CoorsTek HQ Takes Shape in Golden’s Clayworks District

“This district is emerging from the very fabric of Golden— its scale, its history and over 150 years of urban evolution.”

—David Tryba, Founding Principal, Tryba Architects

Holder Construction is building the first project in the new Clayworks mixed-use district in Golden, Colo. The 182,000-sq-ft all-electric building for CoorsTek is the first phase of the six-block district being developed on a former industrial site. CoorsTek will occupy the building’s top two floors as it relocates its global headquarters. The ground floor is planned for restaurant space.

Powered by geothermal and solar energy systems, the Tryba-designed building is targeting LEED Gold, LEED Zero and WELL certifications to reflect the district’s investment in sustainable and future-ready infrastructure, according to a statement from AC Development, the entity behind the Clayworks District.

Other projects planned for the site include remodeling the existing six-story factory building to the west of CoorsTek. Once complete, the 1.25-million-sq-ft district will feature contemporary office space, urban apartments, a boutique hotel and public areas designed to foster connection and creativity.

Tucson Turns Wastewater Into Drinking Water, Cuts Reliance on Colorado River An $87-million advanced water purification facility capable of treating 2.5 million gallons per day is planned for Tucson as part of the city’s One Water 2100 plan. The initiative, which aims to conserve 56,000 acre-ft of water in Lake Mead over 10 years, was conceived to reduce the area’s reliance on the Colorado River. New regulations passed in March by the Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality make it possible for cities to use advanced purified water for direct consumption. The new facility will be located near the Tres Rios Water Reclamation Facility and is scheduled for completion in 2031.

Judge Allows Denver Water’s $531M Gross Dam Raise to Continue

Construction can continue on Denver Water’s $531-million project to raise the Gross Dam by 131 ft, a federal judge recently ruled, but the public water utility still won’t be able to expand the reservoir impounded by the dam as a lawsuit challenging the project plays out in court.

The order from U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello follows an earlier injunction in which she ordered construction on the dam to halt just days before Denver Water planned to resume construction for the season. Denver Water appealed the construction block. During a hearing last month, engineers testified about how the risk of failure would increase the longer the structure sits unfinished and how the project was designed with the construction schedule in mind.

“The court finds that the public interest weighs against a permanent injunction prohibiting completion of the dam,” Arguello wrote.

With the new order, Denver Water will aim to complete construction on the timeline mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a spokesperson for the utility said in a statement, calling it “the safest path forward.” Construction started in 2022, and FERC’s timeline calls for completion in 2027.

The project involves modifying a concrete gravity dam into an arch dam and raising its height to 471 ft from 340 ft in order to nearly triple the Gross Reservoir’s capacity to 119,000 acre-ft of water from 42,000 acre-ft. The project team, which is led by a Kiewit-Barnard joint venture, expects to complete the stilling basin this year and to build the new spillway early next year.

However, even with construction now allowed to continue, Denver Water won’t be able to hold more water in the reservoir—at least for now. The judge kept in place her previous rulings tossing out the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental review and permitting approval.

Sunset Health Brings Community Care to Somerton, Ariz.

Sunset Health’s exterior design pays homage to the traditional forms of agricultural buildings in the region.
Image courtesy Dekker Design

The team of Loven Contracting and Dekker Design is on track for a September completion of the $20-million federally qualified health center for Sunset Health in Somerton, Ariz. The outpatient facility features pediatrics, family and internal medicine, dentistry, behavioral health, chronic disease education and pharmacy services with drive-through access and extended hours. A community-use room will support after-hours meetings and outreach events, promoting deeper community integration.

Trolley North Supports University Housing in SLC

The Trolley North Apartments will provide additional housing options for University of Utah students.
Image courtesy BKV group Inc.

Brinkmann Constructors and design firm BKV Group broke ground in February on a 395,000-sq-ft, eight-story student housing community near the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The $86.5-million project will include 200 apartment units with 607 beds and four levels of parking. Construction is being executed in two phases, with the first phase consisting of the six-month construction of an eight-story stair tower to support rooftop cellular equipment. This cellular equipment was relocated before the start of the second phase in April, which entails construction of the student housing development. Project completion is expected in 2027.

McCarthy Lends a Hand to Two Arizona Charities

McCarthy Building Cos., through its Heart Hats philanthropic arm, has selected two Arizona charities, Ryan House and Arizona Bleeding Disorders, as charitable partners for the new three-year grant cycle, which runs through 2027. In addition to volunteer support from McCarthy’s more than 900 Arizona employee-owners and their families, Heart Hats will provide a minimum annual contribution of $25,000 to each group along with construction expertise and materials for a hands-on project with Arizona Bleeding Disorders.