A newly renovated hotel and condominium complex in Detroit has been named one of the most outstanding construction projects of 2008.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - A newly renovated hotel and condominium complex in Detroit has been named one of the most outstanding construction projects of 2008.

The project was completed by the Willoughby, Ohio-based Marous Brothers Construction and Detroit-based Jenkins Construction. The complex replaced what was formerly the tallest hotel in the world, the Book Cadillac Hotel, which sat vacant for over two decades.

The hotel and condominium complex was one of 13 construction projects recognized by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) for their complexity, innovation, success and ultimately, for their significance to the construction community and the nation at large.

“These projects are the very embodiment of the potential and promise of the nation’s construction industry,” said Doug Pruitt, the incoming president of AGC. “These projects are more than a simple task, they are the kind of jobs that challenge our skills, stretch our imaginations and capture our fancy.”

Pruitt noted that the hotel and condominium project was selected as the winner of the Aon Build America Award in the building renovation category because the construction team had brought a creative and technologically innovative approach to the project. The project required the team to completely demolish and reconstruct the top four floors and pump out the lower level basement before they could rebuild the elaborate ballrooms in accordance with historical photos and original drawings. And unmanned robot was deployed to safely perform many of the more dangerous demolition tasks.

The Aon Build America Award winners were announced as part of AGC’s 90th Annual Convention in San Diego. For more than 20 years, the Aon Build America Awards have been given to recognize excellence in the construction industry. These prestigious and highly coveted awards are given to the projects selected by a panel of a contractor’s toughest critics - other contractors.

In addition to the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel and Condominium project, 12 other projects were selected to receive Aon Build America Awards by AGC, Pruitt noted. Those projects include the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis; Houston’s Co-Cathedral of the Sacred; Boston Symphony Hall; the U.S. Embassy in Panama City, Panama; and Washington D.C.’s Nationals Park.