High Altitude Colorado School Earns Honors
LEADVILLE, Colo. — Lake County High School in Leadville recently earned its project team a National Excellence in Construction Eagle Award from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) in the Institutional $10 million to $25 million project category. Designed by H+L Architecture of Denver and built by national firm Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP), the project included an extensive renovation and addition. The project team received the award on March 2 during ABC’s 26th annual Excellence in Construction Awards celebration.
“Associated Builders and Contractors is honored to recognize Adolfson & Peterson Construction…for their commitment to high quality construction, innovation and safety in their work on Lake County High School,” said 2016 ABC National Chair David Chapin, president of Willmar Electric Service, Lincoln, Neb., in a statement. “AP’s performance is a great example of the impressive work Associated Builders and Contractors’ member companies produce and we are happy to claim this project for the merit shop construction industry.”
The renovations and addition to the existing Lake County High School resulted in a high performing, 21st-century learning environment that also reflects Leadville’s natural environment and history, according to a statement by AP. The entire school is now outfitted with new technology, security camera system, 65-inch LCD screens in each classroom and new furnishings.
The school remained open throughout the construction process, which included three separate additions that nearly doubled its size. A new 50,00-square-foot high school classroom addition — a double-stacked wing — includes up-to-date science labs and wireless connection throughout, making every area a learning environment. Two small additions to an administrative area and around a stairway completed the 114,000 total square footage of the new school. The building achieved LEED Gold certification in 2015.
Located at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. With an average of 278 days per year with freezing temperatures, the project required extensive planning to account for harsh seasonal conditions. Working on a fully occupied campus located across from the community’s hospital also required coordinating steel erection with emergency helicopter flights.
The Excellence in Construction Awards program was developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost.