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86 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / September 2020 / Long-Time Allies / ter and bike storage to encourage alternatives to auto-centric transportation. “Wecomplemented the street-level retail trans- parency in our design treatment by incorporating materiality of brick, wood, and decorative metal detailing that speaks to the pedestrian scale of the street.” Founded in 1855, Weitz is the oldest commercial general contractor west of the Mississippi and has been a leader in Colorado’s constructionmarket for more than a century. Brett Rankin, senior project manager, led construction services for Weitz and has a strong appreciation for the long line of local successes between the three firms. “The history between PrimeWest, Gensler, andWeitz in Col- orado stretches close to 30 years,” says Rankin. “That goes back before any of the people involved on this project, so there is a reputation for quality, reliability, and integrity that has to be upheld in everythingwe do as a team.” With Newmont Mining’s move-in date setting rigorous ex- pectations on the pace of progress, Weitz was challenged to realize the Gensler design vision as efficiently as possible. “Essentially, we needed to establish delivery conditions that allowed tenant improvement construction to closely coincide with core and shell completion,” says Rankin. The combina- tion of a precast concrete base and the structural steel tower was agood start in the race to fruition. However, asmost in the project manager’s chair know all too well, the devil is in the details. “We looked at quite a few ways of detailing the glass curtain wall before we settled on making the patterns on the glazing from a thin, wire-frame of aluminum rather than pre- cast pieces as originally designed.” Another unique feature at 6900 Layton is the integration of two completely independent mechanical systems. A primary central plant, located on the roof, serves floors 7 through 15, while a water source heat pump system is used on the lower six floors. The dual-process solution affords overall savings in both first costs and long-termoperations. Like Prime West, Weitz also recognizes the benefits of long-standing relationships. They brought in a collection of key subcontractors during the design stage to streamline se- quencing and delivery schedules through pull planning and other lean construction methodologies. Design-build subs integrated early phase included MTech, Greiner Electric, Ex- treme Fire Protection and Stresscon. Additionally, GH Phipps Concrete, Drake Williams Steel and JR Bulter joined Weitz as design-assist resources. As 6900Laytonnears completion,Weitz isworking inharmo- ny with Newmont Mining’s tenant improvement contractor, Saunders Construction, to put on the finishing touches and ready the building for a fall opening. Prime West, Gensler, and Weitz already are looking down the line as the partnership is sure to continue. “The performance of everyone involved in this project has been exceptional,” says Neenan with unabashed pride in his peers and their productivity. “In this business, every day is an opportunity for some very complex issues to arise. This team finds away to get through themand still have a little bit of fun in the process. We can’t wait for the next one.” \\ Q: Summarize commercial market conditions at the begin- ning of 2020? A: The commercial office market was in good shape but not exactly firing on all cylinders mainly because of concerns in the oil and gas market downtown. There was some disparity between the thriving new construction projects located at transit-oriented development sites and smaller Class B or Class C offices, but in general, office was doing well. The multifamily housing market was very strong, with high demand. The big concern was construc- tion costs were climbing faster than rents, which makes projects difficult economically. Q: How has the pandemic affected these markets? A: The office market seemed to shut down for a few months. Many prospective tenants put their plans on hold. Some landlords reacted by offer- ing favorable lease extensions to help weather the storm. Activity took a pause and the market softened. Now we are seeing renewed interest and there is an upsurge in activity. Downtown seemed to get hit with a double whammy, with the drop in oil prices and COVID. The dynamic in the core is still troubled. Q: How do you think COVID-19 is affecting the way buildings are designed and developed? A: It’s too early to know. Designs already in de- velopment aren’t changing much. The big ques- tions are will more people work from home and will we see less spatial density in plans? In multifamily, construction costs need to flat- ten or go down. They were bursting at the seams and there will be rent adjustments and other con- cessions. The market remains very strong, but the cost of construction is due for an adjustment. Q: What can we take away from the uncertainty? A: Commercial real estate has been through many downturns before. This is different because it’s not economically induced but, ultimately, we will come out of this stronger and better than be- fore. Anything can happen, but in the long-term Denver will be in very strong shape. Jim Neenan CEO, Prime West