The Design-Build Institute of America recently announced its 19th annual Design-Build Project/Team Award Winners. Four Mountain States projects made the winners’ list: the Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
in Grand Junction, Colo.; the Kittredge West and Kittredge Central Residence Halls
in Boulder, Colo.; the rehab of Denver Union Station into a transit hub and the Utah Transit Authority’s $96-million Draper Light Rail Extension, which extends from the end of the existing North-South TRAX Line in Sandy, Utah. Recognized for exemplary collaboration and integration in design-build project delivery, the award winners were evaluated by a distinguished panel of industry experts.

The interior of Denver’s renovated Union Station officially reopened to the public on July 26. The historic train station was closed for extensive renovations on December 2, 2012. The $54-million project was focused on preserving significant features of the 1914 Beaux-Arts building. Photo by Ellen Jaskol The upper floors of the north and south wings of the station house the 112-room Crawford Hotel, named for Colorado preservationist Dana Crawford. Photo by Ellen Jaskol The $54-million interior renovation was focused on preserving significant features of the 1914 Beaux-Arts building. It has now returned to its origins as a multi-modal transit hub and

The Chubbuck Diverging Diamond Interchange, which connects U.S. 91/Yellowstone Highway over the Interstate 86 system in Chubbuck, Idaho, has received the Idaho Transportation Dept.’s 2014 Excellence in Transportation Award in the Large Design category. ITD sponsors the Excellence in Transportation Awards to recognize outstanding initiatives in developing, planning and implementing transportation projects throughout the state.The project replaced an existing bridge, provided increased capacity for the current interchange and increased safety. Engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff worked closely with ITD District 5 to lay the groundwork for this innovative freeway interchange solution.PB provided preliminary engineering, which was then used to evaluate interchange types

Denver International Airport’s fourth solar array is now on-line, bringing the airport’s total solar-generating capacity to 10 MW. Photo courtesy of DIA The new solar array can offset an estimated 2,200 metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions per year. The Solar IV array is located on the north side of DIA’s property and can generate up to 2 MW, or 3.1 million kW-hours of solar electricity annually. The array has the capacity to offset an estimated 2,200 metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions each year and generate enough electricity to power about 500 typical Denver residences.The developer for the Solar IV project

The Colorado Dept. of Transportation started work on the Eastbound I-70 Peak Period Shoulder Lane (PPSL) project in mid-July. It will create a temporary eastbound express lane on I-70 between Idaho Springs and Empire. Completion for is scheduled for fall 2015. The project, part of CDOT’s comprehensive plan to improve travel in the I-70 Mountain Corridor, will upgrade 13 miles of Eastbound I-70 within CDOT’s existing right-of-way. The upgrades will create a wide shoulder that, during peak travel periods, will operate as a third travel lane as a tolled option for motorists.CDOT says the express lane will be “dynamically priced”

The patients were the celebrities when Children’s Hospital Colorado, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation celebrated the late June opening of a new, state-of-the-art multi-media broadcasting studio at the Children’s Hospital in Aurora. Courtesy of GH Phipps TV personality Ryan Seacrest interviewed celebrities who attended the studio opening at his request, including members of the singing group Lady Antebellum. Patients walked or were assisted down a red carpet to get to the hospital atrium, where they could watch the curtains part on the glass-walled Seacrest Studio on the east side. Seacrest and his family attended the

Denver International Airport is starting two projects aimed at improving its heavily used runways. The two projects are located on Runways 7-25 and 8-26 and total $25 million. Photo courtesy of DIA The two projects are located on Runways 7-25 and 8-26 and total $25 million. On July 1 at 4:00 a.m., DIA closed Runway 7-25 and started work on a $10.3-million reconstruction project. Runway 7-25 is one of DIA’s east-west runways located on the west side of the airfield. During the project, workers will replace approximately 400 concrete slabs that are showing signs of deterioration. The project is part

The buffalo-shaped swimming pool at the University of Colorado Boulder’s recently opened Student Recreation Center has drawn a lot of attention. But less has been said about how the pool utilizes sustainable design elements included in the $63-million expansion and renovation project. Photo courtesy of Davis Partnership The student gym is lit by skylights, LED lights and an extensive glass curtain wall that allows spectacular views of the foothills along with ample natural light. In keeping with the campus’ goal of being one of the most sustainable higher education institutions in the country, the CU Boulder Recreation Center strives to

Associated Builders and Contractors of Utah was recognized nationally for the chapter’s efforts in political and grassroots initiatives throughout the past year. The chapter earned an ABC Silver Level Grassroots Achievement Award based on performance in grassroots actions and policies that the chapter has put in place. Performance activities include grassroots volunteer leadership, chapter website grassroots content, chapter publications, Action Alerts program and implementation and chapter staff responsible for grassroots program.The Silver Level status illustrates a commitment to continued development in the grassroots arena for the Utah chapter.A leadership group from the Utah chapter accepted the award at the ABC

With more than 900 workers on site daily, the new Replacement Medical Center Facility, Eastern Colorado Health Care System for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs celebrated its topping out on June 24. The last high beam on the project was placed at the Clinic Building Center.