Nashville-based Gaylord Entertainment Co.’s plan to build an $824-million hotel and conference center northeast of Denver in neighboring Aurora County, targeted for a late-2015 opening, has spawned friction between the two cities. The complex would be located on 85 acres in an area known as High Point, just south of Denver International Airport. Gaylord is buying the land from LNR Property LLC, Miami Beach, Fla., for an undisclosed amount, with the sale expected to close this year. Greeley, Colo.-based Hensel Phelps Construction Co. will serve as the general contractor.The 1,500-room resort, which would become the largest hotel in the Denver
On July 1, Chris Achenbach, principal and director of construction at Zocalo Community Development, became the new chair of the executive committee for the Colorado District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI Colorado). He succeeded Bill Mosher, senior managing director of Trammell Crow Co. Upon completing his two-year term on June 30, Mosher stepped down from the presidency but will remain involved with preparations for the international ULI Fall Meeting to be held in Denver in October 2012. A licensed architect as well as a Class A General Contractor, Achenbach oversees Zocalo’s design and construction. He received a bachelor’s
On the heels of a sizable decrease in April, the Architecture Billings Index slowed even further in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lag between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the May ABI score was 47.2, a slight decrease from a reading of 47.6 the previous month. This score reflects a continued decrease in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).The new projects inquiry index was 52.6, down from a mark of 55.0 in April, its lowest
Construction spending fell for the sixth straight month in May, touching an 11-year low, as shrinking public outlays and residential construction swamped a rise in private nonresidential work, the Associated General Contractors of America reported recently in an analysis of new Census Bureau data. The construction trade association’s chief economist, Ken Simonson, predicted spending patterns would continue to be uneven. “Despite a few bright spots—power, manufacturing, and warehousing and distribution facilities—most construction is stuck in neutral at best or is shrinking,” Simonson said. “Five years removed from the peak in spending and jobs, the industry still faces a long road
At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $376.1 billion, new construction starts in May dropped 6% from the previous month, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. Nonresidential building pulled back after its improved level in March and April, while residential building stayed weak. The nonbuilding construction sector showed moderate growth in May, as a strong gain for electric utilities offset a loss of momentum for public works. During the first five months of 2011, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis came in at $155.2 billion, down 9% from the same period a year ago.The May
Western State College of Colorado broke ground in late June on a $16-million student housing project in Gunnison, Colo. Rendering by Design West Architects The 92,000-sq-ft Pinnacles student apartment complex at Western State College will include 54 apartments and accommodate up to 226 tenants. Courtesy of JE Dunn Construction At the Western State College student housing groundbreaking in Gunnison, left to right: Matt Vineyard, JE Dunn sr. project manager; Sandy Mark, vice chair of the WSC Board of Trustees; Kevin OGara, JE Dunn vice president; Jay Helman, WSC president; Sarah Newberry, WSC Student Government Association president; Gary Pierson, WSC vice
YOUNG Eric Young , EMC Engineers Inc., Lakewood, Colo., will serve as 2011-2012 president of the American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado. Other newly elected officers include Michael Ellsberry , Huitt-Zollars Inc., as vice president; and Greg Roush , Leonard Rice Engineers Inc., as secretary/treasurer. Four new directors were also elected to ACEC/CO’s board: John Radcliffe , Nolte Associates Inc.; John Sikora , URS; Elizabeth Stolfus , Stolfus & Associates; and Duane Jansen , Martin/Martin. Morgan Royce is a new project manager in Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers’ Albuquerque, N.M., office. Royce’s experience includes design projects for the U.S. Dept.
SnapShot June 27, 2011 Submitted By: Jeff Shneider, President, CSHQA, Boise, Idaho Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill, which opened this spring in Meridian, Idaho, has earned kudos for its innovative sustainable design, which includes solar shades on windows to prevent direct sunlight, lighting controls geared to room use, an energy-efficient condensing-boiler water heater, low-emission furnaces and an underground seepage bed to filter stormwater before it enters the soil and groundwater. Photo by Idaho Airships Inc. and courtesy of CSHQA, a design collaboration, and ESI Construction
On The Scene June 27, 2011 GE Johnson Construction Co. Mike Harms, left, senior vice president at GE Johnson Construction Co., Denver, with Don White, owner of Denver’s E-Light Electric, Karen White and Bill Caile, former owner of Trautman and Shreve, at the Déjà vu Rendezvous in Denver on May 13. The industry benefit raised $217,000 for the Assistive Technology Partners program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. ATP supports people with disabilities through innovative technologies and services. More than 650 people attended the annual fundraiser, which has raised nearly $700,000 over four years. “This event was first
The redevelopment of St. Joseph Hospital in central Denver will create 1,400 construction-related jobs annually and contribute $340 million in labor compensation from now until it opens in 2014, Denver city officials said in mid-June.The campus redevelopment, known as the St. Joseph Heritage Project, is also projected to infuse $13.6 million annually to the city of Denver and $8 million annually to the state of Colorado in use taxes. The findings were part of an economic study conducted by Denver-based BBC Research & Consulting for St. Joseph. The hospital will invest a total of more than $700 million in the