Autodesk, Bentley Exchange Software Libraries/Shughart Thomson & Kilroy to Merge with Midwestern Firm/Lend Lease, Lauth Announce Joint Venture

Autodesk, Bentley Support More Software Interoperability

Autodesk and Bentley, two of the country’s biggest competing vendors of design and analysis software, announced in July that they will begin exchanging software libraries and supporting each other’s application programming interface tools to improve interoperability between their products.

The design tools of Autodesk, San Rafael, Calif.; and Bentley Systems, Exton, Pa.; are used by project collaborators who have long complained of limited compatibility when exchanging designs between the two platforms.

“Interoperability is a daily struggle when working with BIM,” said Derek Cunz of Mortenson’s Denver office, which currently uses Autodesk. “This announcement brings translation as an opportunity and brings us closer to finding a neutral file form to avoid future issues with communication.”

Interoperability has emerged as a critical issue for users of design and engineering software and has hindered the development of building information modeling.

Patrick MacLeamy, a founder and current chair of the International Alliance for Interoperability and CEO of the global architectural firm HOK, calls the move “an important step toward enabling A/E/C information to be more broadly shared, increasing the value of BIM to our clients.”

Shughart Thomson & Kilroy Explores Merger with Midwest Law Firm

Steve Long, founder and managing shareholder of the Denver office of Shughart Thomson & Kilroy announced in July that the board of directors of his firm and Kansas City-headquartered law firm Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus have agreed to explore a possible merger.

Shughart Thomson & Kilroy has operated an office in Denver for 10 years, and the exploration of a merger continues to reinforce the firm’s strategy of growth and a full-service approach, Long said.

The CEOs of the two firms said that while the due diligence process has only just begun, they are encouraged by the potential synergies between their firms.

They have not announced a timetable for the due-diligence process and won’t comment further until they’ve reached a final decision.

Lend Lease Announces Joint Venture with Lauth

Lend Lease Communities recently announced a joint-venture agreement with Lauth, one of the nation’s leading development and construction firms, for the development of a 60,000-sq-ft, build-to-suit commercial site at Horizon Uptown.

The agreement is for a three-story building to be constructed on five acres in the northwest corner of the 500-acre development.

Plans for the build-to-suit building include 20,000 sq ft per floor. The project will seek LEED-gold certification, at a minimum. Next up for the project will be the creation and approval of a contextual site plan, which will outline infrastructure and landscape improvements for the first phase of the project. The plan is scheduled to be completed this year.

Connecticut Firm Selected for Boettcher Concert Hall Acoustics

This summer a 15-member selection committee chose Akustiks, Norwalk, Conn., to design the acoustics in Denver’s renovated Boettcher Concert Hall.

Akustiks is experienced in the design of new performance halls, adaptive reuse of existing facilities and the restoration and renovation of performance spaces. Among the firm’s credits are the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tenn.; Severance Hall in Cleveland, Copley Hall in San Diego; the Concert Hall at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.; Boston Opera House in Boston and the Sala São Paulo in Brazil.

Akustiks is the latest addition to the Boettcher Concert Hall design team, which includes officials from the city’s Division of Theatres and Arenas, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Denver Public Works, architects Diamond and Schmitt, OZ Architecture and the Romani Group.

Palace Construction Assisting in Windsor Tornado Recovery

Denver-based Palace Construction was among the emergency recovery crews assisting residents in repairing their homes after the F3 tornado devastated the Windsor community on May 22.

The company assisted residents with the initial board-up of damaged homes and is also working on rebuilding them. The company has completed thousands of Colorado insurance loss projects.

Heath Construction Working on Berthoud High School Project

Northern Colorado-based Heath Construction is building Berthoud High School’s new 18,000-sq-ft gymnasium—part of a $2.9-million project that includes classroom additions and a new fieldhouse—so they will be ready for the school’s upcoming basketball season.

In addition to the new gymnasium, Heath is building two science labs, a multi-purpose flex classroom and a 1,100-sq-ft fieldhouse.

During construction, Heath will accommodate student needs by modifying the school entrance to help students reach classrooms and give student athletes locker room access. They also are also controlling construction noise by installing insulation between the work area and nearby classrooms.