The city and county of Denver opened a new animal shelter in June, with construction funded by the Better Denver Bond Program. The 36,040-sq-ft, state-of-the art facility is more than twice the size of the original shelter, with space to care for more than 300 animals at a time. The site, located along the South Platte River at 1271 W. Bayaud, also houses a barn, which allows the shelter to accommodate less common domestic animals like horses, cows, pigs and chickens. Photo courtesy of GTC The 36,040-sq-ft, state-of-the art facility is more than twice the size of the original shelter,
Construction on the new $230-million East Tower at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora reached a milestone with the early July topping out of the 10-story structure. Courtesy of The Children's Hospital The new East Tower will connect to the existing 1.4-million-sq-ft, 298-bed Childrens Hospital Colorado facility. The expansion is being built by the joint venture team of McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. and GH Phipps, in conjunction with design partners H+L Architecture and ZGF Architects LLP under an integrated project delivery tri-party agreement. The new East Tower will connect to the existing 1.4-million-sq-ft, 298-bed Children’s Hospital Colorado facility built by the same
CARE Housing’s Provincetowne, one of Colorado’s newest green-built, affordable multifamily communities, recently celebrated its grand opening in Fort Collins, Colo. The property consists of 64 two-bedroom and 21 three-bedroom townhouse and apartment-style homes. Photo courtesy of Drahota The Provincetowne ribbon-cutting included (left to right): Mark Holmes, executive director, CARE Housing; Dawn Davis, commercial lender, FirstBank and CARE Housing Board president; Sister Mary Alice Murphy, founding member, CARE; State Representative John Kefalas; State Representative Randy Fischer; and Terry Drahota, president & CEO, Drahota. Provincetowne will be completely smoke-free and features a community center with a computer lab and children’s play
The Colorado economy will grow at a modest pace throughout the second half of 2011 with slow but positive job growth, according to economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. “Colorado businesses will continue to experience revenue and profit growth, but we are not going to see the level of hiring needed to seriously bring down the unemployment rate,” Wobbekind said. “And that remains the long-term challenge for our state and the nation as a whole.” Wobbekind, who gives the Leeds School’s annual Business Economic Outlook forecast each December, recently met with the forecast steering
Construction costs again outpaced other producer prices in June, but contractors remained unable to recoup the costs through higher bid prices, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released in mid-July by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the ongoing cost squeeze would put new pressure on construction firms to reduce staff and possibly close down. “Despite a one-month dip in the prices of some key materials in June, construction costs rose on a year-over-year basis at the highest rate since 2008,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Worse, prices are rising amid continued
Following declines in new business volume in 2008 and 2009, the equipment finance industry began to regain volume in 2010, according to the 2011 Survey of Equipment Finance Activity (SEFA) released in July by the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association. The survey reported an overall 3.9% increase in volume in 2010, compared to a significant 30.3% decline reported in 2009 and a 2.2% decline reported in 2008. The SEFA, based on responses from 108 ELFA member companies, covers key statistical, financial and operations information for the $521-billion equipment finance industry. “Through 2010, the equipment finance industry showed gradual but steady growth,”
A recent verdict in Denver exonerating Xcel Energy Inc. of criminal charges involving five painter deaths in 2007 sets the stage for the forthcoming trial against Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based contractor RPI Coating Inc. and RPI executives, Philippe Goutagny and James Thompson. A federal jury on June 28 found Minneapolis-based Xcel not guilty of 10 workplace safety charges related to a deadly powerplant fire. In a rare occurrence for Occupational and Safety Health Administration violations, Xcel and local subsidiary, Public Service Co. of Colorado, had faced criminal charges carrying up to $5 million in combined fines, plus the threat of
June marked the third consecutive decline in revenue at U.S. architecture firms as measured by the Architecture Billings Index. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the June ABI score was 46.3, almost a full point below the reading of 47.2 the previous month. This score reflects a continued decrease in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). However, the new projects inquiry index was 58.1, up sharply from a mark of
When the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, headquartered in Golden, Colo., launched the Executive Energy Leadership Program (Energy Execs) in 2007, the goal was to inform private and public decision-makers about renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as inspire them to adopt clean-energy technologies. From President Obama touring the rooftop solar installed at Denver Museum of Nature & Science to Business Modeling for Solar to Hydrogen Energy Storage, the program has yielded many significant success stories. But 2007 Energy Execs graduate and Prologis Vice President for Renewable Energy Drew Torbin has raised the bar—significantly.Recently, DOE announced
Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture of Denver was recently honored with an Aquatics International Dream Designs award for its design of The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Salem, Ore. According to the Aquatics International website, “the Dream Designs showcase is an annual program that highlights extraordinary aquatics facility design projects.” Photo courstesy of BRS Architects The 91,500-sq-ft community center represents part of the program initiated by a $1.8-billion gift from the late Joan Kroc, wife of McDonalds founder Ray Kroc. The Dream Designs program considers such factors as the incorporation of sustainable technology and/or equipment, creative