The more than $53 million renovation to the University of Colorado Boulder’s student recreation center presented its fair share of challenges, both middling and uncharted, at almost every turn. From complex logistics at the highly active occupied facility to a 100-year flood, Saunders Construction’s ability to maintain construction excellence would be the difference between success and failure.
In order to provide a state-of-the-art facility, every square foot of the existing building (235,242 to be exact) required complete renovation. The renovation also included complete replacement of the building’s mechanical and electrical systems to address deferred maintenance needs.
In addition to the renovation, Saunders built new construction in excess of 70,000 square feet, providing space for expanded strength and conditioning areas, a new ice arena, a three-story rock climbing wall, roof-top tennis courts, and a new indoor turf multi-activity gym. The addition required an excavation of approximately 18 feet deep (33,000 cubic yards of dirt) and nearly five months of campus utility relocations. Additionally, the facility required structural enhancements to meet current seismic requirements.
