Williamstown, MA Williams College’s Davis Center, which was build by Consigli Construction Co., Inc., has been honored by Engineering News Record (ENR) as a recipient of the 2024 Award of Merit in its annual Regional Best Project Awards. It received the award in the Higher Education/Research category for the New England region.

The Davis Center, the college’s center for the advancement of institutional diversity, equity and inclusion, connects multiple buildings on campus and transformed existing facilities to better reflect the center’s mission and serve current and future academic and cultural needs. Through a major new addition and comprehensive energy retrofit renovations to the 19^th century Rice and Jenness Houses, the new Davis Center provides fully accessible resources and community spaces for students and faculty.

Utilizing mass timber and engineered wood hybrid materials, the all-electric project removed fossil fuel-based heating systems and was built to rigorous environmental standards to support the college’s commitment to sustainability. It is targeting Petal Certification under the Living Building Challenge, as well as strict Energy Use Index requirements to reduce energy loads on campus.

Project teams recognized by ENR’s panel of judges were evaluated on their ability to overcome challenges, contribute to industry innovation and benefit the community, as well as overall excellence in design, construction and safety execution.