The following are the 2022 Eagle Award winners as part of NAIOP New Mexico‘s annual Awards of Excellence.
COMMUNITY CIVIC/PUBLIC
Hope Village
Owner: HopeWorks
Developer: YES Housing Inc.
General Contractor: Pavilion Construction
Architect: Mullen Heller Architecture, PC
Engineers: EEA Consulting Engineers, Walla Engineering
This project was a collaboration between YES Housing — an Albuquerque-based nonprofit aimed at building communities through affordable housing — and HopeWorks, a nonprofit serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This 38,000-square-foot facility has a Gold Level rating from LEED for Homes, a voluntary rating system promoting design and construction of green homes. The building has a communal area and on-site behavioral health and case management offices on the first floor, and the second and third floors host 42 one-bedroom apartments for residents. Since its opening in February, Hope Village has been at full occupancy. It aims to help those with a documented history of chronic homelessness, and diagnoses of mental disorders, alcohol or drug dependency.
EDUCATION
Del Norte Elementary School Replacement
Owner: Roswell Independent School District
General Contractor: Waide Construction of Roswell
Architect: SMPC Architects, McClain + Yu
Engineers: Smith Engineering, Arsed Engineering, AC Engineering
This project used a two-story solution, which enabled school to remain in session during construction. The original building, built in the ’60s, was completely demolished in July 2021, and construction on outdoor recreation, play fields and learning areas began. By the fall semester the same year construction was completed enough for classes to resume. The old building was dark, with small windows and little natural light. The contractors built the new school with solar efficiencies in mind; a linear south-facing orientation maximizes daylight and energy performance. When designing this 70,000 square foot location, architects aimed to build a space with playful, child-friendly features that would foster an environment of student growth and achievement.
HOSPITALITY
M’Tucci’s Bar Roma
Owner: 3222 Central LLC
Developer: Geltmore LLC
General Contractor: AIC General Contractor
Architect: Modulus Design/Design Plus
Engineers: Testudo
This 14,340-square-foot location consists of two buildings: the main building is the restaurant — which aims to provide visitors the full experience of Rome’s feel and flavor — and the rear garage, which has been converted to a production kitchen making the bread, pasta, sauces and some of the cured meats for all four M’tucci’s locations. M’tucci’s speakeasy Teddy Roe’s is also located on the property. Originally called the Jones Motor Co. Building, the location was built in 1939 and designed by Tom Danahy in an Art Moderne style. This building was one of the first icons encountered by travelers heading Westbound on Route 66. In 1993, the property was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. Later, in 2001, the property was designated as a protected city landmark. The building had fallen largely into disrepair before the project.
INDUSTRIAL
Amazon Fulfillment Center
Owner: Amazon
Developer: BH DevCo
General Contractor: Ryan Companies
Architect: HP Architects
Engineers: Bohannan Huston, Inc.; Kramer Consulting Engineers
This massive project on Albuquerque’s West Side spans nearly 60 acres with a 278,500-square-foot truck loading and unloading zone, and a five-story, 2,584,000-square-foot receiving and distribution center. In addition to building the facility, contractors had to improve roadways around the site, adding a concrete curb and gutter; wheelchair ramps; new water and sewer systems; storm drains and five retention ponds as protection from any future storm events. The five-story building is visible from many vantage points across the city.
INFRASTRUCTURE
I-25 and University Avenue Interchange
Owner: New Mexico Department of Transportation
General Contractor: La Calerita Construction
Engineers: Molzen-Corbin, Bohannan Huston
This project’s goal was to revamp one of the busiest interchanges in Las Cruces to make the interchange exit and intersection safer and faster and to relieve traffic congestion during New Mexico State University events. The new layout incorporates roundabouts rather than traditional signaled intersections. Contractors wanted to be conscientious of pedestrians and bike commuters, and installed bike ramps and crosswalk refuge islands under the overpass. Art from local artists decorates the interchange, adding local flair to the project. The team implemented the Envision rating system established by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure on this project. It is the first project in New Mexico to use this system.
MULTI-FAMILY
Desert Hope Apartments
Owner: Mesilla Valley Public Housing Authority
Developer: Mesilla Valley Public Housing Authority
General Contractor: Pavilion Construction
Architect: jv DeSousa LLC Architecture
Engineers: Huitt-Zollar Inc.; EMeC, LLC; Stubbs Engineering, Inc.
This first-of-its-kind permanent supportive housing complex for homeless individuals has 40 units, each fully furnished with a kitchen, bathroom and living space. The space also offers a bike repair station, parking, picnic tables, two garden planters, an outdoor grill area, laundry facilities and a detached community building. The 20,771-square-foot location has been fully occupied since its ribbon-cutting ceremony in August 2021.
MEDICAL (tied)
Rust Medical Center Physicians Office Building Addition
Owner: Presbyterian Healthcare Services
General Contractor: Enterprise Builders
Architect: Dekker/Perich/Sabatini
Engineers: Bohannan Huston, Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini
This project aimed to streamline the patient drop-off and pick-up area at Rust Medical Center with a prominent entryway as a starting point for visitors, while creating a clear delineation between the ‘front of the house’ and ‘back of the house’ for deliveries and staff entrances. The site hosts an eight operating room ambulatory surgical center, a separately licensed gastrointestinal lab with five procedure rooms, Presbyterian Breast Center and High Resolution Rust, a comprehensive breast center offering diagnostic and screening services, and clinical services for pre-op and post-op surgery appointments.
MEDICAL (tied)
Route 66 veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Center
Owner and developer: Dr. Jeremy and Rowan Welcome
General Contractor: Hart Construction
Architect: Mullen Heller Architecture
Engineers: Wooten Engineering, Feight Engineering, Hughes Design, Walla Engineering
This iconic Nob Hill location was previously a service station and “trading post” built in the 1930s. Before the veterinary clinic took over, it was left vacant for many years, bringing a variety of challenges, such as needed roof renovations and asbestos removal, dealing with copper wire vandalism and building infrastructure for a new sewer line. Contractors worked to update and expand the building, while still maintaining the mid-century architecture, mixing old and new with neon-inspired LED lighting and re-creating painted symbols from the Trading Post era.
OFFICE (tied)
SC3 International Headquarters
Owner and developer: Steve Chavez
General Contractor: Wilger Enterprises
Architect: Daniel Puzak, AIA; Aria Studio Consultants Inc.
Engineers: Arsed Engineering Group LLC; Allied Engineering; Walla Engineering LTD.
SC3 International is headquartered at the Aperture Center Mesa Del Sol. The project emphasized the importance of good lighting in the office space. The space features large windows with views of the Manzano Mountains. Contractors installed frosted glass walls so employees could enjoy natural light from anywhere in the office, while still maintaining privacy. LED lighting that can be changed to suit different events or seasons lines the office’s angular corridors. The office also features a one-of-a-kind glass shard ceiling and artistic rock wall sculpture.
OFFICE (tied)
NTx
Owner: Nature’s Toolbox/Alex Koglin
General Contractor: Klinger Constructors
Architect: Dekker/Perich/Sabatini
Engineers: Feight Engineering, AEDi
NTx is a biopharmaceuticals company that expanded out of a business incubator at Santa Fe Community College to its new facility in Rio Rancho in order to accommodate its manufacturing growth. The 23,000-square-foot location houses lab spaces for research, development and engineering, and two clean rooms for proof-of-concept manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals for their drug company partners. NTx aims to create 116 jobs in the area in the next 10 years.
PLANNED NEIGHBORHOOD
Inspiration Subdivision
Owner and developer: The Pulte Group
General Contractor: Franklin’s Earthmoving
Engineers: Bohannan Huston
This build on nearly 89 acres hosts 327 single-family home lots in a gated community on Albuquerque’s West Side. The houses range from two to six bedrooms, and the community also offers a soccer field, basketball court, playground, picnic tables and benches, and shade structures. The homeowners association covers the upkeep of the roadways and park. The site is located near Interstate 40 and Paseo Del Norte.
SENIOR/ASSISTED LIVING
Amaran Assisted Living and Memory Care
Owner: Mark 3S
General Contractor: Paaru Builders
Architect: Dekker/Perich/Sabatini
Engineers: High Mesa Civil Engineers; Arsed Engineering Group, Inc.; Dekker/Perich/Sabatini; AC Engineering Enterprises
The site, which was built on a pre-existing Montessori campus with Montessori principals in mind, offers multi-generational activities where children and residents participate together, as well as fitness and activity spaces, a theater, spa, billiards, a library, cyber cafe and rooftop deck. The facility has 56 assisted living studios and 16 memory care suites. The community emphasizes the importance of personal dignity, freedom of choice, independence and involvement for its residents. Inspiration for the project was drawn from nature and Southwestern culture to avoid the sterile atmosphere often associated with assisted living communities. The project’s commitment to energy efficiencies throughout the building have already rebated more than $90,000 from the Public Service Company of New Mexico.
