Gold Hard Hat Award

Coors Golden Distribution Center
Submitted by: Saunders Construction Inc.

The new 276,000-sq.-ft. Coors Golden Distribution Center, built by general contractor Saunders Construction, utilizes Thermomass insulated tilt-up panels and is now the largest insulated concrete wall panel building in Colorado. The patented Thermomass insulation system provides a durable and thermally superior facility - in fact, the introduction of thermally efficient insulated tilt-up concrete panels could very well promote wider utilization of this system throughout Colorado.

The Thermomass walls were built in three phases: the first phase involved forming and casting three-in. concrete "face" panels on the building's slab on grade. A two-in. rigid insulation board was then connected to the face using fiber composite connectors. The final step involved casting an eight-in. structural concrete panel over the insulation board. Once all of the elements of the insulated wall panels were in place - creating a "concrete" sandwich of sorts - the walls were set.

A 275-ton crawler crane was used to set the building's 121 panels. The largest panel - 45-ft., 6-in. tall by 28-ft., 6-in. wide - weighed 177,000 lbs. and is the heaviest panel ever erected in the state.

In addition to setting new tilt-up records, the building's construction schedule is also worth noting. The entire foundation system, slab-on-grade and wall panel system were constructed in just 12 weeks. More than 13,000 cu. yds. of concrete and over 100,000 sq. ft. of panel were erected in just nine days.

Silver Hard Hat Award

East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District Water Storage Tank
Submitted by: Grimm Construction

The challenge of this project was to design and construct a 10 million-gal. post-tensioned concrete water storage tank for East Cherry Valley Water and Sanitation District and put it into service in 13 months. The district had storage capacity shortfalls and required the additional capacity for the 2002 water season.

The most significant portion of a post-tensioned concrete reservoir is construction of the deck, and this task had to be done during Colorado's cold season. The deck concrete placement was scheduled for what turned out to be a cold Saturday in March when two batch plants could be dedicated by LaFarge. Approximately 100 people turned out that morning to place, finish, test and engineer the placement of 1,800 cu. yds. of concrete.

Upon arrival, crews discovered approximately six in. of snow and ice on top that could have prevented the placement from happening. Crews attempted to blow the deck off with air compressors, but the frozen snow remained. The team located a fire hydrant onsite that was fed by their existing water wells, which come out of the ground at approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

General contractor Grimm Construction's crews used a fire hose to melt the snow and ice and warm the rebar and post-tensioning system so the placement could be accomplished on schedule. In six hours, the deck was transformed, a section at a time, from a sheet of white snow and ice into a finished 70,000-sq.-ft. slab of concrete.

Bronze Hard Hat Award

Waterside Lofts
Submitted by: Etkin Skanska

The 13-story, 164-unit luxury condominium complex, which fronts Cherry Creek in lower downtown Denver, features high-quality finishes and three levels of underground parking.

The Waterside lofts structural system consists of a post-tension slab with a requirement of a Class A finish. The exterior of the building is made up of field-formed composite metal panels, brick veneer and exposed concrete columns parged with EIFS.

The interior units are exposed concrete with concrete balconies and open metal railings. The 13 stories with three stories below grade parking requires a full-time dewatering system.

General contractor Etkin Skanska started construction in November 2000 and completed it in September 2002.

Return to Best Of 2002 List >>