Alta Vista Charter School in Lamar has been named the first project in the U.S. to attain the Verified Leader certification by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). It recognizes AVCS as a healthy, high-performance, green school. Photo courtesy of SLATERPAULL Architects The high-performance design features at AVCS should reduce energy consumption by 54% with significant savings to the school. CHPS is a national organization that optimizes K-12 learning environments and improving student performance and the entire educational experience by building the best possible schools. Similar to LEED, CHPS provides a regional focus for sustainability.“We are thrilled to see

Denver-based Burkett Design was recently honored by both the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and International Interior Design Association (IIDA) with first-place awards for the firm’s work on the Holland & Hart law office in Salt Lake City and on the Leprino Foods Innovation Center in Singapore. Photo courtesy of Burkett Design Leprino Foods hired Burkett Design to create a 7,000-sq-ft facility in Singapore that would eventually become the prototype design and concept for the firms other facilities worldwide. Holland & Hart won first place for Commercial Interior Design for Over 15,000 Square Feet from the ASID and first

Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison broke ground in mid-July for its new on-campus student recreation center and multipurpose field house. Photo courtesy of JE Dunn Construction Members of the Western State College board of trustees celebrated the recreation center groundbreaking with Rachel Burleson, WSC assistant athletic director; JE Dunn Vice President Kevin OGara; WSC President Jay Helman; WSC Student Recreation Director Janna Hanson; Andy Barnard, principal architect with Sink Combs Dethlefs; Steve King and Fred Coester with Sink Combs Dethlefs and Matt Vineyard, senior project manager with JE Dunn. Scheduled for completion in spring 2014, it will be

Fort Carson’s 47th Brigade Combat Team Brigade Battalion Headquarters (BBHQ) at the Wilderness Road Complex has received LEED-Platinum certification, qualifying it as the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building for the installation. Courtesy of Mortenson A three-acre photovoltaic field provides 480 kW of electricity at the 47th Brigade Combat Team Brigade Battalion Headquarters at Fort Carson, enough to provide 62% of the buildings projected demand. The new Wilderness Road BBHQ further reflects the role the U.S. government is playing as a catalyst in sustainable design and construction, including examples such as the Army’s net-zero program as well as mandated energy-reduction

RTD broke ground June 29 on the final element of the West Rail Line that will serve Denver, Lakewood, Golden and Jefferson County. With construction now under way on the five-story, 800-space parking garage at Sheridan Boulevard and 10th Avenue, RTD is one step closer to opening the 12.1-mile line in April 2013—eight months ahead of schedule. The structure, which is expected to serve more than 3,700 cars each weekday, will open with the rest of the line next April. The West Rail Line, the first of RTD’s FasTracks rail lines, has also served as an economic engine for the

The Regional Transportation District broke ground June 28 on the first segment of the Northwest Rail Line at the site of the future Westminster Station near 71st Avenue and Irving Street. The Northwest Line is the third FasTracks commuter rail line to get under way as part of the innovative Eagle P3 Project. Photo courtesy of RTD The RTD groundbreaking included six members of the public, who planted garden stakes in the holes dug by the speakers (in orange vests). From left to right are: Phil Washington, RTD general manager; Bob Eck, Design West Studio; Skip Fischer, Adams County Commissioner;

The Regional Transportation District staff recommended to the RTD Board of Directors on July 3 to move forward with a proposal from Kiewit Infrastructure Co. to complete the I-225 Light Rail Line all the way to Peoria Street.

Most contractors don't have to worry about installing a catwalk high enough that an 8-ton Asian bull elephant on the ground can't reach a human handler walking across it, but that was one of the many challenges of building the Denver Zoo's new 10-acre, $50-million Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record The most complex issue faced by the project team—led by the Denver office of general contractor Kiewit Building Group—was creating one of the most sustainable animal habitats in the world. The team recently learned it had succeeded when the exhibit became the first large-animal

Two harbor seals glided lazily through the water, glancing at the handful of construction workers putting the finishing touches on the new $18-million Rocky Shores exhibit at Utah's Hogle Zoo. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Several weeks before the scheduled June 1 opening, the seals were getting accustomed to their new home, while Rizzo, the 14-year-old female polar bear from the Cincinnati Zoo, and three brown bears remained in quarantine a few more days before moving into their new enclosures.Workers from South Jordan, Utah-based Sirq Construction have just completed work on a project that has taken nearly two

Design firms in the Mountain States share the same concerns about industry growth as their colleagues and competitors elsewhere in the U.S.: uncertain support for public infrastructure and shaky financing in the few private-sector markets showing signs of life. There is more optimism now than in the past few years but also ongoing angst—after another year of flat revenue—about the health of the global economy and political vagaries here at home. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record "Our greatest concern is the international debt crisis, its potential impact on the U.S. economy and recovery from the recession," says Brad