Premio a la Excelencia Launches Its First Regional Construction Awards

After ten editions, Premio a la Excelencia has entered a new stage by bringing together Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama in a single regional call and evaluation process for the first time. The initiative recognizes construction projects that contribute to the development of the region while showcasing innovation, quality and industry best practices.

The latest edition brought together more than 100 projects and concluded with a regional final evaluated by an international jury made up of experts from the four participating countries.

More than a competition, the initiative has created a space for sharing knowledge, exchanging best practices and highlighting projects that contribute to the growth of the construction sector.

Premio a la Excelencia expands its regional reach

Organized by Cementos Progreso, the flagship brand of Progreso, the award maintains its original purpose of recognizing construction excellence and promoting a culture of innovation, quality and continuous improvement.

The transition to a regional competition strengthens its commitment to connecting experiences, sharing perspectives and promoting the development of the construction industry across Central America. The initiative also plans to expand to the Dominican Republic in an upcoming edition.

“The first regional edition of Premio a la Excelencia represents much more than a new format. It is the consolidation of a space where excellence is shared, best practices inspire the entire industry and knowledge becomes an engine for the development of Central America. Recognizing excellence means driving the development of our region,” said José Raúl González, executive president of Progreso.

A unified evaluation process for construction projects

Before the regional competition, each participating country held its respective national award ceremony. The winning projects from those competitions then advanced to the regional final.

All finalists were assessed using a common technical matrix designed to ensure objectivity, consistency and comparability across the different projects.

The international jury evaluated criteria including:

• Construction innovation.
• Technical quality.
• Project complexity.
• Efficient use of concrete.
• Sustainability.
• Safety.
• Community impact.
• Contribution to urban and economic development.

The finalist projects also reflected some of the trends shaping the transformation of the construction industry, including innovative solutions, resilient infrastructure, structural efficiency and increasingly close collaboration between engineering and architecture.

The projects recognized for construction excellence

The ceremony recognized the projects that received the highest distinctions in the first regional edition of Premio a la Excelencia.

Ágata Category

Country: Costa Rica
Winning project: Hospital de Puntarenas
Construction company: Compañía Constructora Van der Laat & Jiménez

Basalto Category

Country: Guatemala
Winning project: Adhara
Construction company: Grupo Rosul

Jade Category

Country: Costa Rica
Winning project: Bahías DP10
Construction company: Volio y Trejos Asociados

Jaspe Category

Country: Costa Rica
Winning project: Casa SN
Construction company: PROINSA Constructora

Magnetita Category

Country: Guatemala
Winning project: Cendana
Construction company: PM 502

Obsidiana Category

Country: Guatemala
Winning project: PAD SB-3
Construction company: Rodio Swissboring

Ónix Category

Country: Guatemala
Winning project: Oakland Mall F3
Construction company: Construcciones y Consultoría

Opalo Category

Country: Guatemala
Winning project: Edificio Kaeser Compresores de Guatemala y Cía. Ltda.
Construction company: Kaeser Guatemala

Oro Category

Country: Guatemala
Winning project: Alegría Apartamentos
Construction company: Condado Naranjo

Country: Panama
Winning project: Rehabilitación Santa Familia
Construction company: Constructora Edificar

Premio a la Excelencia begins a new regional chapter

With its tenth edition, Premio a la Excelencia begins a new phase as a regional benchmark for recognizing construction projects that raise industry standards across Central America.

Beyond distinguishing outstanding projects, the initiative seeks to promote a construction industry that learns, innovates and shares knowledge to contribute to increasingly sustainable development.

The next edition will mark another step in this regional expansion with the incorporation of the Dominican Republic, strengthening a community of countries and industry players united by the goal of building progress for present and future generations.