Regency Hotel Transformation/CU Field Lab for Sustainable Building Practices/Hyder Working in Breckenridge and Vail

Regency Being Converted to Auraria Student Housing

The historic Regency Hotel off Interstate 25 in Denver is undergoing a $7.5 million conversion into a student housing facility for the Auraria Campus.

Architectural Workshop LLC is the architect; R M Ruwart Design is the interior designer; and Williams Construction is the general contractor. The owner is Regency Realty Investors LLC, which purchased the rundown hotel last fall.

The design concept is based upon the idea of individual "tide pools" intermingling with one another in a big, open area, creating small, intimate settings throughout the facility. The complex will include a dining room, amphitheater with a big screen, state-of-the-art computer room, convenience store, coffee shop, study areas with wireless Internet connections, two sports courts, a fitness center and weight room and an outdoor pool and park.

The hotel's signature rotunda will serve as a billiard room where students can hang out and relax.

Three hundred rooms will be available this fall, and the second phase will add another 400 rooms in 2006.

Ground Broken on Fort Collins' Mason Street North

Groundbreaking took place in May on Mason Street North, a 41,000-sq-ft mixed-use project in Fort Collins.

The $6.5 million development will consist of three buildings with underground parking, accommodating 20 condominiums and several commercial spaces. It's located at the corner of Mason and Cherry streets, adjacent to the 50-plus acre Martinez Park.

The general contractor is Drahota Inc. The architect is Boulder's Wolff Lyon Architects.

The project is being codeveloped by Wolff Lyon and Wonderland Hill Development Co., developers of the River Rock Cohousing and Greyrock Cohousing communities in Fort Collins.

Site plans incorporate landscaping designed to blend with the existing downtown architecture.

Construction is scheduled for completion next spring.

GE Johnson Handling Renovation Project at Agilent Technologies

GE Johnson Construction Co. is working on a 66,000-sq-ft renovation to the south half of the upper level of Agilent Technologies' Building C - Phase I of a complete renovation of the company's facilities.

The Agilent Campus consists of three buildings scheduled for renovation in seven phases. This project, which began in January, is scheduled to finish in July.

James W. Nakai & Associates is the architect.

CU Opens Field Lab for Sustainable Building

The College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder has established a unique teaching and learning laboratory to allow students to practice sustainable building techniques in an outdoor setting.

The new Field Laboratory for Applied Sustainable Technologies, located directly east of the Administrative and Research Center at 3100 Marine St. on CU-Boulder's East Campus, opened in May.

The lab, which consists of a 400-sq-ft straw bale structure with a concrete acrylic roof, is a temporary facility that will be used through the end of 2005. It's an integral part of a civil engineering course called "Sustainability and the Built Environment."

Ground Broken on Littleton's Piazza DeCarlo

General contractor Braaksma Himmelman broke ground this spring on the Piazza DeCarlo, a three-story office building near Wadsworth and Bowles in Littleton, the first Class A commercial office project to be built in the heavily trafficked retail district.

The $2 million, 19,000-sq-ft building - designed by TAAG Architects - features an Italian style of architecture with elegant high-end finishes.

Construction is scheduled for completion in late fall.

Hyder Construction Awarded Projects in Breckenridge, Vail

Hyder Construction Inc. has been awarded two mountain projects - one for the town of Breckenridge and one for Vail Resorts Development Co. Both projects were awarded as negotiated CM/GC contracts.

Construction has already begun on the approximately 40,000-sq-ft Transit Maintenance and Bus Storage Facility in Breckenridge. The $4 million project includes the construction of two new buildings, one a maintenance building for the transit buses and the second a storage building for the buses.

The $3 million Eagle-Vail Warehouse consists of the construction of a new 22,000-sq-ft warehouse and shop building, including sitework. The new building includes offices, coolers and distribution space.

Drahota Completes Its Third Building for Bank of Colorado

Drahota Inc. has completed construction on the Bank of Colorado in Fort Collins.

Designed by Vaught-Frye Architects, the bank is one-story, approximately 6,000-sq-ft facility featuring drive-up services. The cost of the project was $1.53 million.

Drahota has worked with the bank's president, Cody Fullmer, on two other Bank of Colorado buildings, making this their third project together.

Drahota is also working on Worldmark by Trendwest Phase II, a time-share resort and hotel project in Estes Park. It involves the redevelopment of an existing site located at 725 Riverside along the Big Thompson River.

Phase I of the project consisted of the construction of 12 buildings that will serve as part of the time-share facility.

Phase II, which began in May, includes the demolition of 24 buildings to prepare the site for the construction of five new buildings totaling 32,351 sq ft, a swimming pool and two spas. Reconstruction of an old bridge is also planned, along with the construction of a 2,475-sq-ft clubhouse. The $5 million project is scheduled for completion in early spring 2006.

Orchard Town Center Begins to Blossom

The Orchard Town Center is taking root in Westminster with property grading under way on the one million-sq-ft, open-air, lifestyle and entertainment center located at the northwest corner of Interstate 25 and 144th Avenue.

Construction of the new interchange at I-25 and 144th Avenue - to be built in partnership with the city of Thornton - will coincide with construction of the Orchard Town Center. Phase 1 completion for both projects is expected in fall 2006.

Nunn Begins Carson Middle School Renovation, Expansion

Nunn Construction Inc. has begun work on $15.6 million worth of renovations and additions to El Paso County School District No. 8's Carson Middle School at the Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado Springs.

Earlier this year, after students left for spring break, construction crews ripped into the walls of the 50-year-old school, which is being remodeled and expanded to accommodate 200 more students.

The school is receiving 108,800 sq ft of new space and 29,000 sq ft of renovations.

Work is scheduled to be complete in August 2006. The architect is Christiansen, Reece and Partners PC.

Swinerton Renovating UCAR Center's Green Building

Swinerton Builders is finishing renovations and an addition to the University Corp. for Atmospheric Research Center's Green Building #1 in Boulder.

The existing 80,000-sq-ft building and auditorium are being remodeled to provide more suitable office, conference and kitchen space. The approximately 18,000 sq ft, post-tension concrete addition will house a library, optical and instrumentation labs and offices.

Work includes upgrades of the mechanical and electrical systems and construction of a new core area, including an elevator to service the addition. The project is scheduled for completion this month. The architect is RNL Design.

GE Johnson Awarded Phase 3 of the Village at Northstar

East West Partners has awarded Phase 3 of the Village at Northstar to GE Johnson Construction Co. Construction on the OZ Architecture-designed project began in early May and is scheduled for completion by November 2006.

The current value of Phase 3 is $97.6 million, bringing the total of all phases of the Northstar project to $203.8 million.

The Village at Northstar is similar to other projects GE Johnson has completed with East West Partners in areas like Beaver Creek. However, the new buildings at Northstar will be LEED certified.

GE Johnson has also been selected as the general contractor for the $3.8 million San Juan Cancer Center at Montrose Memorial Hospital. Work began on the 14,600-sq-ft facility in June; completion is set for March 2006.

J.E. Dunn Completes Lock/Line Call Center

J.E. Dunn Construction has completed the Lock/Line call center in Greeley.

The 46,902-sq-ft, $2.7 million remodel was done in less than three months to accommodate nearly 470 new Lock/Line employees.

Designed by 360 Architecture, the call center features an open layout accented with bright primary colored walls and columns to maximize the natural light entering the space through perimeter windows.

The focal point of the remodeled lobby area is an etched glass storefront wall at the top of an open staircase. Also included is a 950-sq-ft data center with N+1 redundancy systems, the incorporation of secured card reader access, fire sprinkler installation and new flooring and millwork throughout.

Haselden Completes T.H. Pickens Tech Renovation

The renovation of the T.H. Pickens Technical Center in Aurora was recently completed this spring - on time and under budget.

Throughout the 18-month renovation, classes were relocated to the vocational training building on campus. Modernization of the school included new electrical, fire alarm, public announcement, security and phone and data systems.

Despite coming in on time and under budget, the project wasn't without its challenges.

During construction, extensive asbestos removal resulted in the unanticipated demolition of the kitchen area. Riviera Electric employees redesigned the electrical layout of the kitchen from historical data, with assistance from the general contractor, Haselden Construction.

The total cost of the renovation project - designed by OZ Architecture - was $760,382.

Roche Constructors Awarded Three New Target Stores

Target Stores has awarded Roche Constructors Inc. contracts to build Target No. T-2029 in Glenwood Springs, Super Target No. T-2021 in Denver and Super Target No. T-2052 in Arvada, with a total value of $21.8 million.

Target No. T-2029 was designed by Target Stores and will be completed in September. Super Target No. T-2021 was designed by architect Robert Lucius of Minneapolis and will be finished in mid-August. Super Target No. 2052, designed by RSP Architects Ltd., also of Minneapolis, will be done in October.

Taylor Kohrs Building New Best Buy in Loveland

Taylor Kohrs LLC is building a Best Buy store at the Shoppes at Centerra in Loveland.

Construction began in May on the 30,000-sq-ft store, designed by C.M. Architecture. It's scheduled for completion by October.

Taylor Kohrs is also working on the Low Point Waste Water Treatment Plant in Johnstown.

Hyder Construction Completes Cherry Creek's Newest Restaurant

Hyder Construction Inc. has completed construction on the new NORTH Restaurant in Cherry Creek.

The approximately 6,000-sq-ft modern Italian eatery features a spacious dining room with white leather and celery suede furnishings set against a backdrop of exposed brick and dark wood.

dcb Construction Awarded Ferguson's Market Expansion

dcb Construction Co. Inc. is designing and building Ferguson Enterprises Inc.'s new 60,000-sq-ft plumbing supply and distribution facility in Aurora.

The facility is a pre-engineered metal building supplied by Butler Manufacturing.

Construction is scheduled for completion in October.

White Construction Group Awarded DPS Projects

White Construction Group in Castle Rock is working on two Denver Public School projects - site improvements at Abraham Lincoln High School and renovation work for Parent Project 3754.

The $1.7 million high school project includes replacing the running track surface with all-weather asphalt; replacing, coloring and texturing the post-tensioned concrete slab for the four-court tennis complex; and replacing the football field with a synthetic grass field.

The civil engineer for the project - expected to finish this month - is HCL Engineering & Surveying Inc. of Englewood.

Parent Project 3754 involves $2.7 million worth of renovation work at four schools - Amesse Elementary, East High, Fairmont Elementary and McGlone Elementary. The architect is OZ Architecture in Denver.

JHL Begins Third Project at Cherry Hills Church

Englewood's JHL Constructors Inc. has begun its third consecutive project with Colorado Community Church in Cherry Hills Village.

The $4.2 million project - for which JHL will provide construction management and general contracting services - includes a 26,000-sq-ft addition to the church's existing campus and 15,000 sq ft of renovations. The addition was designed by Eidos Architects.

JHL Constructors is also working work on the 10,000-sq-ft, interior renovation of the Denver Rescue Mission's Market Street facility. The $550,000 project was designed by Mark Hoskin Architects.

This spring, JHL completed a 9,000-sq-ft interior renovation of the Colorado Central Credit Union in Centennial. The $307,000 project was designed by KDA Holdings and included new teller booths, ceramic and carpet tile and minor architectural modifications.

Quality Electric Working in Littleton Public Schools

Quality Electric Inc. has been selected to provide fast-track, electrical contracting services for five Littleton Public Schools as part of a remodeling package for the school district.

The electrical contracting services to be performed - valued at approximately $700,000 - will provide important upgrades to Euclid Middle School, East Elementary, Eugene Field Elementary, Highland Elementary and Ralph Moody Elementary.

Among the services and upgrades are updating fire alarm systems, HVAC wiring upgrades, electrical panel replacements, remodeling existing electrical systems and lighting improvements.

Quality Electric will be working with Shaw Construction and Larson Architects on all of the projects except Highland Elementary, for which JHL Constructors will be the contractor and OZ Architecture the architect. All of the projects are scheduled for completion this summer.

CTL/Thompson Chosen for Lakewood Family Housing

CTL/Thompson has been selected to provide geotechnical and design investigations for the Lakewood Family Housing project, an affordable-housing building for families. It is located on the northeast corner of Pierce Street and West 17th Avenue.

The project team includes Denver's Studio Completiva for architecture and Calcon Constructors Inc. as the contractor. CTL/T was recommended by Calcon to do the investigative report for the seven- to nine-story building, which will feature 15,000 sq ft per floor and a 9,000-sq-ft day care building.

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