October 2, 2025

LCI is thrilled to recognize the winners of the LCI Design and LCI Engineering Design Awards! Join us in honoring them at the 2025 LCI Congress, October 20-24, in Arlington, Texas! It’s not too late to register.

LCI Design Award Winner
The LCI Design Award winner was Cone Health Medical Center Asheboro in North Carolina, and its team of Perkins & Will, Architect; AEI Affiliated Engineers, MEP Engineering; Walter P. Moore, Structural Engineering; and Robins & Morton, Construction. Partners include LIPD Consulting, Stimmel, Rock City Mechanical, Mid-Atlantic Infrastructure Systems, Inc., and Adams Electric Company.

Cone Health’s Ambulatory Clinic and Cancer Treatment Center in Asheboro brings their vision for a healing, patient-centered campus to life. Delivered through an Integrated Project Delivery approach, the team aligned the project’s vision, budget, and schedule using Lean methodology. Its success was measured by its ability to quickly deliver 51,000 SF of oncology and ambulatory care services while minimizing site disturbance.

Honorable mentions were given to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Arthur M. Blank Hospital, and Canadian Nuclear Labs (CNL) New Builds.

Learn more in our blog post

LCI Engineering Design Award Winner
The winner of the third annual LCI Engineering Design Award was Sutter Health, 2506 Samaritan Court, San Jose, CA, and its team of Boulder Associates, Skanska, Prime Electric, and Standard Drywall.

The project was a tenant improvement in a three-story, 69,000-SF medical office building. The new clinic and surgery center allows Sutter Health to provide greater access to patient care and deliver affordable surgery options to the area. Delivered three months ahead of schedule at a cost savings of almost $3M, this project had no lost time incidents.

Learn more in our blog post

Questions about the Congress program? Contact Joan Piccariello for more information.

On November 3rd, you’ll see an invitation to participate in our Education & Certification Engagement Survey. This follow-up will help us:

• Measure industry engagement and the value of Lean for individuals, projects, and the industry.
• Shape future learning and programs that advance practitioner capability and results.
• Understand how Lean practices are being applied—and requested—across the field.

Together, these surveys ensure LCI’s offerings reflect what you need most. Please complete both and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Thank you for helping the industry build better.

Our top tips:

1. Frame It as a Team Benefit: Focus on how the certification validates your expertise in eliminating rework and improving project outcomes—not just for you, but for the whole team. State that the skills you gain will enhance quality and efficiency across the organization.
2. Align with Company Objectives: Emphasize how Lean Project Delivery directly supports your firm’s objectives, such as improving project performance or continuous improvement. Positioning yourself as a leader in these efforts makes the investment essential.
3. Discuss ROI: Be prepared to detail the financial investment and the potential Return on Investment (ROI). Explain that the knowledge gained will lead to process improvements and efficiencies that will more than offset the expense.
4. Offer to Share: Reassure leadership by offering to share your knowledge through internal workshops, training, or coaching colleagues.

Timing is Key: Bring up the topic during a performance review or when the company is focused on efficiency. Follow up with a clear action plan.

Interested in getting started? Begin your application today, or contact Tammy McConaughy with any questions.

Today, through her company, Weft Strategies LP, Darlene helps teams master collaborative project delivery and continues to inspire industry transformation in both the U.S. and Canada. Her specialties include Lean training, facilitation, and masterplanning, as well as design-oriented problem solving, strategic procurement for IPD team selection, high performance team building, and IPD advisory services.

Why she joined her CoP:
“In 2014, I was introduced to Lean through an IPD project. While I was initially skeptical, I quickly became a huge supporter. Looking at our work through a different lens, and continually improving and learning, is such a benefit to our projects, companies, and processes.”

Favorite CoP Event:
“I enjoy Lean Coffees, where we all get to share our thoughts and experiences. I also enjoy our workshops, as they give me the opportunity to deepen my understanding from many perspectives.”

How it has helped her career:
“My involvement with Lean and my CoP has truly shaped my career path! I left my architecture firm and started my Lean and IPD coaching practice. While I still practice architecture, I’m growing my consulting work to help other teams collaborate and improve their processes.”

Biggest Lean challenge:
“Integrating Lean within consulting companies has been one of my biggest challenges. In this area, more than others within the AEC industry, I’ve found the greatest resistance. While fear of the unknown plays a role, I believe the significant burden on consulting staff is a major factor. Overburdened staff have limited bandwidth for new processes – and even less bandwidth to learn and mentor others. Incremental adoption of Lean, along with the benefits of reliable promises, could help bring these partners along in the future.”

Biggest Lean success story:
“My first IPD project experience is one I will always remember. Our project saved over $4 million, which was shared evenly between our team and the owner. What stands out most is when the process began to flow and Lean ideas began delivering significant gains in labor, materials, and processes.”

Advice to newcomers:
“Join!”

What she’s most excited about for the Lean community:
“I look forward to seeing others realize how Lean can work for them – and then become cheerleaders for it in the industry.”

Favorite thing about Lean Construction Institute events:
“The people and the workshops/learning. Did I mention the people?!”

Find Your Local Community