Many of the largest project starts in the Mountain States ran counter to national trends last year in part because the list of new projects is dominated by government work at a time when institutional building is slowing down from less public funding. In fact, more than 20 of the year’s top 25 project starts are publicly funded. Rendering by Naylor Wentworth Lund Architects, courtesy of Okland Construction The new U.S. Federal Courthouse in Salt Lake City is ranked among the region's top project starts for 2011. It will contain 368,445 sq ft of space and form an integrated federal

The Denver Housing Authority celebrated the next phase of community revitalization at its Mariposa development on West 10th Avenue and Navajo Street in Denver on April 10. Photo courtesy of DHA Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette and Housing and Urban Development Administrator Rick Garcia sign a ceremonial building beam at the April 10 Mariposa Phase 2 groundbreaking in Denver. Phase 2 construction will begin immediately and is scheduled for completion next summer. Work includes major infrastructure improvements on West 10th Avenue, which will become the neighborhood’s central promenade, and a plaza for community gatherings, markets and festivals.

Colorado State University says it has retained global design firm Populous as an architectural consultant on the university’s new football stadium project. With offices around the globe, including Kansas City and Denver, Populous specializes in designing arenas, stadiums, ballparks and convention centers. The firm has designed more than 80 projects for U.S. colleges and universities, including TCF Bank Stadium, an on-campus stadium completed in 2009 for the University of Minnesota. TCF Bank Stadium is the first football stadium to achieve LEED-Silver certification. The firm is also designing a new on-campus stadium for Baylor University.“Populous has tremendous experience designing stadiums around

The RTD FasTracks West Corridor project team recently installed the final segment of track on the West Rail Line. Crews working just west of the Union Boulevard Tunnel completed the task of fully tying in the track for the whole rail line from Denver Union Station to the Jefferson County Government Center.  Photo courtesy of RTD The initial test was executed to confirm clearances between the train car and surrounding infrastructure of the rail line. The West Rail Line encompasses more than 116,000 lin. ft of track. Using effective and cost efficient construction methods and state-of-the-art equipment, the 45-member crew successfully

The International Center for Afghan Women’s Economic Development will become the new home for the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, several other nongovernmental organizations and a university program focusing on women’s economic development. The center, designed by Denver-based Burkett Design, will be located on the new campus of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). Courtesy of Burkett Design From left: Lee Sanderson of the U.S. Dept. of Defenses Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, Leslie M. Schweitzer from Friends of the American University of Afghanistan, and Amy Burkett of Denvers Burkett Design attend the groundbreaking for the International Center for Afghan

Courtesy of AGC of America 2012 AGC President Joe Jarboe with Clark Construction Group told attendees that he will conduct his presidential year on the theme of "Building Connections," emphasizing technology and collaboration among AGC members and the industry as a whole. Increased emphasis on technology and team-based project delivery highlighted learning opportunities at the Associated General Contractors of America’s 93rd Annual Convention in Honolulu March 13–17. Most of the convention’s workshops and continuing education sessions were focused on emerging skills important to today’s contractors—jobsite technology, collaboration, risk management and improved leadership skills, said AGC spokesman Brian Turmail.“We are very

The Colorado Dept. of Transportation recently selected the Ames-Granite joint venture team as the design-build contractor for the U.S. 36 Express Lanes. The $310-million project is led by CDOT, the Colorado High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE), and the Regional Transportation District. It will reconstruct the existing U.S. 36 pavement and widen the highway to add one express lane in each direction. It also includes other transportation improvements from Federal Boulevard to beyond the Interlocken Loop interchange along U.S. 36.The Ames/Granite proposal successfully addressed all five goals outlined in the request for proposals and provided the best value by beating the

Denver International Airport officials on January 18 launched a redesign of the airport's new hotel and transit station that modifies elements of the original plan by architect Santiago Calatrava. Last fall, the architect abruptly resigned from the project, unhappy that key portions of his design were eliminated when the budget was cut to $500 million from $650 million.

Photo courtesy of Repurposed Materials Inc. The founder and owner of Denver-based Repurposed Materials Inc., Damon Carson has created a niche market that links discarded materials to customers that can use them for another purpose. One of Damon Carson's customers recently told him, "You're really just a professional dumpster diver, aren't you?"Carson took it as a compliment. "I've been called a lot of things: Dr. Junk, dumpster jockey, trash wizard. It doesn't matter, as long as they know I've got what they need," he says.The founder and owner of Repurposed Materials Inc., Denver, Carson buys by-products from industries across the