April 20-May 3, 2016 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— Page 27
Construction, Design & Engineering News
Turner Construction, in part-
nership with the Associated
General Contractors, recently
held a graduation ceremony
for 34 graduates of the Turner
School of Construction Man-
agement Program. This course
was offered free of charge to
small, minority and women-
owned businesses in the Den-
ver metro area.
Turner’s Denver Business
Unit has hosted this course for
the last 16 years.
Courses were led by various
business professionals, includ-
ing Turner staff members, as
well as a construction lawyer
from Moye White.
The Turner School of Con-
struction Management is the
oldest community outreach
program in Turner’s history.
It was initiated in 1969, one
year after its affirmative action
department was created. It
soon became an opportunity to
develop strategic business rela-
tionships with minority and
women-owned firms. The pro-
gram started in the Cleveland
office and was such a success
that it has become an annual
program held throughout the
company. Today, the program
is offered in more than 30 Turn-
er business units.
s
The University of Colorado
DenverselectedCTL|Thompson,
a full-service geotechnical, struc-
tural, environmental and materi-
als engineering firm, to provide
geotechnical consulting services
for two notable projects on the
Auraria Campus in downtown
Denver.
The firm, now in its 45th year
serving Denver’s construction
industry, will provide geotech-
nical testing and observation
to support the construction of
UCD’s new Wellness Center and
the renovation of the campus’s
North Classroom building. After
the initial geotechnical investiga-
tions are complete, CTL’s award-
winning environmental team
will monitor for any potential
environmental hazards during
excavation. The firm’s materials
testing lab will assist when con-
struction begins.
The 95,000-square-foot, multi-
floor Wellness Center is planned
to contain a swimming pool,
basketball courts and a climbing
wall, as well as a 1,500-sf well-
ness clinic on the first floor. It
is scheduled to open in January
2018, at the beginning of the uni-
versity’s spring semester.
The North Classroom reno-
vation includes a complete sys-
tems overhaul on the 29-year-
old building, including the roof,
HVAC, electrical and plumbing;
renovation of 34 classrooms,
which constitute one-third of
all CU Denver classroom space;
Denver Public Schoolswill add
Building Four as the next project
in the master plan for the build-
out of NorthfieldHigh School on
the Paul Sandoval Campus.
LOA Architecture, which
designed the previous three
buildings for the campus, will
be the architect on this project
as well. The building is locat-
ed on the northwest corner
of the campus. The Stapleton
Design Review Committee has
approved the design for the
intersection of Central Park Bou-
levard and 56th Avenue. The
proposed three-story building
with a central atrium will reflect
the existing campus building
materials. The building use is
intended for instructional class-
rooms that can accommodate
500 students. Design is sched-
uled to be completed byNovem-
ber 2016.
Northfield High School
includes two occupied buildings
and a sports complex. The third
building, the Commons Build-
ing, is under construction and
is due to be open for school in
August.
The Paul Sandoval Campus is
a 20-acre site that is part of a larg-
er regional park and is located
in the Northfield development
of the Stapleton redevelopment
area. The high school and adja-
cent 20-acre sports complex to
the east of the school campus
share parking and athletic facili-
ties with Denver Parks and Rec-
reation.
LOA Architecture is the archi-
tect of record in association with
H+LArchitecture.
Since 1985, LOA Architecture
has been recognized for excel-
lence in the design, planning and
management of projects serving
educational, institutional, civic,
health care, residential and com-
mercial clients throughout metro
Denver and the RockyMountain
region.
s
A rendering of Northfield High School on the Paul Sandoval Campus
During this present construc-
tion boom in Colorado, in which
the evolving skylines are brim-
ming with construction cranes,
the industry as a whole is still
facing shortages for qualified
laborers. According to the Asso-
ciated General Contractors’ 2015
National Workforce Survey, 86
percent of construction firms
nationwide are having difficulty
filling positions with 95 percent
of Colorado firms reporting
workforce challenges to hire sala-
ried and hourly positions.
Recognizing a need for change
in the industryandamuch-need-
ed investment in education, the
Housing & Building Association
of Colorado Springs and Associ-
ated General Contractors of Col-
orado formed a joint initiative
to support the Careers in Con-
struction project. This nonprofit
workforce development initia-
tive facilitates local high schools
with curriculum-based training
certified by the Home Builders
Institute, the educational arm
of the National Association of
Homebuilders. The main trades
includebasic skills forplumbing,
electrical, HVAC and carpentry.
The project provides a viable
alternative to those students not
seeking a traditional four-year
degree, with competitive wages
for skilled labor. The project will
support construction firms by
providing a resource pool of
high school students equipped
with basic skills for summer
jobs and apprenticeships.
Careers in Construction has
been initiated in several school
districts in Colorado Springs,
including District 2’s Harrison
High School, which piloted the
program in the fall of 2015 with
16 students. District 49 added it
to the curriculum for the spring
semester of 2016 with 30 partici-
pants and District 11 is following
suit in the fall of 2016. According
to George Hess, chairman for the
Workforce Development Com-
mittee, who helped launch the
program, the interest is certainly
growing in the school districts,
but sustaining the initiative with
necessary funding remains an
issue.
“This is not just an industry
initiative, it’s a community initia-
tive,” Hess said. “The project not
only provides the opportunity
for an upcoming qualified labor
force, but also helps high schools
provide an education alternative
for students that may choose
construction as a career path
to support their future families
without student loan debt.”
“Programs like these lay the
foundation topositivelyaffect the
future of Colorado’s infrastruc-
ture and support the growth of
one of the fastest growing areas
in the nation,” said Michael Gif-
ford, president andCEOofAGC.
For more information on the
Careers in Construction proj-
Courtesy CSHBA
Careers in Construction at work.
