UNC Health Blue Ridge’s Cancer Center has won a top award for health care construction at the ABC Carolinas Chapter 2023 Excellence in Construction Awards gala, where more than 70 awards were presented to members.
The Cancer Center won the first-place Eagle Award for Healthcare Construction Project ($25 million to $50 million) on Nov. 9 in Charlotte. The project also was a finalist in Project of the Year.
The Carolinas Chapter Excellence in Construction (EIC) Awards is a yearly competition in which general contractors and specialty contractors submit their projects for recognition. The EIC program is the premier competition within the Carolinas construction community that recognizes outstanding projects ABC members have built. ABC is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 22,000 members.
A panel of judges, “a cross-section of construction industry experts, including owners, architects, engineers, and other industry professionals,” evaluate project submissions and rank them for awards.
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UNC Health Blue Ridge representatives at the ceremony were Deanne Avery, CHC, EDAC, director of Capital Projects, Planning, Design & Construction, and Amanda Taylor, executive director of the Cancer Center (Oncology) and Pharmacy Services. Representatives from Brasfield & Gorrie, contractors for the project, and DLR Group, project architects, also attended.
“It was an incredible ceremony,” said Avery. “I’m so proud to be a part of this project.”
As part of a 34,272-square-foot addition and renovation, the UNC Health Blue Ridge Cancer Center at Valdese includes an infusion therapy and treatment area; medical and radiation oncology exam, consultation, and treatment rooms; two new linear accelerators, a CT simulator, and superficial X-ray. There is also a dedicated space for education, support and group therapy to better serve the community through high-quality cancer care.
“This award recognizes the teams that spent countless hours designing and constructing a beautiful, welcoming space for our patients,” Taylor said. “The Cancer Center construction project was not just about building a state-of-the-art facility, but about providing hope, comfort, and support to those fighting cancer.”
Avery said she also felt the project was special because of input from the cancer care team members. Before construction began, the hospital held a reveal ceremony in 2021 where employees could review the plans and make changes. Teammates were provided stones at the reveal with messages of hope engraved on them.
“We also held a meaningful ‘Laying of the Stones’ ceremony in 2022 where stones saved by the Cancer Center teammates from that reveal event were placed in the ground once construction began. Those stones now lie, embedded in the foundation of the new Cancer Center, beneath where our infusion area is,” she said. “I’m very proud that we had such an important connect-to-purpose for this construction project.”
The Cancer Center, which cost $38.3 million, opened in August 2023. Brasfield & Gorrie worked with the program manager, Stantec, and the design team, DLR Group.
“Our construction team has been outstanding throughout this process,” said Jon Mercer, chief operating officer at UNC Health Blue Ridge. “Deanne Avery and our Cancer Center team did a remarkable job on this project. I am not surprised it won an Eagle Award. Everyone associated with this project deserves recognition. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this team.”