The Denver School of Science and Technology’s Conservatory Green Middle School and High Tech Elementary School is the site of a new “learning landscape” that features interactive learning and educational teaching tools integrated throughout the campus. Image courtesy of Design Concepts CLA Inc. he design theme for the learning landscape combines interactive learning and educational teaching tools that are integrated throughout the campus. Image courtesy of Design Concepts CLA Inc. Many of the shade areas near the schools were designed as custom leaf-shaped structures. The shared school, with grades from early childhood education through eighth (ECE-8), is a new Denver

Power outages are never welcome, no matter when they occur. But at the University of Utah, a campus that includes biomedical research facilities, a Level 1 trauma center and a cancer research hospital, power outages caused by aging infrastructure were more than an inconvenience. They also have been happening more frequently since the mid-2000s. Established in its current location in the foothills East of Salt Lake City in 1900, the U of U campus now covers nearly 1,600 acres and includes 130 separate buildings, with 10 more under construction or slated to start in the next five years, adding to

The I-225 Rail Line under construction through the Denver suburb of Aurora is a key piece of the region's mass transit infrastructure—and a long-awaited link between the metro area's growing southeastern suburbs and Denver International Airport, one of the world's busiest hubs. Related Links: RTD Board Approves Kiewit Proposal for I-225 Rail RTD Breaks Ground on I-225 Rail Project The 10.5-mile light rail line, dubbed the Aurora Line by the city, will connect the Regional Transportation District's (RTD) largely completed Southeast light rail line and its East commuter rail, scheduled to be finished in 2016. The eastern line originates in

The leaders of regional contracting firms say that 2014 is unfolding as part of a slow, steady recovery, despite a dip in revenue last year for most GCs. The ranking of top contractors in this issue is based on 2013 revenue, which was down for most area firms. Related Links: New Xactware HQ in Lehi Built for Efficiency CU Boulder Rec Center Upgrade Seeks LEED Platinum This year "is a little healthier than 2013, led by the industrial, health care and office markets," says Rob Moore, president of Big-D Construction Corp., Salt Lake City. "Generally speaking, we are in a

The story of Haselden Construction LLC is one of a family business that maintained its core values during the recession while adopting new strategies and carefully managing risks. Related Links: NREL Research Support Facility Earns Perfect Green Marks Wyoming Medical Center Tops Out "From the onset of the recession, we were thinking about the recovery and what we could do to make ourselves stronger at the other side," says Byron Haselden, president. He leads the Centennial, Colo.-based company, along with his two older brothers, Ed and Mike, chief executive officer and chief operating officer, respectively. Their father, Jim Haselden, started

The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was one of the greatest disasters in U.S. history, but for Danish immigrant Soren N. Jacobsen it became an opportunity. The young cabinetmaker had arrived at Ellis Island in 1900 and worked his way west doing millwork and building houses before settling in Salt Lake City. Related Links: Jacobsen Names New CEO, Realigns Its Executive Ranks City Creek Center Revives SLC Business District But realizing the need for rebuilding after the quake, Jacobsen left for San Francisco. He built a base of experience working as a foreman on projects like the Fairmont and Bellevue

The Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) reached an all-time high in the second quarter of 2014. CBI improved 5.4% following a 2.8% decline in the first quarter and currently stands at 8.5, up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. “The long-awaited brisk nonresidential construction recovery may be upon us,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Industry momentum was snuffed out by a seemingly endless winter, but the pace of industry recovery has been accelerating ever since.Backlog gains were nearly ubiquitous during the second quarter, with gains registered in every industry segment, in nearly all geographies and for firms

The Aspen Art Museum reopened to the public on August 9 in a 24-hour-long celebration in its new building located downtown at Spring Street and Hyman Avenue. The museum, which attracts 35,000 visitors a year from around the world, had outgrown its old facility. Rendering by Shigeru Ban Architects/Cottle, Carr and Yaw Architects The museum features an iconic woven-wood exterior. Rendering by Shigeru Ban Architects/Cottle, Carr and Yaw Architects The museum's sweeping interior grand staircase. The $45-million, 33,000-sq-ft building, funded entirely by private donations, features a striking glass exterior screened in criss-crossed wooden strips to resemble a giant woven basket.

The outlook remains positive for landscape architecture firms, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects’ second quarter 2014 “Business Quarterly” survey. The survey revealed a marked rise in billable hours and inquiries for new work. Hiring plans rose slightly from the last quarter. More than 84% of respondents reported stable to significantly higher inquiries for new work, an increase from 80.2% last quarter. In addition, 82.42% indicated stable to significantly higher billable hours, compared to 72.2% last quarter.Year to year, 85.17% noted stable to significantly higher second-quarter inquiries for new work, higher than the second quarter of 2013 (83.4%).

A team of Colorado State University students who designed an energy renovation of a campus health clinic is one of only three teams selected to compete in a national green energy contest being held in September. Rendering courtesy of CSU The CSU teams proposal for the Hartshorn building includes an LED lighting design, a new solar photovoltaic system to reduce consumption from local utilities and a building monitoring system to display real-time energy consumption. The project focused on CSU’s Hartshorn Health Services building as part of the Green Energy Challenge sponsored by ELECTRI International and the National Electrical Contractors Association