by
June 8, 2026
Nielsen Construction Ca is proud to announce that the Ramona Community Resource Center, delivered as part of an integrated design-build team, has received four prestigious national honors at the 2025 Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) Awards Ceremony. The project was recognized with the following accolades:
•National Merit Award for Federal / State/ County / Municipal Facilities
•National Merit Award Best in Small Projects
•National Award of Excellence Best in Small Projects
•National Award for Best in Process – Best Value
The awards were presented during DBIA’s annual conference and gala in Las Vegas, celebrating the nation’s most collaborative, innovative, and high-performing design-build projects.
A Landmark Win for a Community-Focused Project
The Ramona Community Resource Center was developed by the County of San Diego’s Health & Human Services Agency to bring life-changing public health, family services, veteran support, and social services into one centralized, trauma-informed facility. Nielsen Construction Ca. and SILLMAN together played a pivotal role in transforming this vision into a high-performing, sustainable, and welcoming community hub.
National Merit Award for Federal / State / County / Municipal Facilities
Winning this DBIA Merit Award confirms that the Ramona Community Resource Center is not just a well-built building — it's a thoughtfully designed civic asset that brings together essential services in a supportive, sustainable environment. Moreover, from an industry standpoint, the award underscores how design-build is not just effective for large infrastructure projects — it’s equally powerful for smaller, community-driven public facilities. The recognition is a testament to what can be achieved when public owners, builders, and designers commit to working together early, transparently, and with a shared vision.
National Merit Award Best in Small Projects
While modest in size, the Ramona facility achieved extraordinary impact. DBIA recognized the project as a model for how smaller civic buildings can deliver best-in-class sustainability, high-functioning service spaces, and long-term operational efficiency. Nielsen Construction Ca.’s hands-on, detail-driven approach helped ensure the facility met the community’s needs without compromise.
National Award of Excellence - Best in Small Projects
This award represents the highest national recognition given by the Design-Build Institute of America in the small projects category and underscores Nielsen’s commitment to delivering high-impact, community-centered facilities. This confirms that the Ramona Community Resource Center is more than just a small building—it is a national example of public-sector innovation, sustainability, and design-build collaboration. Nielsen Construction Ca. is proud to have contributed to a project that elevates the standard for small civic facilities nationwide and makes a lasting difference for the Ramona community.
National Award for Best in Process – Best Value
The DBIA jury highlighted the Ramona project’s exceptional use of an integrated, lean-driven process. Nielsen Construction Ca. implemented early collaboration strategies, digital coordination tools, and streamlined decision-making workflows that helped deliver enhanced value, exceptional quality, and transparency throughout construction.
Nielsen Construction Ca. collaborated closely with the design team to execute the building’s net-zero energy strategy, including on-site solar producing more than 100% of the center’s projected energy use. Additional construction highlights include:
•All-electric building systems
•Low-VOC materials and healthy interior finishes
•High-performance envelope construction
•LEED Gold–oriented sustainability goals
•A zero-incident safety record throughout construction
These achievements underscore Nielsen Construction Ca.’s commitment to delivering environmentally responsible and community-centered facilities.
