Photo by Zack Benson Photography

Jamul Resort Hotel

Jamul, Calif.

BEST PROJECT

Submitted by: JCJ Architecture

Owner: Jamul Indian Village; Jamul Indian Development Corp.

Lead Design Firm: JCJ Architecture

General Contractor: C.W. Driver

Civil Engineer: NOVA Engineering

Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers

Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: G2 Consulting Engineers

Lighting: The Ruzika Co.

Aquatic Design: Weston & Sampson

With a federally protected creek to the east, an active tribal burial ground and chapel to the west, a private parcel up north and a wildlife preserve down south, this casino resort hotel had to climb upward rather than outward.

The $270-million, 374,000-sq-ft hotel features a 16-floor, 254,000-sq-ft tower and a 120,000-sq-ft garage. The tower runs on a typical 30-ft column grid, but to make room for a 70-ft-clear roadway and valet area, the ground floor gave up its columns entirely.…