast back to the glass and it becomes almost a dark building. That depth is what creates the shade. It's a simple beauty to think about how a building moves as you move. The winner of Best Multifamily Building is Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments in Chicago, Illinois. Wells is the precast concrete producer and Creative Erectors is the erector. The fact that this building is a low-income housing project is really worthy of note, since the use of precast allowed a lot of the aesthetic to be elevated way beyond what would normally be achieved in a low-income project. Precast allows this design team to provide a very super unique and sculpted exterior facade. Additionally, the variety of textures and colors on the building allow it to be blended into this really rich context where you have historic low-rise buildings and brownstones. It was artfully done in its composition. One of the biggest challenges was trying to make it cost-effective. And the design team was able to reuse forms in a way that was very unique. So the use of precast here allowed the design team to meet rigorous fire spread and flame spread code requirements in a very elegant way. One of the reasons that precast was a great solution for this project is the repetitive nature of it. It allowed the facade to dance and just playing back and forth with those couple different panels allowed for movement and efficiency. The precast also is incredibly durable. This one's really long-lasting and really beautiful at the same time. One Willoughby Square in Brooklyn, New York, one best office building, and an honorable mention in the specials category, sustainable design. Architectural Precast Innovations Incorporated is the precast concrete producer and Precast Services is the erector. The jury picked this project because we felt that the precast was the apt choice. Located in a tight urban site, precast was chosen for its easy offsite construction, accelerated schedule, and cost. One of the things that we loved about the building is the horizontal bands. They actually had a movement to them so that they projected out kind of like a pyramid kind of ribbing as you go around it. It's artfully done, attention to detail, and how it shimmers really is beautiful. If we weren't leveraging precast, especially on those bands, it would be incredibly challenging, not only because of how you would be laying the brick, kind of coming out and then going back, but also the horizontal bands have glass below them. Precast just made the most sense. You know, a building this tall, precast is so much more safe for those constructing the building. Another great aspect of this building is it is lead silver. Precast, we know, is incredibly long-lasting. The cast-in bricks provided high-strength motor joints, reducing long-term maintenance costs. The custom-glazed brick with a textured finish simply elevated the aesthetics of the building. It's just a beautiful building. The winner of the best all-precast concrete parking structure is the pavilion at Riverwalk in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Daily Precast is the precast concrete producer, and Prime Steel Erecting is the erector. The jury unanimously chose this project for its structural versatility. The fact that we have a sports field, a top three-story parking garage, is fresh. The sports field becomes a somewhat unique destination on the campus and allows these great views down an adjacent river corridor overlooking historic buildings that are in the context. Precast was a logical choice from a structural efficiency, due to the high-strength concrete, from a structural efficiency, durability, constructability, and vibrational performance standpoint. The precast structure helps to create these really large spans with less bounce and vibration than some other building materials might provide. And this is a really nice benefit of the use of precast. The natural design of the precast system adds certain benefits to the field, like proper drainage and less vibration. This project was constructed at the height of the COVID pandemic, so this group had to seek special permission, do tons of testing to provide safety for the employees. The use of precast, where it's fabricated offsite, allowed them to actually construct the project in a realistic timeframe. It's a pretty remarkable solution in how it is totally integrated in the end. This precast concrete solution set a benchmark for future projects on the campus. The recipient of Best Religious Structure goes to Layton Utah Temple in Layton, Utah. The precast concrete producer is Willis Construction Company. The attention to detail on this project is powerful. Leveraging a precast form and reusing that form allowed for a lot of custom details to be placed within that. I know it's really hard to get white panels that are so clean and beautiful with such consistency. So you can tell there was really great care taken in preparing the forms and establishing the process of making these panels. This is particularly remarkable since the design team had to deal with special seismic requirements for the panels. On a religious building like this, there is an interest in a certain timelessness, and precast offers that durability. And we know that the building will maintain its aesthetic for a long time. The design team and the fabricators were able to incorporate seeding and cherry blossom details in the panel that connect the structure to the regional history and context. And this facade articulation would not have been able to be afforded using any other exterior cladding material. It was great to see the shadows that were created with their reveals and with the decorative nature throughout the building. It was just strikingly beautiful. Last but certainly not least, the winner of Best K-12 School Building is Atos Center for the Performing Arts in Nixa, Missouri. PreStressed Casting Company is a precast concrete producer and the erector. We as a panel picked this particular project because of its stunning looks. This new structural addition was in the middle of an active school campus. Precast concrete was the only solution to speed up the construction with very minimal disturbance to the school campus. Designing double Ts that has clear span of 90 feet and load-bearing wall panels with unbraced length of 50 feet is not only challenging, but it's pushing engineering above and beyond that only precast can help achieve. An approach that stood out to us was having precast concrete panels extend over the glass lobby to conceal mechanical infrastructure, which almost made that portion of the building look unsupported or floating. The precast panels allowed the design team to efficiently use materials in the cladding process of this building, which actually reduced the amount of carbon that is absorbed through the project, minimizing the amount of materiality that's applied to the project through the precast panels, greatly contributed to using less building material and contributing to a stronger, sustainable solution. Precast also helped with the reduction of sound transfer. And in the end, precast allowed this addition to be much more sculptural, richer, and contribute to a sense of timelessness in the building. Congratulations to our 2024 PCI Design Awards Buildings winners. Next up, we have our Transportation winners. The Transportation Jury awarded four projects among the categories. The first category is Best Bridge with a main span up to 75 feet. Girard Avenue over CSX in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the winner. Penn Stress, a division of McInnis Group, is the precast concrete producer. This bridge replacement project utilized precast components to address multiple project constraints. A precast deck beam component called the NexBeam met these constraints by providing both reduced structural depth for a limited vertical clearance and accommodated the needs for trolley line details. Precast was the obvious solution. The project was completed with a full superstructure replacement during two short construction stages. The bridge is sandwiched between on and off ramps and is over an active freight railroad. The pouring of the curb and the barrier minimized the field labor because no formwork was necessary. Precast concrete beams, abutments, curb, and barriers offered a durable solution, minimize the impacts to traffic, and drastically reduce the construction schedule by over six months. The efficiency of precast solutions provide both speed of construction and reduce structural depth met the challenging needs of this project. It was very efficient. It got the job done and it didn't create any significant disruptions, which was the intent all along. And that really can only be done with precast. Harry Nice Middleton Bridge in Newburgh, Maryland is the recipient of best bridge with a main span from 76 to 200 feet. The precast concrete producer is Coastal Precast Systems. The 9,970 foot long structure incorporated repetitive precast elements to increase construction efficiency. The superstructure was designed to minimize the number of deck expansion joints by designing the precast girders continuous for light load. Precast solutions address the many challenges of this major waterway project by providing elements that met the needed constructability, service life, and strength for both heavy traffic loading and significant vessel impact loading. The sheer volume of the precast on the project is impressive. Repetition is everything for precast and for construction. It makes the manufacturer of precast products very efficient and cost-effective. And the designers had that in mind when they designed this bridge. The long span lengths and repetitive fabrication efficiency provided by the precast girders resulted in this two mile long bridge being constructed in just 24 months. The wow factor was the use of the stand place tub forms for the piers because it served many purposes that you don't really see that very often with precast. The durability of precast concrete increases the bridge service life and will minimize future maintenance. Almono ABC Widening of the Interstate 376 Westbound Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania won Best Rehabilitated Bridge. Brayman Precast is the Precast Concrete Producer. This roadway widening project included both roadway and bridge improvements in an urban area with high traffic volumes and limited allowances for traffic disruptions. To meet these project demands, the designer and contractor utilized both precast substructure and superstructure elements. These precast solutions included precast footings and stem walls for the substructure and precast deck panels, moment slabs, and approach slabs for the superstructure. The substructure just couldn't be extended as is. They had to come up with a creative design and that creative design included non-standard precast products. They used UHPC to join the elements to the existing deck and to each other. It provides a very durable joint and a very strong joint. Use of precast here was a good choice. Use of these precast elements allowed the project to significantly reduce the construction project time and met the limited 15-day maximum lane closure restriction. The goals of the project were met with precast. We ended up with a very durable widening. The final Transportation Award winner is for Best International Transportation Structure. The winner is Langat River Bridge in Banting, Selangor, Malaysia. The precast concrete producer is Dura Technology. This project provided an innovative world record-setting solution with a 344-foot-long span utilizing precast U-girders. The 344-foot-long girder was achieved by connecting 16 individual U-girder segments. Longitudinal post-tensioning was used to connect the segments into one continuous girder. This record-setting span was made achievable due to the use of ultra-high-performance concrete. The use of UHPC adds sustainability and durability, which can extend the service life and minimize maintenance costs for bridges. The long span lengths reduce the environmental impacts by reducing the number of piers in the waterway. Precast UHPC U-girders ended up being a cost-effective solution for this project. The innovation and advancement in concrete technology led to the selection of this project as a winner. The ingenuity of the designer and the fabricator ensured perfectly aligned matched cast segments by casting every other segment along the lane and then the gaps were filled in. This project demonstrates how the combination of UHPC and precast can provide uniquely strong, durable, and efficient structural solutions. Congratulations to our 2024 PCI Design Awards Transportation winners. Finally, the three jury panels chose a total of 15 honorable mention winners, three of which won a PCI Design Award. Hudson Medical Office Building in Hudson, Wisconsin won an honorable mention for All Precast Concrete Solution. The Precast Concrete Producer and Erector is Wells. The next honorable mention win is for Building Information Modeling and Michigan State University Federal Credit Union in East Lansing, Michigan is the recipient. Fabcon Grandville is the Precast Concrete Producer. Assemblers Precast and Steel Services is the Erector and Endicott Thin Brick and Tile and Architectural Polymers are the PCI Associate Suppliers. Jackson West Medical Center, Jose Milton Memorial Hospital in Doral, Florida won an honorable mention for Healthcare Medical Building. The Precast Concrete Producer is Gate Precast Company and the Erector is Bass Precast Erecting. The honorable mention win for Higher Education University Building goes to FIU Tamiami Hall in Miami, Florida. Gate Precast Company is the Precast Concrete Producer and Team Precast Group is the Erector. Virginia Tech Upper Quad North Residence Hall in Blacksburg, Virginia won an honorable mention for Higher Education University Building. The Precast Concrete Producer is Gate Precast Company and Tyndall Building Systems is the Precast Concrete Producer and Erector. The honorable mention recipient of Multifamily Building is Eleven in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Precast Concrete Producer is Gage Brothers and the Erector is Amorect Incorporated. 2999 Olympus in Dallas, Texas won an honorable mention for Office Building. The Precast Concrete Producer is Enterprise Precast Concrete and the Erector is Dare and Isbell Construction, now merged with Shuff Steel Company. Endicott Thin Brick and Tile is the PCI Associate Supplier. The next honorable mention win is for All Precast Concrete Parking Structure and KCI Airport Terminal Parking Garage in Kansas City, Missouri is the recipient. Core Slab Structures, Missouri is the Precast Concrete Producer and J.E. Dunn Construction is the Erector. The honorable mention recipient of Religious Structure is Phase 7 Building in Highstown, New Jersey. The Precast Concrete Producer is Jersey Precast and the Erector is Team Precast Group. Mosaic Pre-K Center at New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York won an honorable mention for K-12 School Building. The Precast Concrete Producer is Core Slab Structures, Connecticut and the Erector is A.J. McNulty and Company. Boston Valley Terracotta is the PCI Associate Supplier. The honorable mention recipient of Bridge with Main Span from 76 to 200 feet is Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Precast Concrete Producer is Penn Stress, a division of McInnis Group. Last but not least, the Mile Long Bridge in Chicago, Illinois won an honorable mention for Bridge with a Main Span from 76 to 200 feet. The Precast Concrete Producer is County Materials. The 2024 PCI Design Award winners and honorable mentions can be found on the PCI website. These projects showcase the most creative and innovative Precast Concrete projects recently constructed. The 2025 PCI Design Awards program is currently open for submissions. I encourage you to collaborate with the architects or engineers of record to submit your recent Precast Concrete projects. Thank you for joining us and congratulations again to all our award winners and our PCI Design Award sponsors, CRISO, GCP, Applied Technologies, and SplaySleeve.

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