2022 ENR Mountain States Best Projects
Best Project, Landscape/Urban Development: South Gondola Lot Parking Structure
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Photo courtesy The Unfound Door
South Gondola Lot Parking Structure
Breckenridge, Colo.
BEST PROJECT
Submitted By: Hyder Construction
Owner: Town of Breckenridge
Lead Design Firm: Walker Parking Consultants
General Contractor: Hyder Construction
Located on a 6.3-acre plaza in the center of an iconic ski town, the 265,000-sq-ft precast garage resembles a historic mining structure. More than just a place to park nearly a thousand vehicles for town attractions and the Breckenridge Ski Resort, the structure includes more than 30 miles of snowmelt channels for the parking decks and pedestrian plaza, along with MEP systems and restrooms.
Preplanning and cohesive teamwork kept the project on track and on budget, with most challenges addressed in the design stage. Early involvement by the owner led to key decisions that avoided future scope changes and schedule extensions. For example, redesigning the structure from cast-in-place concrete to precast allowed for more elaborate exterior finishes and avoided the need to interrupt a second ski season with construction activity.
Rather than completing one facet of the project at a time, multiple trade subcontractors worked concurrently. On a given day, work on different sections could include excavation, lowering electrical lines, laying snowmelt or installing pavers. This strategy paid off during the intense 2021 summer fire season, which saw mountain fire departments issue red-flag warnings, halting all construction site hot-work. Fortunately, the team could easily pivot to other areas of the job to maintain the schedule. At the other end of the weather spectrum, crews persevered through hundreds of inches of snow to erect more than 600 pieces of precast in 67 days.
