The Museum of Contemporary Art is a 27,000-sq-ft, three-story structural steel building with one basement level. It includes art storage, offices, a lecture area, exhibition space, library, garden café, assembly space and a roof garden. The MCA project is pursuing LEED certification, which would make it the first contemporary art museum to achieve that status.

The project site is bounded on the north by 15th Street, on the east by Delgany and on the south and west by the Art House project. The close proximity to the adjacent properties and streets resulted in a tight, constrained site. The project had to find unique ways to store materials onsite while maintaining access for local residents and businesses and still being able to construct the building.

The initial design of the museum was developed around a structure that supports rather than defines the museum’s mission. Design-leader London’s Adjaye Associates used several original details and products unfamiliar to the U.S. market, making it a challenge to meet local construction codes and manufacturer recommendations.

The exterior of the building consists of a custom curtain-wall system that hangs from the steel structure. The perimeter base is composed of black architectural concrete with a wood plank pattern. The majority of the interior floors are exposed, cast-in-place black architectural concrete. All of these systems required multiple mock-ups so that all parties could see how cohesively the final products would come together. Since they became “finished” products the minute they were installed, the project team had to keep them protected while the remainder of the construction was completed.

Museum of Contemporary Art
Denver

Silver Hard Hat Award

The facility holds nearly 90,000 sq ft of recreational space, including a wood-floor gymnasium, a multi-sport inline rink and an artificial turf fieldhouse. The facility also includes a rock climbing spire and bouldering wall, a cardio loft, running track, multi-purpose meeting rooms and a 1,400-sq-ft children’s play area.

The facility is now home to many of the recreation department’s rapidly growing variety of adults and youth athletics leagues and camps. It is also intended that it will host a variety of regional tournaments and competitions.

Given the large, open interior spaces required by the fieldhouse program, the design team worked to minimize the height, bulk and industrial character of the exterior. The design draws on the traditional agricultural forms of the Parker area and updates them to match the program and create a contemporary, attractive building in a larger mmercial/industrial district. The grand opening for the Parker Fieldhouse was June 23.

Town of Parker Fieldhouse
Parker

PROJECT TEAM
Owner:	Town of Parker
Architect:	Sink Combs Dethlefs
Design Team:	Legacy Engineering Inc., Martin/Martin, Ballard Group, Innovative Electrical Systems, Norris Design
Contractor:	Saunders Construction Inc.
Among the Subcontractors:	Metropolitan Glass, Delta Drywall, Pioneer Fire Systems, ATEK Heating and AC Inc., Wayne’s Electric, Banner Rebar, Aggregate Industries

Bronze Hard Hat Award

Skyline Park Pavilion serves a variety of needs presented by the city’s downtown district. The building houses an information booth, public restrooms and a modest concession stand.

For decades, Skyline Park has been the site of numerous events and activities varying from ice skating in the winter to concerts and fairs in the summer. The park is also a popular lunch-time gathering spot for the urban work force.

Unfortunately, for many years the only public accommodations were portable toilets and impromptu vendor carts. The new pavilion offers enhanced amenities in an attractive, contemporary facility.  The design, composed of a series of planes, gracefully complements the textures and rhythms of the park. By embracing the site and reaching out to the surrounding buildings, the pavilion subtly claims its place without being overwhelming.

In addition to meeting the needs of residents and workers, the pavilion also accommodates downtown’s need for an easily identifiable visitor information kiosk. The universally recognized information symbol a bold, lower case “i” stands high above the pavilion on a protruding column, a visual beacon to passersby.

The information booth is staffed by the Downtown Denver Partnership, a nonprofit that promotes a positive downtown experience. As a residual benefit, the pavilion also increases the overall level of security within the park because its active operational presence extends well into the evening hours year round.

Among the challenges of this project was the mitigation of existing conditions discovered during construction. Though the construction team believed it was building on a flat slab, initial excavation uncovered the concrete remains of the 1973 Lawrence Halpin-designed park. Additionally, the pavilion was constructed on top of an independently-owned, underground parking garage, which required careful design and engineering coordination.

Skyline Park Pavilion
Denver

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