DDC Honored by the Design-Build Institute of America With INSPIRED Owner of the Year Award

City’s first-ever design-build project receives National Award of Merit and National Award of Excellence

Denisse Moreno, morenoDe@ddc.nyc.gov, 718-391-1854

(Long Island City, NY – November 18, 2024) Commissioner Thomas Foley of the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) announced today that the agency has been recognized as the 2024 INSPIRED Owner of the Year by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) for its design-build pilot program and for “showcasing how design-build can accelerate project delivery without sacrificing high standards.” The city’s first-ever design-build project, the Queens Garage and Community Space in Kew Gardens, also received the DBIA’s National Award of Merit and National Award of Excellence as the best project in the country in the category of federal/state/county/municipal facilities.

“Our very first design-build project was completed in less than half the time and with a cost savings of more than $12 million versus lowest bidder contracting,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Thomas Foley. “DDC has proven and continues to prove that design-build is a highly desirable method of government contracting, and that it can be used to execute amazing projects with great designs with a high level of fiscal accountability. We are very grateful to the DBIA for these awards.”

Unlike lowest bidder contracting, design-build brings designers and builders together as one team under one contract with common business goals. It increases cooperation and reduces conflict in project teams and leads to better innovation as designers and builders work together from the beginning of the project. Under design-build, teams are selected for their ability to deliver quality projects on schedule, and not just because they bid the lowest price. Construction can begin even before the project’s design is completed and unexpected delays are greatly reduced.

DDC in 2018 received permission from the State of New York to use design-build in the Borough-Based Jails program that’s building four new jail facilities to enable the closing of Rikers Island. In December 2019, DDC also received permission to use design-build for a variety of other public building and infrastructure projects.

The DBIA INSPIRED Award stands for Innovative Newcomer Showcasing Preparedness, Insight, Readiness and Enduring Diligence. It celebrates organizations that are new to design-build and which have made the commitments necessary for success. The DBIA’s expert judging panel found that DDC invested in design-build training for key staff, ensuring they were committed to design-build best practices, and built an organization that prioritized stakeholder engagement; aligned scope, budget and schedule through risk assessments; secured committed team leadership; and fostered competition through industry outreach.

Its National Award of Excellence is presented to the best project in the country in various categories, including “federal/state/county/municipal facilities.”

The Queens Garage and Community Space, located behind Queens Borough Hall, features a two-level 25,000-square-foot flexible community area, and includes parking for 600 vehicles and 63 bicycles. It includes sustainability features such as a partial planted green roof, electric vehicle chargers, solar panels, and on-site stormwater retention. The community space received LEED Gold certification for environmental sustainability, and the parking garage obtained Parksmart certification to recognize that it is high-performing and sustainable. DDC worked with the design-build team Hunter Roberts Construction Group, which included design services by Urbahn Architects and Marvel.

Using design-build, the structure was completed in 22 months – less than half the time expected under the old lowest bidder contracting system – and $12.9 million under budget. Because of the flexibility allowed by design-build, none of the project’s $9.5 million contingency fund was used.

Using design-build, DDC is expected to complete the new $141 million Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Brooklyn in 2025, a full two years faster than would have been possible using lowest bidder contracting. Another new recreation center, the $92 million Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center in Staten Island, is also anticipated to be completed at least two years faster using design-build.

DDC is also bringing design-build to infrastructure projects and will soon start a design-build water main and street improvement project on Lexington Avenue in midtown. DDC is also using design-build to upgrade thousands of pedestrian ramps to make them ADA accessible and next year will start a design-build pilot program to construct bathrooms in public parks faster and more efficiently.

The Queens Garage and Community Space previously received the 2023 Project of the Year award from the Construction Management Association of America and the Silver Award in the Special Projects category in the 2024 Engineering Excellence Awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York).

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor Adams’ long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $33 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit, nyc.gov/ddc.