The Design-Build Institute of America has crowned a winner for its highest honor, and it’s a terminal that kept moving even as it was being rebuilt. San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 took home the 2026 National Design-Build Project of the Year, a testament to pulling off a massive overhaul without shutting down a single gate.
Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center earns DBIA Chair's Award, 2026 (Robb McCormick Photography)
Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center earns Chair's Award as DBIA recognizes the nation's top design-build projects and teams
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WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The award was presented during DBIA’s annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Nov. 5, held at the 2026 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center in Pendleton, Oregon, took home the evening’s other major prize: the Chair’s Award.
More than 80 projects were submitted for this year’s National Design-Build Project/Team Awards competition. An independent jury of industry experts selected 32 Merit Award winners across 10 market sectors, with nine projects earning National Awards of Excellence. Additional honors recognized outstanding performance in specific aspects of project delivery and Owner leadership.
“At SFO, the team transformed a major airport terminal while keeping operations running. At Yellowhawk, the team worked on an accelerated schedule to expand healthcare access for a Tribal community,” said Lisa Washington, CAE, DBIA Executive Director/CEO. “These are very different projects with their own challenges, but both demonstrate the importance of Owners and design-build teams working closely together from the beginning. We’re proud to recognize their accomplishments and the work of all this year’s award-winning teams.”
2026 PROJECT OF THE YEAR: SFO HARVEY MILK TERMINAL 1
San Francisco, California
The transformation of San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 earned DBIA’s top project honor for successfully managing a complex reconstruction while maintaining airport operations and improving the passenger experience.
Delivered through progressive design-build, the project involved demolishing and rebuilding a major airport terminal while keeping the facility operational. The integrated team, including Hensel Phelps and Gensler, used co-location and Lean practices to coordinate construction phases and resolve challenges without disrupting passengers.
Named for civil rights leader Harvey Milk, the terminal incorporates accessible passenger amenities and spaces honoring Milk’s legacy. The facility has also achieved LEED v4 Platinum and Fitwel certifications.
In addition to Project of the Year, Harvey Milk Terminal 1 earned the National Award of Excellence in Aviation and Best in Design – Architecture and Best in Leadership/Teaming honors.
2026 CHAIR’S AWARD: YELLOWHAWK TRIBAL HEALTH CENTER
Pendleton, Oregon
The 2026 Chair’s Award recognizes the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, a healthcare expansion serving the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and other Tribal members.
Delivered by BNBuilders with architect NBBJ, the project expanded medical and laboratory facilities and added a dedicated entrance to provide Tribal Elders with more convenient access to care.
The design-build team completed validation and advanced design to permitting and guaranteed maximum price (GMP) within just 16 weeks. Substantial completion followed within one year, demonstrating how early Owner engagement and coordinated decision-making helped the team meet an accelerated schedule.
2026 BEST IN AWARDS
DBIA’s Best in Awards recognize exceptional achievement in specific aspects of design-build project delivery. The 2026 recipients are:
• Best in Design – Architecture: SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1 (San Francisco, CA)
• Best in Design – Engineering: 16th Street Revitalization (Denver, CO)
• Best in Process – Progressive Design-Build: CSXT Howard Street Tunnel (HST) Clearance Project (Baltimore, MD)
• Best in Process – Two-Phased Best-Value: Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Best in Leadership/Teaming: SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1 (San Francisco, CA)
• Best in Virtual Design & Construction (VDC): United States Courthouse Huntsville, Alabama (Huntsville, AL)
2026 SPECIALTY AWARDS
DBIA also presented the following specialty awards recognizing achievements in project delivery and Owner leadership.
ENLIGHTENED OWNER AWARDS
• Resources Building Renovation — State of California Department of General Services (Sacramento, CA)
• The Apiary Hotel & Residences — Copford Capital Management, LLC (Denver, CO)
I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. OWNER AWARDS
• Piscataway WRRF Bioenergy Project — WSSC Water (Accokeek, MD)
• Georgetown University – 111 Massachusetts Avenue — Georgetown University (Washington, DC)
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
• Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center (Brooklyn, NY)
CRISIS/EMERGENCY AWARD
• SCDOT Bridge Package 29 (Oconee US 76 & Jasper US 278) (South Carolina)
SMALL PROJECTS AWARDS
• Vertical: Children’s Health Fairview Clinic Andrews Institute for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (Fairview, TX)
• Horizontal: Tampa Bay Water Desalination Intake Pump Station – Phase II (Gibsonton, FL)
2026 NATIONAL AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Selected from among the 32 National Merit Award recipients announced in August, nine projects earned National Awards of Excellence.
• Aviation: SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1
• Commercial Buildings: The Apiary Hotel & Residences
• Educational Facilities: UC San Diego Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood
• Federal/County/State/Municipal: NASA Langley Research Center – Flight Dynamics Research Facility
• Healthcare Facilities: UC Davis Health 48X Complex
• Industrial, Process and/or Research Facilities: BlueOval SK Battery Park
• Rehabilitation/Renovation/Restoration: Resources Building Renovation
• Transportation (Other than Aviation): CSXT Howard Street Tunnel (HST) Clearance Project
• Water/Wastewater: James River Crossing (JRX)
ABOUT THE NATIONAL DESIGN-BUILD PROJECT/TEAM AWARDS
DBIA’s National Design-Build Project/Team Awards recognize projects that demonstrate the effective application of design-build best practices. Entries are evaluated by an independent jury of experienced industry professionals, with particular attention to how collaboration contributed to project outcomes.
The complete list of 2026 award winners, including project photos and additional information, is available at dbia.org/project-team-awards/.
Erin Looney
Design-Build Institute of America
Why it matters: These awards show how design-build is tackling the toughest challenges in public infrastructure and community health. When teams can rebuild a busy airport terminal without closing it, or fast-track a tribal health center in under a year, it proves that smart collaboration delivers real results for the people who use these facilities every day.
