Owned by Denver Public Schools, the 28,000-sq-ft commercial greenhouse is the first facility of its kind dedicated to providing public school students with fresh produce. Serving more than 92,000 students at nearly 200 schools, the greenhouse’s HVAC systems keep the interior environment within desired ranges for an optimum yield on 35,000 plants, regardless of weather conditions. A 4,000-sq-ft warehouse area handles shipping activities to speed delivery of harvested fruits and vegetables to the schools.

As work got underway on the utilities and development package at the 10-acre site, COVID-19 upended nearly every facet of the project. Facing a 22-week lead time on both steel and polycarbonate panels, the design and construction team collaborated on an early release of the greenhouse bid package, enabling fabrication to get underway and keeping the project on schedule.

PCL relied heavily on its preconstruction team to react quickly to volatile market conditions to combat price escalation and ensure materials were available when needed.