Fullerton, CA. (June 26, 2023) – Cal State Fullerton’s newest student housing project, The Suites, won the 2023 Award of Excellence for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Design-Build and the Award of Distinction from the Design-Build Institute of America Western Pacific Region (DBIA-WPR) annual conference and awards dinner on June 15.
California State University, Fullerton’s 185,505-square-foot housing project leverages building mass and landscape to expand the existing housing community and create a new, distinct residential identity on campus that fosters student life, supports a variety of functions to activate the campus’ diverse and flexible community and promotes independence within the residents’ new homes while giving them a sense of ownership and belonging in a shared community.
“We’re especially proud of the recognition our Cal State Fullerton project has achieved highlighting the diversity of our talented team members and local business trade partners,” said Sundt Vice President and Irvine Regional Director Jim Householder. “The project is a testament of our commitment to achieving inclusivity for the clients we serve, our employee-owners, and our community.”
The HMC + Sundt design-build team committed to creating inclusive environments with a diverse workforce and local trade partner assembly. The project surpassed CSU’s requirements for small business and disabled veteran business enterprise (DVBE) three times over.
The team also featured Sundt’s first all-woman Design-Build preconstruction team including Preconstruction Project Manager Mary Homan, Lead Estimator Lamia Porter, and Project Controls Manager Jessica Beyer. The project’s preconstruction team successfully led the effort to meet the project’s budget and schedule to begin construction. The team’s combined efforts preserved over 95% of the project’s design-builder contingency included within the contract, resulting in a credit to the university of approximately $3 million in savings.
The DBIA-WPR annual awards program recognizes the successful application of design-build best practices as defined by the DBIA Design-Build Manual of Practice.
About Sundt
Sundt Construction, Inc. (www.sundt.com) is one of the country’s largest and most respected general contractors. The 133-year-old firm specializes in transportation, industrial, building, concrete and renewable power work and is owned entirely by its approximately 2,000-plus employees. Sundt is distinguished by its diverse capabilities and experience, unique employee-ownership culture and depth of self-perform expertise in nine major trades. Much of Sundt’s workforce is comprised of skilled craft professionals who, together with the company’s administrative employees, enable Sundt to fulfill its mission to be the most skilled builder in America. Sundt has 12 offices throughout California, Arizona, North Carolina, Texas and Utah.
Media Contact:
Stefanie Teller
Sundt Construction, Inc.
520.750.4611 (office)
media@sundt.com