PMWEB congratulates Carnegie Mellon University for receiving the Silver Award at the Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) Connect 2025 Conference. The award honors outstanding achievement in project delivery and recognizes the university’s success in completing the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics: a 160,000-square-foot facility that brings together health services, counseling, athletics, and wellness under one roof.
The $80.7 million Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMAR) project combined the renovation of a historic gymnasium with a modern new addition, transforming the space into a holistic hub for student well-being. Sustainable design elements and salvaged materials were integrated throughout, reflecting the university’s commitment to environmental stewardship and long-term campus resilience.
The CM-at-Risk delivery method is a project approach that balances cost control, collaboration, and schedule performance. In CMAR, the owner hires a construction manager during the design phase who commits to delivering the project within a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). This method allows the CM to provide input on constructability, cost, and scheduling early in the process, while still maintaining competitive procurement for trade contracts.
For Carnegie Mellon, this approach enabled tighter alignment between design intent and execution, greater cost predictability, and improved communication between the owner, architect, and contractor. By unifying all stages of the project in a centralized platform, CMU ensured that these outcomes were achieved with total control.
Carnegie Mellon used PMWEB to manage every phase of the Highmark Center project. By centralizing data across stakeholders - including the CM - the university’s project team maintained transparency, minimized risk, and ensured that every decision aligned with the project’s strategic and financial goals.
This award builds on the university’s long-standing commitment to innovation in capital project delivery. The Facilities Management and Campus Design (FMCS) team uses PMWEB to streamline project controls, improve reporting, and strengthen accountability across their portfolio of major capital initiatives.
PMWEB is a system that was really designed for construction project management on the owner's side. And it was developed by people who really understood that process.
Tom Truong, Financial Systems and Analytics Manager
The Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics is a statement about how leading universities are rethinking capital programs to support the student experience. PMWEB is proud to empower institutions like Carnegie Mellon University with the tools to plan, manage, and deliver complex projects that shape the next generation of learning environments.
Read more about how PMWEB supports Carnegie Mellon University in crafting project management success.