The cautious optimism and widespread uncertainty expressed by contractors in recent years have all but disappeared in 2013, as leaders of the region's larger firms say the industry's much-anticipated recovery is well under way. They report more available work, stronger markets and improving fees and margins, which are not yet back to prerecession levels. Related Links: Notable Recent P3 Success Stories in Colorado Institutional, Health-Care Work Lead List of Biggest New Projects "We are definitely excited and upbeat about 2013 and beyond," says Mark Reilly, senior vice president at Denver's JE Dunn Construction. "We have clearly bounced off the bottom

The story of Okland Construction begins far from Salt Lake City. The company was started in 1918 by Norwegian boat builder John Okland, who immigrated to America, drawn here by a chance encounter. He launched a company that four generations later continues to shape the skyline of the new West. Related Links: Salt Lake City Public Safety Building Net Zero New SLC Federal Courthouse on Schedule "He was coming from Norway to study engineering and live with an uncle in North Dakota," says Randy Okland, current Okland Construction board chairman. He recounts the story of his grandfather's passage to America

Mortenson Construction Co. has consistently leveraged its skills in virtual building, collaboration and prefabrication to build some of the region's largest and most complex projects, usually ones on short schedules and tight budgets. Those skills and a track record of service to long-term clients helped the company thrive during the recent recession. Related Links: Mortenson Tops Out Exempla St. Joseph Hospital Project Mortenson Breaks Ground on UCCS Parking Structure Mortenson's Denver office helped the Minneapolis-based contractor remain financially strong with company-wide revenue ranging from $2.8 billion in 2008 to $2.3 billion in 2012. Last year, the Denver office generated $298

The second phase of the new Castle Rock Adventist hospital opened in Castle Rock, Colo., in early August. The four-story, 219,000-sq-ft building reflects the hospital’s holistic, whole-person approach to health care and wellness. Photo courtesy of HuntonBrady Architects The four-story, 219,000-sq-ft building reflects the hospitals holistic, whole-person approach to health care and wellness. It was planned with evidence-based architectural details. Evidence-based health-care design recognizes the importance in the healing process of patient safety, patient outcomes, the staff environment, infection control, noise attenuation, daylight, views of nature, art and gardens.Castle Rock Adventist is the first hospital designed by HuntonBrady Architects to

After more than three months of closing eastbound and westbound I-70 for up to 30 minutes at a time, the Colorado Dept. of Transportation has completed blasting operations in the eastbound Twin Tunnel near Idaho Springs. 
 The Twin Tunnels project is one of the first projects under way to improve the safety and mobility along the I-70 mountain corridor. The project includes adding one eastbound lane between East Idaho Springs and U.S. 6 and expanding the eastbound bore of the Twin Tunnels.
An estimated 19,700 cu yd of rock has been removed from the 635-ft-long tunnel. Blasting operations began on

The University of Utah broke ground in June on its cutting-edge College of Law building, which will facilitate new approaches to legal education based on more hands-on learning and skills training. 
 “With this new building, the College of Law will advance its mission to establish a ‘teaching hospital for law’—an innovative vision for the future of legal education,” said University of Utah President David W. Pershing. “Expanded and improved facilities will enable a variety of educational tracks aimed at improving the human condition, including global justice and the evolving field of biolaw.”
The facility will feature a library integrated throughout

The National Asphalt Pavement Association has named Denver’s Brannan Cos. a finalist for a 2012 Asphalt Operations Safety Innovation Award. The company was recognized July 15 at a ceremony during the association’s midyear meeting in Boston. Photo courtesy of Brannan Cos. Brannan designed and installed a new safety mirror to help drivers see directly in front of large trucks, particularly tractor trailer and tandem vehicles. The award recognizes companies that develop innovative ideas or achieve practical outcomes leading to improved worker safety in a roadway, plant site or quarry, and whose safety practices go above and beyond normal safety practices.Brannan

The Colorado Dept. of Transportation completed a complex bridge replacement on July 21 after crews rolled the new 2,400-ton Pecos Street Bridge over I-70 into place over one weekend. The highly coordinated bridge move allowed CCDOT to reopen I-70 through central Denver 4.5 hours ahead of schedule. The 4.8-million-lb bridge started moving onto I-70 at noon on Saturday, the 20th, and was placed in its final configuration around 1 a.m. Sunday morning. The project also added a new pedestrian bridge over the freeway on the west side of Pecos Street.
“Our decision to completely close I-70 for one full weekend reduced

Fees often define a design firm’s ability to win work and execute a project profitably. With competitive pressures now higher than ever, setting these fees has been a difficult task for most architectural, engineering, planning and environmental consulting firms. Just over half of firms in the industry update their billing rates yearly, according to ZweigWhite’s recently released 2013 Fee & Billing Survey. Over the past three years, these rates have seen meager median increases of just 3%. Firms still felt some pressure to reduce or discount fees for various reasons, with 52% reporting discounting project fees over the past year.

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently released the results of a survey of more than 4,000 landscape architecture firms about residential and hospitality design and product selection. “Among the most frequent requests we receive from landscape architects is for more information on outdoor furnishings for residential and hospitality projects,” said Ann Looper Pryor, managing director of publishing and resource development for ASLA.“This survey confirmed anecdotal evidence that most landscape architects now select the furnishings for their projects, from contract to custom. This is a new lucrative market for high-quality outdoor furniture, appliance and accessory companies.”Here are some highlights of