PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS - 2025

Exterior Schools Winner

Fullerton College CNIB

General Contractor: BNBuilders

Architect: RNT Architects 845 15th Street Suite 600 San Diego, CA 92101 Brandon Martella martella@rntarchitects.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Hilti, L&W Supply, QXO, Westside Building Materials

The Fullerton College CNIB is an 18,225 square foot two-story instructional building that houses classrooms and various student resource departments, including a wellness center, veteran’s resource center, food bank and multi-cultural center. The project included an 11,500 square foot maintenance and operations building. Both the CNIB and maintenance & operations building were built to match the classic campus Architectural styling of 1930’s Spanish Revival with colorful Moorish/Tunisian tile accents. Mid-wall bands, window head brows and cornices, made from light-cast architectural shapes, blend naturally into wood-grained plaster and hand-set quarry tile sills. The exterior envelope incorporated a Tyvek Commercial Wrap, air and weather barrier including self-adhering Butyl flashing, with a metal plaster base and 3-coat plaster assembly.

Ceilings Winner

Dior Beverly Hills Flagship

Best Interiors Inc.

General Contractor: Dickinson Cameron

Architect: Gruen Associates
6330 San Vicente Blvd Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Kevin Lui
lui@gruenassociates.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Armstrong World Industries, Clark Dietrich, Foundation Building Materials, Moonlight Molds, National Gypsum, Westpac Materials, Westside Building Materials

Best Interiors was responsible for the complete interior build-out, including vaulted ceilings on Level1 with GFRG radius light coves, custom Armstrong knife-edge light coves throughout all retail areas, a spiral staircase extending from Level 1 through Level 3, and an oval skylight on Level 3 designed to flood the upper retail space with natural light. Dining areas feature barreled ceilings with Stair Silent finishes, ensuring both aesthetic continuity and acoustic performance.

Interior Multifamily Winner

CSUN Student Housing Building 22 & 23

Mirage Builders

General Contractor: C.W. Driver

Architect: AC Martin 900 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 2800 Los Angeles, CA 90071 Lara Lund lara.lund@acmartin.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Action Gypsum, Armstrong World Industries, CEMCO, Clark Dietrich, Clinch-On, Foundation Building Materials, Georgia Pacific, Hilti, L&W Supply, National Gypsum, Omega, On-Site Health and Safety, QXO, Simpson Strong-Tie, Stockton Products, StructaWire, Trim-Tex, West Coast Firestopping, WestPac Materials, Westside Building Materials

The California State University, Northridge, Joshua Tree Hall and Hibiscus Hall new student housing buildings, are its first in over ten years and redefine sustainable campus living The two four-story residence buildings, totaling 60,290 square feet, include 45,000 square feet of living spaces, with 198 new beds and are the first approved affordable student housing project within the CSU system. Mirage Builders performed all exterior framing, sheathing, weather barrier, plaster, and fiber-cement siding. By leveraging advanced prefabrication and field coordination methods, Mirage maintained strict schedule adherence through multiple material lead-time challenges, while meeting the architect’s design intent for durable, high-performance wall and ceiling assemblies.

Retail Winner

ZARA at The Grove

Performance Contracting, Inc.

General Contractor: JRM Construction West, LLC

Architect: Gensler Architects 500 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90071 Fresca Rose fresca_rose@gensler.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Action Gypsum, Armstrong World Industries, Clark Dietrich, Georgia Pacific, USG, Westpac Materials, Westside Building Materials

The Zara retail store at the Grove featured a highly detailed soffit design that required precision, coordination, and innovative construction techniques. To achieve this, PCI utilized Panel Max technology to integrate prefabrication into the soffit construction. The soffit included a two-piece light pocket system, which was fully fabricated in PCI’s warehouse before being delivered and installed onsite. By completing significant portions of the work offsite, the team was able to reduce onsite labor, mitigate potential installation errors, and achieve substantial schedule savings, all while maintaining the high aesthetic standards required for a flagship retail environment. A prepared level 4 taping finish provided a smooth, consistent base, essential for the high-quality plaster application.

EIFS Winner

Limelight Mammoth

KHS&S

General Contractor: PENTA

Architect: WAT&G 1730 Flight Way Suite 150 Tustin, CA 92782 Dan Patton dpatton@watg.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Foundation Building Materials, L&W Supply

The project was originally designed as a rainscreen cladding system with multiple textures including a faux wood finish which created budget and time constraints. To help mitigate this KHS&S leaned on its Archetype Art Studio to replicate the look utilizing EIFS in a panelized system. The fundamental design of the building was never intended to be prefabricated. KHS&S was tasked with reverse engineering and recommended prefabrication to replace the traditional build approach. Prefabricated exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) panels were manufactured by KHS&S in Lake Elsinore and shipped to the project. Perched at 7,881 feet the project required transporting over four hundred panels in groups of 4 – 8 per truck, across mountain roads, over a period of 6 months.

Mixed Use Winner

Vermont Manchester (Evermont)

Mirage Builders, Inc.

General Contractor: Suffolk Construction Company

Architect: TCA Architects 18821 S. Bardeen Ave. Irvine, CA 92612 Winni Wang wwang@tca-arc.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Action Gypsum, Brand X Metals, Clark Dietrich, Clinch-On, National Gypsum, Trim-Tex, United Metal Products, WestPac Materials

The Evermont Affordable Housing development represents a transformative investment in South Los Angeles, constructed on a long-vacant four-acre lot. The project delivers 180 units of high-quality affordable and supportive housing — 118 for families and 62 for seniors — along with neighborhood-serving retail, a transit plaza, and community spaces designed to restore vitality to a historically underserved corridor. This team’s scope encompassed the interior and exterior metal stud framing, drywall, and lath and plaster. Their lath and plaster specialists applied detailed craftsmanship to key façade elements, providing a refined finish that complements the project’s contemporary design.

Exterior Commercial Winner

Southland Credit Union – Downey

Brady West Inc.

General Contractor: Worksmart Design

Architect: Techtonics in Architecture David Friedman david@tectonicsheartofbuilding.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: L&W Supply, Sunstate Equipment, Tremco, Westside Building Materials

A cutting-edge commercial building designed to function as both a high-performance workspace and a striking architectural landmark, this scope of work encompassed (EIFS), chosen for its superior energy efficiency, long-term durability, and design versatility. A key challenge involved designing and fabricating precisely aligned grooves in the EPS insulation to accommodate integrated lighting channels — all without compromising the integrity or weatherproofing of the EIFS system. Our team engaged in multiple design iterations, working closely with the lighting manufacturer and design team to develop a solution that was both structurally sound and visually seamless.

Interior Commercial Winner

Gaylord Pacific Resort Hotel and Convention Center

Brady-Standard Joint Venture

General Contractor: Mortenson–McCarthy Joint Venture

Architect: HKS Architects, Inc. 350 N. Saint Paul Street #100 Dallas, TX 75201 Rodney Morrissy rmorrissy@khsinc.com

The Gaylord Pacific Resort Hotel and Convention Center is a landmark addition to the Chula Vista bayfront—a 1.6 million-square-foot complex featuring a 19-story hotel tower with 1,600 rooms and suites, a convention center with more than 477,000 square feet of meeting and event space, and a range of resort amenities. The project serves as the anchor of the bayfront redevelopment, creating an economic and cultural destination for the region. The joint venture provided design-assist services for full interior framing and drywall services across both the hotel and convention center. The framed hard lid and suspended drywall ceiling areas included custom “serpentine” and “amoeba” shapes.

Institutional Winner

Ontario Fire Station No. 1 Headquarters

Schmitt Contracting, Inc.

General Contractor: RC Construction Services, Inc.

Architect: PBK Architects 8163 Rochester Ave. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 Andy Powell andy.powell@pbk.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Action Gypsum, Clark Dietrich, Omega, USG

The Ontario Fire Station No. 1 Headquarters represents the City of Ontario’s commitment to public safety and modern emergency response. This two-story, 24,000-square-foot facility replaces the City’s aging downtown station and serves as both a first-response hub and administrative headquarters for Ontario Fire Department operations. The project includes six apparatus bays, living quarters, offices, training rooms, and support areas for specialized functions such as SCBA maintenance, turnout gear storage, and decontamination. Schmitt Contracting was responsible for the complete wall and ceiling scope, including interior and exterior metal stud framing, sheathing, fire-rated assemblies, acoustical control walls, drywall finishing, exterior fiber cement panels and exterior lath and plaster systems.

Project Under $500k Winner

Franklin Adult Residential Facility

Martin Bros.

General Contractor: Swinerton Builders

Architect: Gensler 500 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90071 Hetal Shaw Hetal_shaw@gensler.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Armstrong World Industries

The Franklin Adult Residential Facility in Riverside is a newly renovated 42,000-square-foot facility that provides residential care, outpatient behavioral health services and short-term recuperative care to help individuals regain stability and transition toward independent living. The scope of work for this project was standard acoustical ceiling tiles throughout the two floors, complemented by stunning wood ceilings that add warmth and sophistication to the space.

Themework Winner

Tiger Ruins

Infinity Drywall Contracting Inc.

General Contractor: Whiting Turner

Architect: Gregg Maedo + Architects 321 N. Rampart St. Suite 101 Orange, CA 92868 Gregg Maedo gregg@gmaarch.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Westside Building Materials

The Tiger Ruins structure was designed to capture the atmosphere of an ancient temple deep within the jungle, featuring hand-sculpted plaster ﬁnishes and architectural reliefs that replicate centuries of natural erosion and stone carving. Inﬁnity’s team constructed both the exterior and interior systems using a stainless-steel rebar framing, lath, and plaster assembly, to maintain structural precision while keeping the organic irregularity demanded by the design. The ﬁnishes were shaped entirely by hand — each contour, fracture, and stone joint were sculpted to emulate the natural decay of ancient ruins on the Jungle Cruise attraction

Tenant Improvement Winner

ArentFox Schiff LLP

Sharpe Interior Systems, Inc.

General Contractor: Sierra Pacific Constructors

Architect: Donaldson Plus Architects 726 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038 Mark Hershman mhershman@donaldsonplus.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Ames Taping Tools, Clark Dietrich, Dittemore Insulation, Fry Reglet, Hilti, L&W Supply, Moonlight Molds, USG, Westside Building Materials

This team’s expertise was essential in executing the architect’s ambitious vision, which featured a variety of sophisticated wall and ceiling systems. These systems included custom GFRG shapes, USG Ensemble acoustic ceiling panels, and Baswaphon acoustical finishes, all of which required a high level of precision, coordination, and technical skill. The intricate ceiling design showcases seamless transitions and high skill-level finishes that elevate the form and function of the space.

Interior Renovation Winner

Hotel Del Coronado Victorian Guestroom & Corridor Renovation

Swinerton Builders

General Contractor: Swinerton Builders

Architect: GSB Architects Jim Ligon jligon@gsb-inc.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: CertainTeed Gypsum, Clark Dietrich, Clinch-On, Foundation Building Materials, Westpac Materials

Including the finding of a hidden art fresco during demolition and its careful restoration, this guestroom renovation project was as unique as the building itself. The historic wood-framed structure posed a constant fire risk, requiring a 24/7 fire watch with personnel inspecting every area, every 15 minutes. Additionally, many of the original lath and plaster walls were intended to remain to preserve the building’s shear integrity. However, during demolition, it became clear that the plaster had deteriorated beyond salvage. As walls crumbled adjacent to demolition zones, our team pivoted quickly, shoring the structure, replacing the plaster with drywall, and installing plywood sheathing to maintain structural integrity. Drywall installation alone totaled over 1.14 million square feet as well as light gauge metal framing and suspended ceilings. The building’s age and location on the beach presented additional structural challenges, including significant settling

Exterior Hospitals/Healthcare Winner

USC Keck

Raymond-Southern California, Inc.

General Contractor: Turner Construction

Architect: Smith Group 350 South Grand Ave. Suite 1800 Los Angeles, CA 90071 Daniel Cusick Daniel.cusick@smithgroup.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: L&W Supply

The USC Keck New Facility is one of several planned outposts expanding Keck Medicine’s services throughout the Los Angeles area, bringing state-of-the-art medical care closer to the community. Designed for LEED Platinum certification, the project features a four-story, 200,000-square-foot building with three basement parking levels, steel construction, a striking white exterior with floor-to-ceiling windows, and a landscaped terrace. The applicator performed an extensive range of scopes on the project, including metal stud framing, drywall, finishes, fireproofing, firestopping, insulation, joint sealants, waterproofing, and lath and plaster.

Interior Hospitals/Healthcare Winner

CHOC Southwest Tower

Nevell Group, Inc.

General Contractor: McCarthy

Architect: Cannon Design 3737 Buffalo Speedway Suite 1200 Houston, TX 77098 Alain Belanger abelanger@cannondesign.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Ames Taping Tools, Armstrong World Industries, CEMCO, Clinch-On, Commercial Scaffolding, Inc., Foundation Building Materials, J&B Materials, L&W Supply, Omega, Simpson Strong-Tie, Sunshine Supply Co., Sunstate Equipment, USG, Westpac Materials

Recently completed on CHOC’s main campus, the CHOC Southwest Tower is a transformative nine-story, 333,000-square-foot healthcare facility designed to expand the hospital’s outpatient capabilities and redefine its campus skyline. Nevell Group, Inc. (NGI) is proud to contribute its expertise to this landmark project, providing comprehensive services that include interior and exterior framing, drywall installation, taping, fireproofing, plastering, sheathing, insulation, and acoustical ceiling installation. The tower features a full suite of specialized amenities — including an imaging center, outpatient surgery unit, research laboratory, retail pharmacy, and multiple clinical departments — all designed to enhance patient care and medical innovation.

Interior Schools Winner

UCSD Viterbi

Nevell Group, Inc.

General Contractor: Rudolf and Sletten

Architect: NBBJ 523 West 6th Street Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90014 Yuri Susuki ysusuki@nbbj.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Ames Taping Tools, CEMCO, Clinch-On, Commercial Scaffolding, Inc., Hilti, L&W Supply, National Gypsum, Simpson Strong-Tie, StructaWire, Sunshine Supply Co., Trim-Tex, Westpac Materials

The UC San Diego Viterbi Family Research Center is a 115,000-square-foot laboratory research building dedicated to advancing research, clinical care, and education in the fight against vision loss. Nevell Group collaborated closely with the design and engineering teams to develop and implement a comprehensive Sound Transmission Class (STC) strategy that ensures the acoustic isolation necessary for sensitive research and clinical environments. Specialized wall assemblies, acoustic insulation systems, and precision detailing to maintain sound control performance without compromising aesthetics, exemplify the innovation, excellence and purpose driven construction of this project.

Las Vegas Hospitals Winner

Culinary Craig Health Center

Anning Johnson

General Contractor: PENTA

Architect: Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto 8882 Spanish Ridge Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89148 Chase Wheeler cwheeler@csdarchitecture.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Foundation Building Materials, L&W Supply

This project consisted of over 90,000 SF of framing and high-end finishes. Our scope consisted of Interior/Exterior framing and drywall, painting, wallcovering, EIFS, & UHPC Exterior Concrete Panels. The entirety of the walls, ceilings and soffits, as well as MEP trade rough-ins, were laid out using a robot that utilizes BIM. This health center consists of two floors containing exam rooms, classrooms, PT rooms and many more. The exterior panel cladding system contains ultra-high performance concrete containing distinct fibers, allowing it to have a more uniform suspension after the curing process. The panels utilized required a unique cast, never done before on any other building.

Las Vegas Ceilings Winner

Symphony Park Hotel Lowrise Block D

Anning Johnson Company

General Contractor: The Whiting Turner Contracting Company

Architect: Cooper Carry Inc. 1360 Walnut Street, Suite 102 Boulder, CO 80302 Andrew Rozzi andrewrozzi@coopercarry.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Foundation Building Materials, Rew Materials, WestPac Materials, Westside Building Materials

This project consisted of a 62,000 SF build out of the Level 1 podium at the Symphony Park Hotel. The podium includes a lobby, restaurant, bar, convention space with ballroom, and back-of-house to support the hotel rooms on the floors above. Anning Johnson performed the interior framing & drywall, exterior framing & sheathing, paint, wallcovering, specialty trim-aluminum reveal, and fluted panel product. Our scope also involved installing an isolator sound ceiling at the Music Lounge to minimize the transfer of sound from the podium to the hotel rooms directly above. A focal point of the project were the “Guitar Pick” floating drywall ceilings that brought the Ballroom to life. The project included over 300,000 SF of drywall, 40,000 SF of exterior sheathing, 5,500 LF of specialty metal trim reveals, 27,000 SF of wallcovering, and 140,000 SF of paint.

Las Vegas Renovation Winner

El Cortez Hotel & Casino – Casino Remodel

Universal/Nevell Group

General Contractor: McCarthy Building Companies

Architect: JIVE Architecture LLP 6018 S. Durango Dr., Suite 100 Las Vegas, NV 89113 Michaela Cho michaela@jivelv.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Action Gypsum, Dunn Edwards Paint Corp, Foundation Building Materials

An 18,170-square-foot renovation of a historic downtown Las Vegas casino, the project included a casino floor new high limit, a new restaurant and kitchen, and two new casino bars. The casino expansion used a light-gauge metal stud exterior wall framing with an EIFS exterior, including patching and refreshing of the EIFS in the existing loading dock. The interior included framing, drywall hanging and taping, paint, wallcovering and acoustical Ceilings. This renovation project was unlike any other because it required incorporating existing elements of the structure dating back to 1941, the 1980’s and the 1990’s.

Las Vegas Retail Winner

Graff at Fontainebleau

Performance Contracting, Inc.

General Contractor: WARB

Architect: Spacesmith One New York Plaza, Suite 3400 New York, NY 10004 Jaclyn Lieck jlieck@spacesmith.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Westside Building Materials

The scope of work included the installation of an owner-provided panel system, from the exoskeleton framework to the finished panels. The work also featured intricate GFRG tiered light coves throughout, complemented by a precision-crafted knife-edge light shelf. PCI utilized laser scanning to document the as-built conditions for coordination purposes and to provide the fabricators with accurate data for construction of the panels surrounding the exterior of the store. Achieving the design intent required careful refinement of shop drawings and meticulous coordination of joint layouts to ensure a flawless, seamless installation.

Las Vegas Commercial Winner

Las Vegas Convention Center District Phase Three

Mirage Builders, Inc.

General Contractor: Hunt PENTA Joint Venture

Architect: Klai Juba Wald Architecture 4444 W Russell Road Las Vegas, NV 89118 James McCoy jmcoy@klaijubawald.com

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Action Gypsum, Dryvit, Foundation Building Materials, L&W Supply

The Las Vegas Convention Center District Phase Three project demanded an extraordinary level of precision and adaptability — from compound-radius ceilings and integrated skylight assemblies to complex, large-scale coordination with multiple trades in an active convention environment. Despite continuous design evolution and highly fragmented sequencing, Mirage Builders remained unwavering in its commitment to quality, innovation, and schedule performance across an extensive 424,300-square-foot construction plate. The result is a finished product that reflects the collaborative spirit and technical mastery of all those involved, elevating the standard for large-scale public projects in Southern Nevada.

Arizona Winner

Central Station

MKB Construction, Inc.

General Contractor: Layton Construction

Architect: Multi Studio 521 South 3rd Street #100 Phoenix, AZ 85004 John Kimmel John.kimmel@multi.studio

Suppliers & WWCCA Affiliates: Foundation Building Materials, National Gypsum, USG

Located in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, Central Station is a transformative mixed-use development that redefines one of the city’s busiest transit hubs — serving over 360 buses and 200 light rail trains each day. The project consists of two distinct towers: the West Tower, dedicated to student housing, and the East Tower, featuring multifamily residences. MKB Construction, Inc. was proud to deliver a full scope of construction services including interior and exterior framing, drywall, finishing, FRP installation, sheathing, EIFS, and the fabrication and installation of prefabricated EIFS panels. In total, MKB Construction, Inc. installed approximately 90,000 square feet of EIFS panels in just over 23 weeks of active work.