Arapahoe School Submitted by GE Johnson Construction Co. The Arapahoe School project constructed a 71,480-sq-ft, K-8 replacement school for the Fremont County School District No. 38 on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2010 Judges Two innovative elements changed the scope of the project and enhanced the many sustainability elements incorporated into the building. The first was the recommendation by the contractor to change the building skin to precast rather than the specified masonry. Although initially unpopular with school district authorities, the use of precast helped to control costs, greatly eliminated waste and moved

Ben Lomond High SchoolSubmitted by MHTN Architects Inc. Ben Lomond High School in Ogden, Utah, has been an integral part of the community since 1960, and now it’s ready to go for another century. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2010 Judges The project, which began more than three years ago, redeveloped the existing school, which was made up of several disconnected structures. Some of those have been relocated to make space for a new cafeteria, field house, vocational education building and classroom wings, which are connected by a “main street” corridor. Part of the addition is a large commons area

Brigham City Library Seismic Upgrades Submitted by Ascent Construction Inc. This project consisted of the historic renovation and seismic upgrade of a 20,000-sq-ft, 100-year-old public library building in Brigham City, Utah. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2010 Judges It included a complete seismic retrofit—shear walls, drag struts, framing braces and epoxy coring of the outside walls to make them stronger and more rigid. Included in the renovation was the application of Craftsman-style construction methods and materials to preserve the historic look and feel of the interior and exterior of the library. The project included a complete interior remodel, roof replacement

Campbell County Recreation Center Submitted by Layton Construction Co. Inc. The new 190,000-sq-ft Campbell County Recreation Center in Gillette, Wyo., includes a six-lane lap pool with an integrated dive area; a 7,000-sq-ft leisure pool with two slides and a vortex, among other features; a climbing wall modeled after Devil’s Tower (a famous and popular rock climbing destination in Wyoming and the first declared U.S. National Monument); four racquetball courts; three full-sized basketball courts; a sauna and steam room; running track; and space for fitness, aerobics, weights, spinning, child care and offices. Related Links: Intermountain Best of 2010 Judges The facility

Despite the economic slowdown, airport construction projects are continuing in the Mountain States region, where population and air traffic are increasing. Federal and state grants are driving improvement and expansion projects, and competition for the jobs is fierce, which is helping lower costs. Following is a snapshot of the some of the projects in the region. Denver International Airport The most activity going on right now at any one airport is at Denver International Airport, where construction of a 22.8-mile commuter rail line to downtown recently began and a financing plan is in the works for a south terminal redevelopment

Interlocken Business Park in Broomfield, Colo., continues to lure companies and jobs away from other cities and states. Photo Courtesy Of The Weitz Co. Photo Courtesy Of Gensler The 11-story Central Park Tower, the tallest structure along the U.S. 36 corridor, provides headquarters-style amenities in a multi-tenant setting. Related Links: Central Park Tower Enhances Broomfield and Interlocken Corridor The 900-plus-acre site in the Denver area’s northwest quadrant has the region’s lowest percentage of empty offices—and that vacancy rate is expected to drop further, according to Jessica Erickson, vice president of the Broomfield Economic Development Corp. As of September, the vacancy

Aurora, Colo., took a big step to avoid becoming a dry city with the fall completion of Prairie Waters, a $653-million pump, pipeline and purification project. Photo: Courtesy of Aurora Water Crews install four-ft-long UV lamps, specially designed quartz sleeves and electrical components into the generators. UV disinfection is a key component of the multiple-step water purification process. During the drought of 2002, Aurora, a suburb at the eastern edge of Denver, saw its reservoirs plummet to 26% of capacity, a critically low level the city is unlikely to suffer again, even in future dry spells, thanks to the $1.1-billion,

Gold: Veterans Pedestrian BridgeSubmitted by Matrix Design Group Inc. For more than 300 years, the Arkansas River has been the lifeblood of Pueblo, continually serving the area’s population beginning with the first settlers in the region and continuing through the era of Pueblo’s steel trade. Today, the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk is a popular urban waterfront tourist destination and an integral part of downtown Pueblo. Veterans Pedestrian Bridge Related Links: Back to Gold Hard Hat Awards The Riverwalk has revitalized a segment of the river that was previously seen as a blight to downtown Pueblo. An important part of Pueblo’s Urban

Gold: SMA North AmericaSubmitted by Trinity Mechanical SMA Solar Technologies converted an existing 150,000-sq-ft warehouse in the Stapleton redevelopment into its first North American manufacturing facility by adding a 20,000-sq-ft, second-story mezzanine. Included in the scope was a 100,000-sq-ft aluminum truss system used to support facility infrastructure such as IT, power cabling, compressed air piping, chilled water piping for test equipment cooling, a 20,000-sq-ft mezzanine and an office tenant space. SMA North America SMA North America Related Links: Back to Gold Hard Hat Awards The mechanical systems in the building include custom industrial air-handling units that maintain both critical temperature

Gold: (tie) Auraria Science BuildingSubmitted by Haselden Construction The new 324,000-sq-ft science facility at the Auraria campus in downtown Denver upgrades the original mid-1970s building and provides additional space to bring the offices and classrooms for three colleges under one roof. Auraria Science Building Related Links: Back to Gold Hard Hat Awards Photo By Frank Ooms Photography Colorado State University-Pueblo Student Housing Village The new facility at Speer Boulevard and Lawrence Street was made possible by a partnership between the University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver and the Community College of Denver, the three schools that