Since fall 1998, the Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon, Colo., has inspired environmental stewardship through natural science education. To accommodate growing demand and interest by public and private schools throughout the Vail Valley, the center selected architecture firms Zehren & Associates, Avon, and Mithun, Seattle, to design a four-building campus that would live up to its dedication to sustainability, environmental awareness and science education. Courtesy of Zehren & Associates The new Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon will use specially treated beetle-kill pine for all of the exteriors on its campus buildings. The Science Center will be completed in

Northern Colorado military veterans and their families and members of the community celebrated the grand opening of Veterans Plaza in Fort Collins—a site of celebration, reflection and congregation honoring military service—on May 29.. The plaza is located at the west end of Horsetooth Road, at the south entrance to Spring Canyon Park. Veterans Plaza consists of an amphitheater with seating for 500, a statue depicting a soldier holding a child, a stage, a garden, and interactive walls commemorating the service of veterans with ties to Northern Colorado. The garden will contain soils from around the globe from battlefields, cemeteries and military

On June 15, the National Park Service and Denver landscape architecture firm DHM Design dedicate a new experience at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The design creates universal access to the Mather Point east overlook, improves transportation and utilizes innovative sustainable strategies that are an integral part of the visitor experience and natural resource protection. Mather Point is the first glimpse of the Grand Canyon viewed by thousands of visitors from all over the world. “Mather Point is the first glimpse of the Grand Canyon viewed by thousands of visitors from all over the world,” said DHM Principal

Turner Construction recently completed a $20-million renovation of the meeting spaces and guestrooms at Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. This is the first extensive renovation at the resort since the property came under new ownership and was partially refurbished in 1996. Turner's renovation of the resort included meeting spaces, like the board room, five suites and 316 guestrooms.   The renovation encompassed numerous meeting spaces, 316 guestrooms and five suites. Taking great consideration for the guests, managers and property staff, Turner completed construction for the duration of the project while the resort continued to operate fully with little or

Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital (ESJH) launched in mid-May a $623-million campus redevelopment project that will replace the existing hospital with a new 21st Century facility. Preliminary Site Concept for proposed Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital Redevelopment Project Two major milestones paved the way for the hospital to move ahead with its campus redevelopment plans. On May 13, the Board of Directors of Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (SCLHS) approved funding for the multi-year project, and on May 18, the Denver Planning Board unanimously approved the project’s proposed general development plan and City Park view plane variance request. Before the

Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill, which opened last month in Meridian, Idaho, has earned two Green Globes® from the Green Building Initiative based on its innovative sustainable design. Green Globes is a revolutionary green building guidance and assessment program that offers an effective, practical and affordable way to advance the environmental performance and sustainability of commercial buildings. Located in The Portico at Meridian (a Gardner Ahlquist development), Ling & Louie’s is a collaboration between Boise’s CSHQA, architects and engineers; Jeff Balzarini of interior design firm Studio 32; and well-known Boise restaurateur Rex Chandler. With locations in Colorado and

The new 353,000-sq-ft Portneuf Medical Center, located in Pocatello, Idaho, and being lauded by some as �the jewel of the Gem State,� celebrated its grand opening at the end of April. A hospital official said that close to 14,000 people celebrated the opening by taking tours of the new medical center. The project involved a complete campus expansion to the existing Portneuf Medical Center, essentially creating a new hospital that brings the highest level of health-care services to Pocatello, paralleling the growth of the area and keeping pace with advances in health-care technologies. The new medical center includes a six-story

Boise�s Mulvaney Medical Office Building recently earned a LEED-Gold certification based on the LEED for Core & Shell™ rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council. The three-story, 70,000-sq-ft building, owned by Cameron Investments and located on the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center Campus, uses multiple sustainable strategies, including high-performance glazing, energy-efficient building envelope and lighting systems, water-efficient fixtures, durable and low-maintenance building materials, and non-toxic finishes and carpet. It was designed by Boise-based architectural firm CSHQA. A 2,500-sq-ft vegetative roof garden is filled with drought-tolerant native and adapted plants, grasses, wildflowers, ground covers and trees.  Translucent skylights on the

White Construction Group, a Colorado-based commercial general construction firm, was recently awarded the Ken Mitchell Lake Park Boardwalk & Fishing Pier project for the city of Brighton. Faced with the problem of having to install a fishing pier in a filled lake, White built a platform to hold the 125-ft crane needed to drill caissons 45 ft below the surface of the lake. A 14-piece barge was shipped in from Jackson, Miss., in six trucks. Each piece weighs 24,000 lb and took a week to assemble. When complete, the entire system, with the Anderson Drilling crane, weighs 620,000 lb. Jim

Located in southeast Colorado in Prowers County, Lamar is home to nearly 7,900 residents. Sustainability has already found its way into the county, which is home to the world�s fifth largest wind farm, converting renewable wind energy into usable electricity. Additionally, Alta Vista Charter School (AVCS) in Lamar will be the first Colorado Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CO-CHPS) project to be certified in the state when JHL Constructors Inc. completes the new addition and the historic renovation in August. AVCS will set the precedent for future green education facilities throughout Colorado. AVCS currently operates out of a small 1917