CalPlant project wins Top Project award

The Daily Journal of Commerce announced Sept. 10 that the CalPlant MDF Manufacturing Plant was selected as a winner in the Industrial/Manufacturing category of the 2021 TopProjects awards competition recognizing the most outstanding projects completed last year in the Pacific Northwest. Evergreen Engineering®, Inc., served as Engineer of Record on the project.

The groundbreaking $350MM large-scale MDF plant in Willows, California produces 145mm square feet on a ¾” basis utilizing the rice straw once burned in fields as feedstock. The EPC contract value was $150,000,000, with engineering costs of $6,000,000.

From the start, Evergreen assisted with product prototyping and testing at laboratories in the U.S. and Europe. Once the project was thoroughly vetted and funding raised, Evergreen provided preliminary engineering for the new greenfield MDF plant continuing through detailed engineering packages issued for construction.

This plant is the first of its kind, and required close cooperation and collaboration between plant ownership, equipment suppliers, fabricators, engineers, and constructors. This teaming overcame the significant challenges of bringing novel technology to life, and Evergreen’s roles as owner’s engineers, engineers of record, and construction support were crucial to successful completion of the project.

Now in its 24th year, TopProjects has become the premier awards competition across the region’s built environment. This year’s class included 106 projects spanning 17 different categories. It highlights the outstanding work completed through a truly unprecedented year, ultimately supplying the region with the essential buildings and infrastructure we rely on.

“Through supply chain disruptions, workplace safety protocols and project schedule barriers, the building industry came together and completed some of the most outstanding work I’ve seen in the 12 years I’ve been with the organization,” said DJC Publisher Nick Bjork.

Ten industry leaders determined the top three projects in each category, the TopProjects Project of the Year and several smaller awards for outstanding work.