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

At Denver International Airport, building has begun on two temporary shoring towers that will support the airport's iconic fabric tent roof during construction at the south end of the terminal. The current roof anchors are obstructing excavation for the $500-million South Terminal Redevelopment Program (STRP), which includes a 500-room Westin hotel, a public plaza and a new transit station.

Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital has begun a series of concrete pours on the first floor deck at the replacement hospital’s jobsite—at an elevation of exactly 5,280 ft—well suited for the newest hospital being built in the Mile High City. The Denver office of Mortenson Construction, the project’s general contractor, started the first concrete pour on May 17, and will eventually include 4,643 cu yd of concrete, becoming the foundation of the hospital’s 115,68-sq-ft first floor. Photo courtesy of Mortenson Construction The new hospital will eventually include 4,643 cu yd of concrete, forming the foundation of the hospitals 115,68-sq-ft first floor.

The stately red-brick Emerson School, originally built in 1885 in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, was recently upgraded to incorporate state-of-the-art green building features and remodeled as the new home for eight nonprofits, including several organizations dedicated to historic preservation. Photo courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation National Trust for Historic Preservation President Stephanie Meeks, center, holds the ceremonial ribbon-cutting scissors, to celebrate the grand opening with other nonprofit leaders whose organizations will be part of the new preservation and conservation hub at the former Emerson School in Denver. Built in 1885, the school was designed by Colorado’s first

The Colorado Dept. of Transportation, partnering with the Federal Highway Administration, says it will rework the Draft Environmental Impact Statement that outlines future improvements to the Interstate 70 East Corridor from Brighton Boulevard to Tower Road in Denver.  
 Courtesy of CDOT An alternate plan for rebuilding I-70 East corridor in north Denver involves dropping the highway 30 ft below grade and putting a deck over a 200-ft section of it near Swansea Elementary School. After failing to gain support for an earlier proposed solution to build a larger viaduct in the same area, CDOT presented a new alternative to

A revolutionary research and teaching facility that opened in late April at the University of Colorado Boulder will allow scientists to tackle biomedical challenges ranging from cancer, heart disease and tissue engineering to the development of new biofuels. Rendering courtesy of CU Boulder An architects rendering shows the Systems Biotechnology Building at the University of Colorado at Boulder facing Colorado Avenue along the east side. Faculty, staff and students working in the new $160-million Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building come from five departments on campus, including chemistry and biochemistry, chemical and biological engineering, computer science, MCD biology and physics. Several

Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing industry leadership profiles, Mark Shaw, ENR Mountain States Bureau Chief, conducted the following interview with Alan J. Krause, president and CEO of MWH Global Inc., in the engineering firm’s Broomfield, Colo., headquarters on April 25. An edited version of this interview appeared in the May 14 issue of Engineering News-Record magazine. Photo by Mark Shaw Alan Krause, President/CEO, MWH Global Inc. ENR: Can you give us an update on the Panama Canal Expansion project, for which MWH is leading the design? Any lessons learned there yet?Alan Krause: We are well through the design,

The new DaVita World Headquarters, located at 2000 16th St. in Denver, was designed around a “community first, company second” theme that dominates the design of the building and places people at the top of its corporate priorities. Related Links: Saunders Tops Off New DaVita Headquarters in Denver DaVita is a fortune 500 company and one of the leading providers of kidney care in the United States. The DaVita World Headquarters was designed by the Denver-based team of MOA ARCHITECTURE and Acquilano Leslie to reflect DaVita’s corporate culture, enhance the employee experience and promote the firm’s core mission and values.

Related Links: Alan Krause to Take Over as CEO at MWH Global Global Talent Converges on Panama Canal MWH Global Spin-Off Innovyze Leads With 'Wet' Infrastructure Apps Alan J. Krause—president and CEO of Broomfield, Colo.-based engineering-contractor MWH Global, which ranks at No. 123 on this year's ENR Top 400 Contractors list and at No. 16 on the Top 500 Design Firms list—recently spoke with ENR Mountain States Editor Mark Shaw on a variety of topics and industry trends. Here is an edited version of their conversation.MHW is leading the design work of the Panama Canal Expansion. How is it going?We

This could be a story about a local specialty contractor that has survived the recession because it is owned and run by a woman and gets by largely on its status as a small business enterprise. But that would not do justice to the real story behind the success of Denver’s Building Restoration Specialties Inc.BRS is a registered MBE/WBE/SBE firm but thrives because it has been serving the local restoration market since the mid-1980s and does difficult, detailed brick-and-stone work with the quality craftsmanship of a Renaissance artisan.Located in Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood, BRS specializes in masonry restoration and