The Construction Specifier’s feature, titled “Curtain Wall Design-assist: Navigating the Process for Success” by John A. Jackson, AIA, associate principal with Simpson Gumpertz and Heger Inc. was awarded article of the year in October at the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) National Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.

The article explores how curtain wall systems are integral to modern commercial construction, striking a balance between design flexibility and performance demands. As buildings increasingly require energy-efficient, high-performing facades, the complexity of curtain wall design has grown—driven by advanced modeling tools, new materials, and tighter budgets and schedules.

To balance these challenges, the design-assist procurement method has become widely adopted. Design-assist brings contractors, subcontractors, and key suppliers into the design phase early, allowing teams to collaboratively address constructability, cost, and performance before fabrication begins. For curtain walls, especially custom systems, this early collaboration ensures the architectural vision aligns with technical feasibility, budget, and schedule constraints. The process typically includes concept design, bidding, mockup testing, and construction, with mockups providing critical validation of performance.

Case studies such as the National Air and Space Museum, UPMC Mercy Pavilion, and the Australian Embassy illustrate how design-assist enables complex geometries, advanced materials, and high-performance facades while reducing risk and improving project delivery outcomes.

The award is presented to the author or authors of an original article published in The Construction Specifier during the 2025 fiscal year.

Individual articles are nominated by the magazine’s editorial staff and judged by the editorial advisory board. The editorial advisory board reviews the nominated articles and ranks them, based on the following criteria:

• relevance to the industry as a whole
• readability
• compliance with CSI’s mission and technical standards/formats
• impact factor