Eating Recovery Center
Denver
BEST PROJECT and Award of Merit, Safety

Owner/Developer: Westside Investment Partners Inc.
Lead Design Firm & MEP Engineer/Landscape Design: Farnsworth Group Inc.
General Contractor: Brinkman Construction Inc.
Structural Engineer: Peak Engineering Inc.
Civil Engineer: Kimley-Horn
Architect: Boulder Associates Inc.
Food Service: McFarland Kistler & Associates Inc.

The three-story Eating Recovery Center provides inpatient treatment for people suffering from eating disorders. The facility includes 70 overnight beds, commercial kitchens, offices, a spa and 55,000 sq ft of underground parking. Brinkman Construction utilized a design-assist delivery to engage specialty expertise early in the project, which optimized cost, quality and efficiency for the client. 

The project required special considerations for trauma-informed and anti-ligature constructibility. Each appliance and fixture was specially ordered to ensure patient safety. That required early procurement of materials because nothing in the building was off-the-shelf equipment. However, when the center’s accreditation standards were unexpectedly updated mid-project, it resulted in a mandate to reorder and reinstall materials and components, including light fixtures, door hardware, ceilings, plumbing, air diffusers and three miles of pick-proof caulking, among others.

The safety program included a first-day safety orientation for every worker. After the initial training, the superintendent conducted job-specific safety assessments that included documented job-hazard analysis, mandatory weekly meetings and frequent rehearsals of the emergency response plan. The importance of that became apparent when a painting foreman collapsed due to a personal health issue. The team executed the plan flawlessly and got the individual to the hospital quickly for treatment.

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