The University of Wyoming wanted a green design for its new Visual Arts Center that would "change the culture of the people in the building," says Tim Belton, the project's lead architect. His firm, Malone Belton Abel, of Sheridan, Wyo., collaborated with THA Architecture, Portland, Ore., to create an 80,000-sq-ft building on a 10-acre site at the UW campus in Laramie. The center, which will open to the public in January, will house classrooms, offices, an exhibition gallery and studios for metalworking, ceramics, drawing, foundations of art, graphics, painting, printmaking and sculpture.The project team, which includes structural engineer Martin/Martin, Lakewood,

The $258-million Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center will be right at home when its 2013 completion fulfills Denver's civic center master plan. The new judicial center, which houses the state courts complex, sits across the street from the iconic Colorado State Capitol and is a neighbor to such design giants as the City and County Building, Denver Public Library and the Denver Art Museum. The granite-clad building features a columned facade and glass-domed atrium that complement the nearby executive and legislative buildings. The 695,767-sq-ft complex includes a 12-story office building that will consolidate seven judicial and legal agencies, improve

Numerous efficiency features are being incorporated into the University of Utah's L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Building, which will open next summer in Salt Lake City. For example, automated sashes and proximity sensors will reduce air-flow rates when laboratory hoods are not in use. Reclaimed laboratory wastewater will be used to flush toilets and urinals, and radiant-heated slabs will melt snow at the building's entrance. The entire 150,000-sq-ft complex, including the current building, will be named the L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Institute after Leonard S. Skaggs Jr., the retail force behind such well-known grocery and drugstore chains as Acme, Safeway, Albertsons, Longs and

The Colorado State University Board of Governors recently approved a $124.5-million bond package that includes upgrades to classroom and learning facilities for students in agriculture; a new, state-of-the-art undergraduate housing facility that will accommodate more than 600 students; and renovation of the 50-year-old Lory Student Center. Rendering by 4240 Architecture Renovation of the Durrell Center, which houses the student dining center and Durrell Express, is included in the construction of new student housing at CSU. Rendering by 4240 Architecture The CSU bond package includes $57 million for construction of new student campus housing along Laurel Avenue immediately east of the

Nestled in the foothills above Salt Lake City, the $102-million Natural History Museum of Utah in the Rio Tinto Center began welcoming visitors in mid-November. The new museum rests on a section of what was once the shoreline of ancient Lake Bonneville. It has already garnered praise from the design and building community as well as those wishing to explore the state’s unique people, geology and history. The NHMU, administered by the University of Utah, sits on a 17-acre site on the upper southeastern edge of campus with sweeping views of the Salt Lake Valley. The 163,000-sq-ft museum is now

Williams Village North, the University of Colorado Boulder’s newest residence hall, has received a LEED-Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The 500-bed residence hall is the first of its size in the nation to rank Platinum, the highest possible green designation. Photo courtesy of John Robledo Foto and CU Boulder CU-Boulder's LEED-Platinum-certified Williams Village North residence hall is the first building on campus to earn that distinction. The $46.5-million Williams Village North, at 131,246 gross sq ft, is projected to be nearly 40% more energy and water efficient than modern code-compliant buildings of the same size“Our Platinum rating—a

The Sustainable Practices Program at the University of Colorado Boulder offers individual courses and a sustainability management certificate to help workers and job seekers meet the growing need for green knowledge and credentials in the workplace. “This is a mega-trend, similar to electrification or manufacturing,” said program manager Kelly Simmons. “The public and private sectors are realizing that sustainability-driven practices make constituents happier and save money, in addition to the obvious boon of helping to protect the environment.”About 290 people have enrolled in CU’s Sustainable Practices Program since its 2007 inception, including a journalist who now covers the smart-grid energy

In 1981, a gallon of gas cost $1.25, Lady Diana Spencer married Charles, Prince of Wales, a new music television cable channel (MTV) was launched, and Calcon Constructors, a Colorado-based commercial construction company, first opened its doors. Courtesy of Calcon Constructors Calcon has been one of the key builders on the University of Denver campus, including construction of a campus icon, the Ritchie Center, which houses many of the colleges intercollegiate athletic programs, including the arena for hockey and basketball. Founded by Calhoun “Cal” Cox, Jr., and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Calcon has completed more than 16 million

Hyder Construction was awarded a silver award at the 2011 AGC ACE Awards in the category of “Meeting the Challenge of a Difficult Job” for the five-star Four Seasons Resort in Vail. The 500,000-sq-ft facility includes a full-service, 121-room hotel, 16 private residences and 19 fractional residence club homes. Courtesy of Hyder Construction The 500,000-sq-ft Four Seasons Vail includes a full-service, 121-room hotel, 16 private residences and 19 fractional residence club homes. Although Hyder completed the massive project, construction began in 2007 under the management of a different general contractor. In 2009 a large banking interest foreclosed and assumed responsibility

The project team for DaVita and Saunders Construction held a topping-off ceremony on Nov. 10 for the new headquarters of the kidney care company. Courtesy of Saunders The project team for DaVita and Saunders Construction held a topping-off ceremony on Nov. 10 for the new Denver headquarters of the kidney care company. The final steel beam was placed on the north corner of the 256,400-sq-ft, 14-story building in Denver’s Central Platte Valley, just west of LoDo. The ceremony celebrated completion of the highest point of the building, which was designed by MOA Architecture.  The completed tower will accommodate almost 1,000