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SALT LAKE CITY — Jacobsen Construction is the winner of a prestigious national award for its completion of the Westminster University L.S. Skaggs Integrated Wellness Center, which has been named Best Higher Education Project in the United States by Engineering News-Record (ENR).
ENR’s annual Best of the Best awards go to project teams that “represent the highest achievement in design and construction excellence,” said Scott Blair, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, in an article announcing the winners. Hundreds of projects from across the country were scored by a panel of 21 judges with expertise in the AEC industry. The awards will be formally presented at a celebration hosted at Pier Sixty in New York City on March 26.
The L.S. Skaggs Integrated Wellness Center was built to advance Westminster University’s vision of creating a new campus space that promotes holistic wellness among its students. The facility includes a student medical clinic, counseling center, yoga/meditation studio, demonstration kitchen, outdoor activity courtyard, large gathering space, staff offices and more. In collaboration with Jacobsen’s design partners at VCBO Architecture, the building was constructed using mass timber beams and columns and cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof decking.
“This facility represents our unwavering commitment to the holistic well-being of our students, addressing not just their physical health but also their emotional, intellectual, financial, social, and spiritual needs,” said Westminster University President Beth Dobkin, at the project’s ribbon cutting.
The project was automatically entered into ENR’s national competition by virtue of winning the Best Higher Education Project award in the Mountain States region. The 11,200-square-foot Integrated Wellness Center, which is a net-positive energy facility with 145 rooftop photovoltaic panels that more than offset its electricity use, was also honored with ENR Mountain States’ top Excellence in Sustainability award.
“We appreciate Westminster University’s commitment to renewable energy with this building, said Project Manager Justin Giles in a recent speech accepting those regional awards. “Thank you to Westminster for trusting us with this project. We have a great relationship that continues to this day.”
The Westminster University L.S. Skaggs Integrated Wellness Center has also previously won awards from Associated General Contractors of Utah (Green Building Project of the Year) and Utah Construction & Design (Most Outstanding Green/Sustainable Project). It is the second Jacobsen project to win a national Best of the Best award from ENR, after the Primary Children’s Hospital Hybrid Operating Room was named Best Small Project (under $10 million) in the United States in 2024.
