Submitted by Sahara Inc. This project consists of five new core-and-shell buildings for future retail and office tenant build-outs totaling 66,000 sq ft. The building materials are somewhat unique to Salt Lake Valley construction. The use of raw materials was common throughout the five buildings. Some of the materials are polished, clear-coated structural steel, unprimed structural steel, Corten corrugated panels installed flat in some areas and shingled in others. Photo: Sohm Photografx Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 Other materials include the use of acid-washed, galvanized roofing and wall panels and stainless-steel mesh for the entrance canopy. The project was

Submitted by Submitted by MHTN Architects This project created a 27,000-sq-ft headquarters for Salt Lake City-based Spectrum Engineers. This firm has made a significant investment in training and practice development focused on its leadership in sustainable design. Consequently, the tenant’s goal was to create a design that would be functional, sustainable and educational for its clients. Photo: © Preston W Norris 2009 Photo: © Preston W Norris 2009 Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 Spectrum Engineers decided to move out of its existing space due to the physical constraints of being located on five discontinuous floors. The new location offers

Submitted by Big-D Construction The Swaner Eco Center is a $4.6-million, 10,000-sq-ft, state-of-the-art facility that features exhibits, a contemporary theater, classrooms, space for private gatherings, a gift shop, an interactive climbing wall, a 400-ft pier, two decks and a four-story tower that overlooks the 1,200 acres of land owned and permanently protected by Swaner. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 Known as the greenest building in Utah, the Swaner Eco Center was designed to achieve LEED-Platinum certification. The Swaner Eco Center achieved all 61 credits the project pursued. Key green building features include: a water reclamation system, photovoltaic solar panels,

Submitted by NWL Architects Emery County had struggled for many years maintaining an aging and antiquated indoor-pool facility. Both the pool and the building housing it had become serious liabilities for those who maintained and operated the facility. The final plans by the project team led to funding by the Community Impact Board. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 The finished project consists of a six-lane, 25-yd indoor lap pool, and an outdoor family leisure pool with zero-depth entry, a big toy feature, a current channel and a large slide. Locker and toilet facilities accommodate both indoor and outdoor patrons.

Submitted by Geneva Rock Products Inc. This 10.2-mile highway project used the design-build process to accelerate the construction of a once-rural farm road that now carries 16,000 vehicles per day because of massive unanticipated growth in the area. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 The major items of work included project design, acquisition of 220 right-of-way parcels, widening the existing road to two lanes in each direction, adding a center turn lane, bike lanes, two million sq ft of full-depth reclamation of the existing pavement, 55,000 ft of storm drain, 570,000 tons of imported aggregates, 220,000 tons of asphalt, three

Submitted by Ames Construction Inc. This project replaced two highway bridges using a technique called accelerated bridge construction, which utilizes precast concrete abutments and precast concrete deck panels. It also widened one mile of roadway and demolished an existing bridge. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 This is the first bridge construction project in Utah to employ accelerated bridge construction. The two bridges were both built using precast concrete elements for the abutments, beam girders and deck panels. Because prefabrication of these elements could be accomplished in a controlled, offsite environment without jobsite limitations, constructability was improved, quality increased, costs

Submitted by Ames Construction Inc. The design-build of this 36-mile-long railroad spur included construction of five bridges. Under an aggressive schedule, crews moved 9.6 million cu yd of earthwork in nine months. The project included onsite processing of 382,000 cu yd of material for production of sub-ballast. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 The bridges are all three-span structures utilizing precast concrete girders and cast-in-place footings, piers, abutments and decks. Three of the bridges provide crossings for county roads over the rail spur. The other two bridges provide crossing for the rail spur over the top of state highways. The

Submitted by Big-D Construction The Center for Advanced Energy Studies is a 55,633-sq-ft, two-story, LEED-Gold-certified research facility on the Idaho State University campus. The CAES facility includes office space with under-floor air distribution, hydrogen labs, advanced materials labs, imaging suites, radio chemistry labs, analytical instrumentation labs, chemistry labs, systems modeling, visualization/power wall, CAVE, instrument shop/repair and office space. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 This design-build project is a public/private partnership comprised of the state of Idaho, the three Idaho public universities, private industry and the Idaho National Laboratory. The CAES facility’s main purpose is to aid the Idaho National

Submitted by NWL Architects The new Desert Hills High School is a three-building, 285,000-sq-ft campus, utilizing integrally colored concrete tilt-up panels as the major construction component. Metal exterior panels and masonry were mixed with the tilt-up panels for accent purposes. Two colors of concrete were chosen to complement the area’s sandstone hills and red soil. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 The three buildings are an athletics facility, a vocational facility and a classroom facility. The athletic facility consists of the main gymnasium, auxiliary gymnasium, locker rooms, weight lifting room, dance room, wrestling room and lobby area. The vocational facility

Submitted by Ascent Construction Inc. This new 16,000-sq-ft building is designed to function independently in an emergency situation. Water, air and sewer bunkers were installed to enable the center to be self-contained for up to 10 days. State-of-the art-communication lines and communication towers were installed as well as a partial store front exterior. The facility includes administrative offices and a 911 emergency dispatch center. Design highlights include architectural steel supports, xeriscape, exterior rain-chain downspouts and smooth-finish CMU walls. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2009 Project Team: Tooele, Utah, $4.6 million Owner: Tooele County Contractor: Ascent Construction Inc. Design Firm: MHTN