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April 5-18, 2017 - Page 29 Colorado R eal Estate Journal
Construction, Design & Engineering
Design-builder Pinkard Con-
struction Co., with team part-
ner 4240 Architecture Inc., was
awarded the design and con-
struction for the Michael Smith
Natural Resources Building
addition.
Located on Colorado State
University’s main campus, the
Michael Smith Natural Resourc-
es building addition and reno-
vation will add four stories and
approximately 42,800 gross
square feet of new space to the
south of the existing Warner
College of Natural Resources
building. The project will house
flipped classrooms, instructional
laboratories, a student success
center, outdoor terrace, offices
and meeting/collaboration
spaces.
Total project budget is estimat-
ed at $20.2 million with funding
through donations, student facil-
ity fees and university resources.
The MSNR building addition
centers on the needs of the stu-
dents, from the large auditorium
to the flexible teaching labs to
the “treehouse” – a collabora-
tion studio convertible to an
outdoor terrace. The facility has
been designed to tell the story of
natural resources, create a teach-
ing tool for students and fac-
ulty, and root the project to the
place. Natural materials (stone
and wood) and natural elements
(sun and wind) are incorporated
throughout the student experi-
ence with an emphasis on build-
ing collaboration, curiosity and
community. The addition will
serve as the focus of community
outreach and student engage-
ment, and will allow the col-
lege to grow its reach, enrich
education, propel discovery
and increase its impact on the
world.
“The building architec-
ture reflects nature as well as
the programs housed within
through strong transparent con-
nections, views and vistas to the
outdoors, and through the use
of extensive natural daylighting
as well as durable and sustain-
able materials,” explained CSU
University architect Mike Rush.
The original Warner College
of Natural Resources building
was constructed in 1975, and has
had no significant renovation
or additions. A space analysis
determined that its departments
and programs were operating
at a significant deficit for the
curriculum, enrollment, faculty
numbers and level of research
– including a high space short-
age of instructional laboratories,
laboratory service, classrooms,
study space and meeting space.
As a result, this project main-
ly focuses on solutions for the
classroom, instructional lab,
study, exhibit and lounge/meet-
ing space deficits. s
A chronic worker shortage
continues to plague the con-
struction industry as construc-
tion employment levels reach
their highest number since the
economic downturn in 2008.
In an analysis of this report,
released by the Associated Gen-
eral Contractors ofAmerica Feb.
3, Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief
economist, stated, “The employ-
ment gains would be even larg-
er if there were enough workers
with the right skills available
to hire.” Another recent AGC
report noted that the Denver-
Aurora-Lakewood metro area
added the most construction
jobs out of 358 metro areas in
the country, with 10,400 jobs (an
11 percent increase) between
December 2015 and December
2016.
One solution to overcome this
construction labor shortage in
Colorado includes theConstruc-
tion Careers Now program.
CCN is a pre-apprenticeship
program made possible under
the WORK Act Grant that was
awarded to an association
group made up of the AGC of
Colorado, Colorado Contractors
Association and the Hispanic
Contractors of Colorado. These
associations have partnered
with the Emily Griffith Techni-
cal College to offer a series of
four-week training programs
in construction, with no cost to
participants and no experience
required.
To date, 62 percent of the
CCN graduates from the first
three programs have contrib-
uted to the local workforce by
entering construction industry
jobs and/or pursuing continu-
ing construction apprentice-
ship programs. When asked
about the future of workforce
development in construction,
John Hugins, who started his
apprenticeship back in 1984 and
is now the director of opera-
tions at Accent Electrical Ser-
vices, a Colorado commercial
electrical contractor, comment-
ed, “Construction Careers Now
has helped restart the dialogue
about the importance of con-
struction apprenticeships, after
20 years of the industry not
communicating to the next gen-
eration.”
Graduates of the pre-appren-
ticeship training program com-
plete a 10-hour OSHA train-
ing, gain exposure to various
building techniques and learn
communication/management
skills. There is also a hiring fair
included in each four-week pro-
gramduringwhich participants
may be hired by local construc-
tion contractors to help build
Mortenson, a leading renew-
able energy contractor, has been
selected to buildwhat will be the
largest single-phase wind farm
ever built inNorthAmerica. The
600-megawatt Rush CreekWind
Project, owned and operated by
Xcel Energy, will be home to 300
turbines and an 83-mile trans-
mission line near Limon.
“We are pleased to be selected
to construct this significant proj-
ect for Xcel Energy and the state
of Colorado,” said Tim Maag,
vice president and general
manager at Mortenson’s Wind
Energy Group. “This project is
another great example of Xcel’s
commitment to clean renewable
energy.”
Mortenson’s Wind Energy,
High Voltage Transmission and
Civil groups will deliver full
engineering, procurement and
construction for Rush Creek.
Colorado-based turbine manu-
facturer Vestas will provide the
wind turbines. The engineering
designwill be complete inApril,
with construction expected to
begin in May and an in-service
date of October 2018.
The 600-MW Rush Creek
Wind Project will be the single-
largest wind contract executed
to date for Mortenson, as well
as the largest for the state of
Colorado.
“Mortenson has a long and
distinguished history with the
construction of major projects
in Colorado, from the Staple-
ton Redevelopment to Den-
ver International Airport hotel
and transit center, to the Ala-
mosa Solar Project. In addition,
it has extensive experience in
the development of wind proj-
ects throughout the U.S.,” said
Gerald Kelly, Xcel Energy proj-
ect manager. “Mortenson also
shares Xcel Energy’s commit-
ment to providing a safe and
healthy work environment. We
look forward to working with
Mortenson on our Rush Creek
Wind Farm effort.”
The wind farm is estimated to
contribute 350 jobs to the state
during the peak of construc-
tion, and when complete will
increase Colorado’s wind ener-
gy production by more than 20
percent and potentially generate
$180 million in landowner lease
payments and property tax rev-
enue. s
4240 designed the Michael Smith Natural Resources Building addition at
CSU.
ABC Rocky Mountain Chapter
member companies recently won
national awards during the Associated
Builders and Contractors’ 27th annual
Excellence in Construction Awards
at Workforce Week ’17. The awards
additionally recognize companies that
have displayed a leading commitment
to safety and diversity in 2016.
The awards honor merit shop proj-
ects and all members of the construc-
tion team, including the contractor,
owner, architect and engineer. The
winners are selected from entries
across the country and are judged
on complexity, attractiveness, unique
challenges overcome, completion
time, workmanship, innovation, safe-
ty and cost.
National Excellence in Construction
Eagle Award Winners – 1st Place
Milender White, Community/Pub-
lic Service Rose Andom Center, Den-
ver
Roche Constructors Inc., Institu-
tional – $5M to $10M Emily Griffith
Technical College Shops Relocation,
Denver
FCI Constructors Inc., Commercial
– $10M to $25M TIC Training Center
& Offices, Aurora
National Excellence in Construction
Pyramid Award Winners – 2nd Place
Adolfson & Peterson Construc-
tion, Institutional - $10M to $25M,
city of Aurora’s Public Safety Train-
ing Center, Aurora
Douglass Colony Group, Exteriors:
All other exterior finishes, 1401 Law-
rence, Denver
RK Steel, Other Specialty Construc-
tion – Commercial – More than $2
million, Foothills Mall Shopping Cen-
ter, Fort Collins
TIC - The Industrial Co., Industrial –
$25M to $100M, EPE Montana Units 3
& 4, El Paso, Texas
National Safety Excellence Award
Interstates Cos., Safety Award of
Excellence for Specialty Contractor,
Sioux Center, Iowa
National Diversity Excellence Award
Hensel Phelps, General Contractor
over $33 Million, Greeley
United Rentals Inc. , Supplier Stam-
ford, Connecticut. s
Colorado wind farm