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March 18-March 31, 2015 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — Page 45
Construction, Design & Engineering News
Swinerton Builders completed
construction of one of Avaya’s
regional offices within a multi-
story building at 12121 Grant St.
in Thornton.
The building was constructed
in 1984 and has been vacant for
the last seven years.
Due to the age of the build-
ing, Swinerton overcame several
challenges relatedto thebuilding
systems infrastructure to ensure
Avaya moved into the most up-
to-date environment possible for
its research and development
activities, the firm noted.
Original to the property, the
switchgear equipment was
obsolete, requiring either recon-
ditioned or new custom-made
components. By partnering with
the electrical subcontractor dur-
ing preconstruction, Swiner-
ton received the equipment 12
weeks after construction start-
ed, with the remainder of the
schedule dedicated to installa-
tion, connection and testing the
equipment.
The 120,000-square-foot proj-
ect was constructed over four
floors and houses 18 electronic
labs – varying from 400 to 8,000
sf – plus open concept and pri-
vate offices, employee lounges,
new CRAC units and UPS sys-
tems, in-row cooling racks, LED
lighting and custom lighting
control systems and raised floor-
ing throughout the $11 million
project.s
The 120,000-square-foot project was constructed over four floors at
12121 Grant St. in Thornton.
Anchored on Lower Down-
town’s historic Market Street is
the Denver Metro Chamber of
Commerce. Over the past 150
years, it has aided in the forma-
tion, acceleration and prosperity
of the city of Denver.
Last year, BurkettDesign took
the lead on the Chamber’s re-
imagined 27,000-square-foot
space. From locally sourced
materials to the collaborative
environment, Denver was the
inspiration for every detail, the
firm noted.
Elevator doors open to a spa-
cious lobby drenched in unri-
valed Colorado sunshine and
natural sandstone sweeps across
the open floor plan, leading to
beetle-kill pine walls that connect
the entire space. The pine walls
celebrate Denver’s resourceful-
ness, entrepreneurship and resil-
ience, according to BurkettDe-
sign.
“It was a three-year visioning
project beginning with Amy and
Robert Blankenship, the past
COO of the chamber,” said Amy
Burkett, FAIA, founder of Bur-
kettDesign. Discussions of how
the existing dark office maze
could evolve to represent Den-
ver going forward shaped the
design. Cutting-edge technology
adorns the walls, a juxtaposition
of nature and science, beauty
and function, similar to the city’s
business environment.
The layering of understated
and natural materials through-
out the two-level space create a
forward-thinking sense of dis-
covery with a respectful nod to
a pioneering past, led by Denver
Metro Chamber of Commerce
President Kelly Brough’s goals
for the chamber’s home.
Though there are no cowboy
boots or 10-gallon hats in view,
the atmosphere cultivates the
independent spirit of Western
heritage, according Catherine
Quintero BurkettDesign princi-
pal in charge.
The collaborative environment
is inspirational as vertical gar-
dens climb next to communal
workstations fitted with tread-
mill desks, adjustable height
desks and yoga ball seats. High-
tech conference rooms host busi-
ness leaders, government officials
and hopeful entrepreneurs. Col-
laborative spaces foster impas-
sioned discussions between the
Chamber’s diverse staff leading
to trailblazing business decisions.
The open staircase and floor
plan evoke movement and
growth in a space as unrestricted
as the American frontier, accord-
ing to Ben Niamthet, associate
principal at BurkettDesign.
Project partners included
Hyder Construction and OfficeS-
capes. BurkettDesign also collab-
orated with RNL on the exterior
renovation to involve additional
thought and leadership in the
overall process.s
The lobby celebrates Denver with locally sourced beetle kill walls,
Western accents and an unobstructed view of the city skyline.
WhiteConstructionGroup com-
pleted the Emerson Street Row-
houses in Capitol Hill.
The 17,531-square-foot building
located at 1310 Emerson St. com-
prises eight three-story rowhomes.
White Construction Group
Project Manager Eric Oberlander
and Superintendent Dave Maxey
teamed up with Meridian 105
Architecture and 1310 Emerson
Development LLC to deliver the
project.
White Construction Group also
completed the Rodolfo “Corky”
Gonzales Branch Library located at
1498N. Irving St. inDenver.
The 26,973-sf exterior facade is
highlighted by a series of hori-
zontal “threads.” When discuss-
ing the building’s façade, principal
architect Joseph Montalbano with
Studiotrope Design Collective said,
“Each thread is a symbol for the
unique members of the commu-
nity. As these threads turn south-
ward away from Colfax, they pass
through the Wonderwall. Not
unlike a loom, the Wonderwall
causes the threads to interlace into
a rich tapestry of textural patterns.
The surrounding walkways fea-
ture a radiant-heat snowmelt sys-
tem. Water efficient native plants
landscape the surrounding library.
The interior includes natural light
from the floor-to-ceiling windows,
solatubes, skylights and a colorful
carpet palette. The library also fea-
tures a private study, arts and crafts
room and large conference space,
as well as a children’s library and
second-floor courtyard.
White Construction Group
Project Manager Robert Fellows
and Superintendent Joe Gime-
no teamed up with Studiotrope
Design Collective to deliver a
library.s
The Emerson Street Rowhouses features eight three-story row homes.
GH Phipps Construction of
Wyomingwas awarded the job
of building a new Lingle/Fort
Laramie Elementary School in
Lingle, Wyoming, for Goshen
County School District No. 1.
The award comes on the heels
of GH Phipps winning the
contract to construction a new
elementary school in Ranches-
ter, Wyoming.
In addition to serving 149
kindergarten through fifth-
grade students, the Lingle
school will house functions
that service the middle school
and high school that share the
same campus.
The $10.75 million school
project, designed by Sand-
strom Architecture, also
includes rebuilding the dis-
trict’s bus storage building
and an addition to and relo-
cation of the high school’s
vocational agriculture shop.
The three existing schools will
remain open during construc-
tion, which is expected to
begin in April.s
Rendering courtesy of Sandstrom Architecture
The new elementary school will serve 149 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.