Washington, D.C., Nov. 18, 2013
Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award is DBIA’s Highest Honor
DBIA has announced Michael C. Loulakis as the 2013 recipient of the DBIA Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Loulakis is the founder of Capital Project Strategies, LLC, a specialized consulting firm that provides strategic procurement, contracting and risk management advice to clients who develop and construct capital projects.
The Brunelleschi Award is the highest honor DBIA bestows. It is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the design and construction industry through outstanding leadership and the advancement of integrated design-build project delivery. Each recipient of this award has demonstrated originality, vision and breadth over the course of their professional life. The prestigious award is named for Filippo Brunelleschi, the Florentine master builder whose most notable work is the Duomo of the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.
“In addition to being integral in the founding of DBIA, Michael’s more than 30 years of industry experience, including his role as lead counsel on some of the country’s most challenging design-build delivery projects, has earned him well-deserved respect from every facet of the industry,” says Lisa Washington, CAE, Executive Director/CEO, DBIA. “The countless hours Michael has dedicated to the industry and his command of the delivery method, the case law and the risk allocation that inevitably affect every design-build project make him a natural choice as the 2013 recipient of the Brunelleschi Award.”
Mr. Loulakis has provided services on public sector design-build projects and public-private partnership programs, where he has helped agencies formulate effective project delivery, procurement and contracting strategies. He has particular expertise on large transportation, tunneling and water projects. Mr. Loulakis also has a broad background in representing private sector owners in the power, petrochemical and process industries to help them with project delivery issues, risk management and contract execution.
Mr. Loulakis is currently engaged as the lead counsel for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects. He represents the Virginia DOT’s Alternative Project Delivery Office in its statewide design-build program, where his services include developing procurement and contracting policies, training VDOT personnel and advising on contract execution issues. In addition, Mr. Loulakis has played a major role in helping DC Water implement design-build on its Clean Rivers and biosolids programs, which together involve more than $3 billion in capital improvements.
Mr. Loulakis is one of DBIA’s top-ranked instructors and has been one of its most active members since the organization’s formation in 1993. He served on DBIA’s Board of Directors, played a major role in writing DBIA’s standard form contracts, was instrumental in the development of the design-build certification standards process and is currently DBIA’s co-chair of the DBIA committee focused on development and dissemination of universal design-build best practices.
Mr. Loulakis has a civil engineering degree from Tufts University, a law degree from Boston University School of Law and was elected to the American College of Construction Lawyers. In addition to having published several books on design-build, he has authored The Law column in Civil Engineering magazine for more than 30 years. In recognition of his contributions to design-build and to the construction industry in general, Mr. Loulakis is the recipient of DBIA’s highest honor.