No one will ever accuse Wisconsin's construction industry of being lazy.

Depending on who you ask, your industry built anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 structures in 2003. That includes roads, bridges, schools, churches, office buildings and too many other things to list here. But, basically, if you can think of it, at least one of your peers probably built it.

And speaking of peers, there are thousands upon thousands of building professionals throughout the state. If you stacked every architect, engineer, subcontractor and contractor end to end, the pile would probably reach the moon.

And, in a way, that's what the following pages are all about — shooting for the moon.

You can't always build a work of art. You can't always claim perfect teamwork, on-time delivery and budget success. There are just too many variables, too many change orders and too few perfect opportunities.

Some projects are more about getting it done than making it shine. But every once in a while, the ideal project comes along. That doesn't mean it's easy. In fact, the toughest projects often end up as the best.

And the best projects are what Wisconsin Builder looks for at this time every year. Right around January, we ask you in the industry to send us the best you've got from the previous year, and this time around, you blew us away.

We received 120 project submissions, far and away the most you have ever sent us. And you didn't make it easy. Every project represented, in some way, the best that this industry has to offer.

But it was our job to cut that list to the top 20. Who were the chosen few? Read on.