Haskell has received the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Merit Award in the Civic/Assembly category for its design and construction of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in Quito, Ecuador, the organization has announced.

The Temple complex, located in Cumbayá, one of Quito’s two most important valleys, includes the 36.780-square-foot (SF) Temple, a 23,463-SF ancillary building, a 3,791-SF mechanical building and a small guardhouse.

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This design-build project was developed with local designer RVC Architects. It was important for the team to create designs inspired by tropical themes and materials to capture qualities native to the location that would be both relaxing and inviting to users. The team used local materials, construction methods and design elements to tropicalize the space’s appearance.

“The Quito Temple Complex is a culmination of Haskell team’s experience and background,” said Bill Rudder, Haskell Vice President and Religions & Cultural Division Leader. “Haskell’s design-build roots combined with a project leadership team that had previously executed two temples together made this project a truly exceptional experience and delivery. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ team laid out the vision and the Haskell team executed with excellence.”

The Temple has become a significant landmark in the City of Quito and the Cumbayá Valley development and a place of spiritual and architectural reference that demonstrates the importance of simplicity, finesse, symmetry, duality and harmony.

“The collaborative mindset and spirit exhibited by these award-winning teams created the environment for innovative designs, clear lines of communication and the whole-team approach necessary to elevate ingenuity and successfully navigate unprecedented challenges,” said Lisa Washington, CAE, DBIA Executive Director and CEO. “DBIA is proud to honor this year’s design-build project and team winners, who are redefining what exceptionalism looks like and advancing the practices of the AEC industry and design-build’s role in our nation’s much-needed infrastructure programs.”

Using design-build allowed valuable collaboration and struck a balance between quality, cost and schedule, helping to save approximately $1.6 million on construction costs and providing an expedited building process that lasted just 28 months. The team could promptly solve construction issues, review submittals before construction started and create requests for information (RFIs) faster than if done separately, allowing it to tackle challenges before they became more complex or costly.

The design-build model’s ongoing communication was essential to achieving the Church’s high expectations for quality, responsibility and accountability. Beyond the usual budget, schedule and layout considerations, the Church had expectations for a tropicalized design and construction, which was both challenging and rewarding. Local consultants and designers were hired to provide valuable local knowledge of regional climate, materials and equipment, while Haskell staffed necessary resources and subject matter experts for training, monitoring and supervising them.

DBIA’s 2022 award-winning projects and teams were evaluated by a distinguished panel of industry experts. Each Merit Award winner will now go on to compete for a National Award of Excellence and Project of the Year to be announced at DBIA’s Design-Build Conference & Expo Awards Ceremony in November in Las Vegas, NV.

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