Facility Design Project of the Year

The Facility Design Project of the Year recognizes the best of the Facility Design Projects of the Month and is selected based the quality of the design and execution and its ability to meet the operator’s goals.

Browse the articles below or click here for a list of past winners.

2016 Facility Design Project of the Year, Honorable Mention: Renovations at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio

Details: Published: May 2, 2016; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Kitchen and café renovations and a room service–style program take this stellar foodservice program to new heights to the delight of patients, visitors, staff and students. A dedicated and committed staff completed a 22-phase project over 28 months in a fully functional kitchen producing 2.5 million meals per year.

2016 Facility Design Project of the Year, Honorable Mention: Blue Wall Café at the UMass Amherst Campus, the Lincoln Campus Center Concourse

Details: Published: May 2, 2016; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

This renovated eatery offers a focus on sustainability and fresh, healthful food through 10 self-contained, European-inspired, bistro-style concepts, as well as the gourmet Harvest Market. The operation also provides room service for the adjacent hotel.

2015 Facility Design Project of the Year: Beatrix, Chicago

Details: Published: April 30, 2015; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Connected to the Aloft Hotel in Chicago's River North Neighborhood, the bustling Beatrix is one of many concepts owned and operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE). The restaurant includes a wine bar, coffee bar and small yet highly efficient partially open display kitchen. The kitchen also provides Zoom Service for Aloft's 272 rooms, as well as 400-plus rooms in the adjacent Hyatt Place and Fairfield Suites.

Original article: Facilty Design Project of the Month for February 2014: Restaurant Beatrix in Chicago

2015 Facility Design Project of the Year, First Honorable Mention: Manna Restaurant, Manna Market and Bedside Manna Room Service at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital in Castle Rock, Colo.

Details: Published: April 30, 2015; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

This 4-story, 50-bed hospital features hybrid systems for patient room service, a full-service restaurant and gourmet-style market with a coffee shop that utilizes freshly made, locally sourced ingredients. A community garden exists for neighbors. Organic herbs and vegetables grow in the rooftop garden.

Original article: Facility Design Project of the Month, January 2014: Manna, Manna Market and Bedside Manna Room Service at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital in Castle Rock, Colo.

2015 Facility Design Project of the Year, Honorable Mention Brasserie Zentral, Foreign Legion Wine & Cheese Bar, Café Zentral, and Retail Wine and Liquor Store, Minneapolis, Minn.

Details: Published: April 30, 2015; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Eastern European cuisine welcomes customers at a brasserie featuring a display cooking suite, an eclectic wine and cheese bar and a grab-and-go skyway café that utilizes ventless cooking equipment.

Original article: Facility Design Project of the Month, November 2014: Brasserie Zentral, Foreign Legion Wine & Cheese Bar and Café Zentral in the Soo Line Building in Minneapolis.

2015 Facility Design Project of the Year, Honorable Mention: The Restaurants at Woodland, Indiana University–Bloomington

Details: Published: April 30, 2015; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Working with Culinary Institute of America-trained chefs to develop menus, the Indiana University (IU) culinary staff give customers a new dining experience at nine micro-restaurants in a unique campus environment that spans three floors of a LEED Silver-certified building.

2014 Facility Design Project of the Year FireLake Grill House and Cocktail Bar, Bloomington, Minn.

Details: Published: April 30, 2014; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Part of the Radisson Blu, FireLake Grill House and Cocktail Bar sits adjacent to the hotel's ultramodern lobby and just a skyway away from the Mall of America, a 520-store shopping facility that draws 42 million visitors annually. The first hotel directly connected to the Mall of America, the Radisson Blu serves as a refuge for people visiting the mall. The hotel also attracts guests attending meetings and other events that occur on this property.

2014 Facility Design Project of the Year: Honorable Mention: Durrell Dining Center and Durrell Express at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.

Details: Published: April 30, 2014; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Customization brings new flavors and menu variety to the food-concept platforms at this all-you-care-to-eat marketplace.

2014 Facility Design Project of the Year: Special Recognition: The Culinary and Conference Center at Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, Ind.

Details: Published: April 30, 2014; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Students have an opportunity to learn their trade on state-of-the-art equipment situated on two tower floors and in a penthouse suite.

2013 Facility Design Project of the Year: First Honorable Mention: Crossroads Café and The Shack At William Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif.

Details: Published: April 30, 2013; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Multiple microrestaurant platforms and neighborhood dining options offer customers menu variety, entertaining display cooking and a uniquely designed, energetic interior that promotes interactions within the college community.

2013 Facility Design Project of the Year Second Honorable Mention: Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, Elmhurst, Ill.

Details: Published: April 30, 2013; Written by Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

Replacing an aging facility, the multiplatform Wildflower Café features culinary variety while room service offers patients a restaurant-style, on-demand food delivery system.