Top Projects of 2004

Every construction project starts the same way.

Someone somewhere dreams up an idea. They draw up some rough plans, pull together the necessary capital, get whatever approvals they need to give the project a green light and then set out to find the right people to make that dream come true.

But the reality of most projects falls short of the dream. That doesn't mean they're bad projects. It just means that for any number of reasons, the original concept can't be achieved.

Sometimes the budget falls short. Sometimes practical considerations outweigh the best-case scenario. Sometimes it's just too hard to communicate a dream.

But every once in a while, the construction industry turns a dream into reality. The architect sees the owner's vision. The engineer figures out how to make it happen. The contractor pulls it all together, giving form to a good idea.

It's like hitting the construction jackpot. It's a perfect marriage between an original thought and an ultimate action.

Those are the projects that Wisconsin Builder's judges look for every year when they select the Top Projects. We realize that every project comes with at least a handful of compromises. But we also know that compromises come in two categories: those that stay true to the original vision and those that don't.

It's hard to pinpoint the division between the two, but we know it when we see it. So, too, do the people who looked at an empty field, a crumbling building or a fire-ravaged structure and pictured what could be.

A Top Project makes those people say, "That's exactly how I pictured it." A Top Project never loses sight of the dream.