Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison and JE Dunn Construction recently topped out The Pinnacles student apartment complex, a 92,000-sq-ft project that will include 54 apartments and accommodate up to 226 tenants.
JE Dunn is the general contractor for the project that broke ground last summer. The $16-million project includes the demolition of outdated Coronado, Beckwith and Keating Halls and is expected to be completed before the 2012-13 school year.
Two WSC representatives participating in the topping out ceremony were Julie Feier, associate vice president of finance, and Brad Baca, vice president of finance. “I’m pleased to have a development team that incorporated so much feedback not just from the staff but the student body as well,” Feier said.
The current design is planned to achieve LEED-Gold certification for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, under the LEED for Homes Midrise Pilot Program. The state-of-the-art facility will include community rooms, a greenhouse and an onsite recycling center.
Once construction of the apartment complex is complete, the existing Shavano Residence Hall Complex will be demolished to make way for the recreation center/multipurpose fieldhouse currently being designed by Sink Combs Dethlefs Architects and will also be constructed by JE Dunn Construction. It will include an NCAA regulation-sized indoor track, multi-purpose interior courts, offices and classroom space. The scope also includes minor renovation of classroom, office and support space within the existing Paul Wright Gymnasium.
“Over the past five years, Western State has undergone a historic makeover, and JE Dunn’s work will redefine the entire eastern edge of our campus, a dramatic improvement to student services to say the least,” Feier said. “The $50-million investment represents the largest single investment in the history of the campus.”
