he U.S. Green Building Council of Colorado has named the winners of its first-annual Commercial Real Estate Green Awards. The program recognizes excellence and innovation in new and existing buildings in Colorado. The awards were presented on Dec. 3 at a gala reception held at the Grand Hall of Denver’s Union Station. Winners were selected by a 15-person panel of green building and commercial real estate professionals. Photo courtesy of Brad Nicol Photography The chapter's first-annual awards were presented on Dec. 4 at a gala reception held at the Grand Hall of Denvers Union Station.Among the attendees, back row, from

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of ABC honored its members’ efforts in merit shop construction while celebrating the regional construction industry during the 13th annual Excellence in Construction (EIC) Awards held Oct. 24 at The Four Seasons Hotel Denver. Photo courtesy of ABC Rocky Mountain From left: Michael Pagnotta and Phillip Gaines of RK Mechanical with their Award of Excellence for The Rooftop Right Field Fan Enhancements project at Coors Field. Photo courtesy of ABC Rocky Mountain From left: Dylan Alitz, Lucas Fay, Chuck Furlano, Dave Basagoitia, Scott Heldt, and Alex Lanser of Milender White Construction Co. with their Award of

“Colorado State University is not just about graduating students with a degree in construction management,” says Mostafa Khattab, head of the Dept. of Construction Management at Colorado State University. “We are about making a difference in the lives of everyone around us.” CM Cares, a program created four years ago at CSU, is one of the initiatives designed to instill students with leadership abilities beyond the technical and managerial skills needed to be successful in the construction industry by pairing them with members of the community who have unmet needs for construction-related projects.“It has been a real honor to mentor

Ames Granite Joint Venture and Plenary Roads Denver, the Colorado Dept. of Transportation’s design-build contractor and concessionaire on the U.S. 36 Express Lanes Project, say that Phase 1 of the project has put nearly 250 people to work locally. It is responsible for an additional 130 Colorado subcontracting jobs, the contractor says. Phase 2 has added an additional 200 jobs. The Workforce Development Program has helped the contractor find qualified workers, and more importantly, provides opportunities for people without construction or design experience to gain entry into the field.“This program is a win-win for everyone,” said Workforce Development Program Coordinator

It’s been a decade since voters of the Denver metro region approved the Regional Transportation District’s FasTracks transit expansion program. Nov. 2 marked the anniversary of the FasTracks Yes initiative, which  passed 58% to 42%. Since then, FasTracks has struggled through an unprecedented spike in the cost of construction materials, which increased project costs, and a tough  recession that reduced sales tax revenues, the agency’s main funding source. RTD says those two events have stifled progress on some projects, but agency continues to move ahead with its long-term transit goals.“Without question, we’ve had our challenges, but by partnering with the

The American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado honored the winners of its 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards on Nov. 3. Each year a distinguished panel of judges representing a cross section of industry, academia and media rank the entries. Projects in the competition are rated on the basis of uniqueness and innovative applications; future value to the engineering profession; perception by the public; social, economic, and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of clients and owners’ needs, including schedule and budget.The 2015 Engineering Excellence award-winning projects will advance to ACEC’s national competition, which will be held next April in

The annual AGC of Colorado Industry Gala and ACE Awards celebration was held at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel on Nov. 14. AGC/C honored its member-firm projects as follows (ACE - 1st Place, Silver - 2nd Place, Bronze - 3rd Place): Project of the Year• Kiewit, Denver Union Station Transit ImprovementsContribution to Community• ACE: GE Johnson Construction Co., Clarity Commons• Silver: Douglass Colony Group Inc., Northern Colorado Springs Readiness Center• Bronze: Cody Flooring & Tile Inc., The Chanda Plan FoundationMeeting the Challenge of a Difficult Job — Specialty Contractor• ACE: Drake-Williams Steel, Veterans Administration Hospital• Silver: Sturgeon Electric Co. Inc.,

The University of Wyoming marked the grand opening of its Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center on Oct. 24. The Wyoming Division of Denver-based Haselden Construction delivered the project just 26 months after the first fundraising dollar was acquired. Gateway Center provides a recognizable entrance to the campus. The facility includes an event center that seats 600, student admissions, career services, UW Foundation offices, conference rooms, a “family room” complete with fireplace, and Heritage Hall—a gallery-style museum with interactive timelines and highlighting historic Wyoming residents.During the ribbon cutting, Marian Rochelle’s daughter—former state senator and state representative April Brimmer Kunz—said the building

Denny Pehrson admits that he has the instincts of a teacher as much as a builder. Pehrson, 75, honed his teaching skills working as a foreman, superintendent and senior superintendent during 57 years in the industry—a career in which he mentored hundreds of young constructors. He officially retired five years ago from Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Aurora, Colo., but Pehrson continues to visit A&P jobsites to offer suggestions, safety tips and "an occasional kick in the pants" to younger colleagues. In July he celebrated 49 years with the company. Photo courtesy of Adolfson and Peterson Construction Retired senior superintendent Denny

A team aiming for LEED-Gold certification in the design and construction of an Energy Innovation Laboratory for the U.S. Dept. of Energy in Idaho Falls overachieved and ended up earning Platinum instead.