2023 Project Leadership Award Winner Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) Honors U.S. General Services Administration with the 2023 Project Leadership Award

Orlando, FL, November 14, 2023 — The Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2023 Project Leadership Award, which recognizes excellence in project delivery and exceptional leadership and management skills demonstrated by Owners involved in the design and construction process. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has been awarded this honor for the U.S. Courthouse Charlotte/Charles R. Jonas Modernization & Annex project in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This project involved the repair, alteration, and modernization of the historic 134,000 SF Jonas Courthouse, originally built in 1918, and construction of a new 213,000 SF Courthouse Annex. The project's final construction cost was $143,481,873 and it was completed by Brasfield & Gorrie.

The COAA Awards Committee, comprised of industry experts, evaluated numerous projects and selected the GSA project as the winner for its remarkable leadership and project management skills.  Committee members include Rose M. Costanzo with Progressive Casualty Insurance, Leonard LaComb with the University of Texas Medical Branch, and Stephen Caron with the University of Florida.  Mr. Caron had the honor of presenting the award to GSA representatives on November 14 at the COAA Connect Fall 2023 conference in Orlando.

The success of the U.S. Courthouse Charlotte/Charles R. Jonas Modernization & Annex project was made possible by the Owner's unwavering commitment to establishing a culture of honesty, transparency, and communication with the entire project team. With 10 major stakeholders, each with their own diverse goals and visions, the Owner demonstrated exceptional skills in managing and engaging these stakeholders to ensure a cooperative and efficient project.

Furthermore, GSA set high standards for the project by initiating their Design Excellence Program, incorporating public art through their Art in Architecture program, and achieving both USGBC LEED v4 Gold certification and the Sustainable Sites Initiative SITES Silver certification. Throughout the five-year duration of the project, the Owner consistently supported the design team's vision while effectively managing the project budget.

About the Project Leadership Award

COAA has presented the Project Leadership Award annually since 2001. The award is conferred upon Owners who demonstrate exceptional leadership and project management skills, including vision, communication, fairness, problem resolution, decision-making, and more.

The Project Leadership Award is open to public and private Owners across all sectors. The program considers all types of construction projects, from any market, new construction, and renovation projects, large or small. Project size, project cost, and COAA membership are not contributing or deciding factors.