K-12 Roundup

Design and construction advances within Utah’s K-12 market illustrates the desire of local school districts and A/E/C firms to produce optimum learning environments and buildings that are functionally safe, flexible and sustainable. 
By Brad Fullmer and Taylor Larsen

According to August 2022 data from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, approximately 675,000 students attend Utah’s public K-12 schools, with 88% attending a school in one of the state’s 41 school districts and 12% in one of more than 100 charter schools. 

Alpine School District leads the charge with more than 80,000 students, followed by Davis SD (72,000), Granite SD (62,000), Jordan SD (57,000), Washington County SD (37,000), Nebo SD (35,000) and Canyons SD (35,000). 

The total number of students represents a significant bump from 612,000 just a decade ago (2012-13 school year)—a more than 10% increase, in fact—and signals that the K-12 market in the Beehive State continues to be busy and active for firms who specialize in that arena. 

UC&D reached out to a half dozen of Utah’s largest school districts and received responses from three—Davis School District (DSD), Ogden School District (OSD) and Washington Country School District (WCSD). Each are considered progressive, forward-thinking districts that design and build premium facilities. 

Concerns about wildly fluctuating post-pandemic construction and material costs have school district officials thinking long and hard about how many schools they will be able to adequately fund in the future to keep up with Utah’s consistent (albeit slowly shrinking) growth rates. 

The sheer cost of schools has exploded the past decade. Consider that in August 2013, the 444,000 SF Granger High was completed for $78 million, while new schools currently under construction like Skyline High (slated final completion 2026) and Cyprus High (2025) are expected to sail past the $160 million mark, perhaps even hitting $180 million by final completion. 

At DSD, Bryan Turner, Director of Architectural Services, said country voters passed a $475 million bond last November, which will fund two new Jr. Highs, a new prototype elementary and replacement of another elementary, additions/remodels of three high schools (Clearfield, Layton, Bountiful), and two elementary remodels. New air conditioning equipment will also be installed throughout the District. 

“Bonds are getting harder to pass,” said Turner. “The amount of money we can spend is fixed with the bond. If construction costs keep rising, projects from the bond list will have to be cut or delayed. We are careful to avoid tax increases to the citizens of the County. The needs of the District far outweigh the amount of money available.” 

Reduced energy and utility costs are always a priority, Turner added, with DSD maintaining over 100 buildings, seven of which are zero-energy buildings in operation with another three currently under construction. Money saved on utilities goes directly back into the classroom. 

Turner said DSD routinely uses ground source heat exchange systems, thermal air displacement, PV panels, etc. to achieve net-zero ratings at its respective schools. He views LEED as a useful system to copy, but DSD typically does not chase certification on all its schools. 

Ogden School District has a handful of interesting projects on the docket as well, according to Jer Bates, Director of Communications, including a new Child Nutrition Program facility that will expand OSD’s food storage capacity and flexibility in purchasing/logistics. It will also house the Marketstar Student Resource Center. 

The District is collaborating with Ogden-Weber Technical College to build a new specialized high school adjoining the OWTC campus, will replace Hillcrest Elementary with a new building, and will begin a partial renovation of Odyssey Elementary. It also has three Jr. Highs and a new facility for adult education/alternative high school in the works. 

Bates said the District will aim to pass a bond in 2026 that could range from under $100 million to over $200 million depending on voter approval. Aligning with modern security needs, the Distrit is implementing secure entries in schools, along with gravitating to individual wings or pods in new schools, which improves student-teacher collaboration. 

Sustainability is also a premium issue moving forward, with a focus on solar PV panels and geothermal ground source heating on new and renovated buildings. 

Down south in Washington County, WCSD officials are looking to design an elementary prototype that is a two-story building, according to Craig Hammer, Executive Director of Secondary Schools and Facilities. The reason for the two-story design is to reduce the amount of acreage needed for a new school.

“With the price of property through the roof, we need to look at a different model,” said Hammer. “It’s a whole different look for us. We’re reducing our footprint from 11-13 acres to 8 or less.”

Building has slowed considerably for the District, but there is still a need for new projects. Over the next five years, Hammer anticipates the need for at least 2-3 new elementary schools, and another high school and middle school, along with a vocational building that needs replacing and seismic reinforcement projects on three older schools. 

Hammer also praised the members of WCSD’s ‘Green Team’, an energy-efficient team that has been operating for 12 years and has allowed the District to add five million square feet of new buildings to its portfolio without adding extra energy costs. 

World-Class K-12 Projects in Utah
A/E/C professionals are collaborating at high levels to produce robust, modern-day schools that combine form and function in ways that enhance and improve day-to-day learning programs. Schools are built with sustainability in mind, but also with the intent to foster creativity and excellence from the students within these inspiring spaces. 

In this K-12 section, UC&D takes a look at four of Utah’s newest schools, including Canyons School District long-time high school rivals Hillcrest High and Brighton High in Salt Lake County, Ellis Elementary in Logan (it was originally built in 1893), and South Sevier in Monroe. 

LABOR OF LOVE

The new Hillcrest High gave FFKR's Greta Anderson the serendipitous opportunity to redesign her alma mater.

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When Greta Anderson was taking drafting classes at Hillcrest High School in the late 1980s, she never could have envisioned that one day she would be tasked with leading a team of architectural professionals on the redesign of her alma mater. 


“There may have been one or two of us (women) in the class—I was undecided (about architecture). It was a lot of math, which I wasn’t good at, but I persevered,” said Anderson, a proud ’89 Husky alum who found out she would serve as Principal-in-Charge for Salt Lake-based FFKR Architects in November 2017 for the new school, making it a true labor of love.


“When I met (current Hillcrest Principal) Greg (Leavitt) I said, ‘Can you imagine redesigning your own high school!’,” said Anderson. “We got to flex our design muscles and do progressive learning environments, which not a lot of districts are doing yet. It was a huge team effort. And it’s green—finally! 


Indeed, the visually stunning green glass façade is a dazzling aesthetic—much of it comprised of floor-to-ceiling windows offering unparalleled views of the mountains and both sides of the Salt Lake Valley—and among the hallmarks of the overall scintillating design. 

“It’s a beautiful building, but functionally, it checks all the marks and meets the needs of all the different departments,” said Anderson. “It’s so rewarding for us!” 


Anderson, along with FFKR Project Manager Liz Morgan, worked closely with Leavitt throughout the design process of the new four-story, 421,000 SF school, which opened in August 2021. They praised Leavitt’s attention to detail and genuine care and consideration of even minute elements, which he said is due to having been Principal at Draper Park Middle School during its design and construction a decade previously. 


“Liz and I both said we won the lottery getting this guy for a principal on this project,” said Anderson. “Every moment of this process was just a delight.” 


“It helped having been through this process before,” Leavitt said. “It was important for us to find architects who could find out what the community wanted as well, and I felt like I had that with Greta and Liz,” said Leavitt, who is in his eighth year as Principal at Hillcrest (22 years as a principal overall) and looking to retire in 2024. 


“He’s visionary—he thinks about what is best for the future of the school,” said Morgan. “It’s about examining all aspects of the design to make sure we were choosing the right things for the school.” 


“His vision can be seen in every square foot of this school, because he cares so much about the kids,” Anderson added. “The kids know him, and they love him.”


“Some,” Leavitt countered, chuckling. 


Another hallmark of the new school, and one that Leavitt lobbied hard for—while admitting it is among the most “controversial” design elements—is having glass partitions in all classrooms, a trend that isn’t necessarily new or innovative, but one that continues to gain traction in certain school districts in Utah as a vital programming function related to improving safety. 


“We wanted visible public practice—windows and light—in our building,” said Leavitt. “I did the same at Draper Park and didn’t get as much pushback.” 


Leavitt said of the 80 faculty members and teachers who attended design charettes, about 10—mainly older, veteran teachers—don’t particularly like the glass partitions. “(Some) teachers still want to be left alone—it will always be an adjustment,” he said. “Teachers never want to be in a fishbowl.”


“It’s the right thing to do,” said Morgan. “It’s what first responders want to see. It’s better for social and emotional learning […] and for checking out what teachers are doing. There are benefits of having transparency (that will aid) generations of students and teachers. It’s a safety feature for teachers as well as students.”


Collegiate Vibes 

The new Hillcrest High campus was divided into three phases spread out over three years, proving challenging for Orem-based general contractor Westland Construction in numerous ways, especially with the pandemic (and subsequent supply chain disruptions) hitting during the peak of construction activity at the project’s midway point. 


The phased approach allowed for consideration of future enrollment projections (current student population is 2,000), curriculum, program improvements, and comprehensive safety, perhaps the most highly scrutinized design aspect of all modern-day, K-12 buildings given the number of gun-related school shootings the past quarter century in the U.S. 

Anderson and Morgan said there were three major shootings during the design process; each time it prompted a review of overall campus security measures being implemented. 


Other key amenities include:

—A multi-purpose fieldhouse and athletic center (separate on-campus facility).

—High-tech auditorium and performing arts classrooms.

—Group study and teacher collaboration areas.

—Weight training room with dynamic views to the Wasatch range.

—Classroom wings that lock down and are configured to provide administrators with clear lines for safety.

—Improved site access, parking and traffic flow. 


Leavitt said the new school offers everything he could have hoped for, particularly the overall feel of the campus, which has a mature, grown-up vibe.


“I really wanted a collegiate feel, and this is sort of a mini-college,” said Leavitt. “I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people who say that.” 


“I believe kids act (according to) their space,” said Anderson. “If it feels sophisticated, that’s how they’ll respond.” 

Leavitt said an important student amenity—Husky Market—addresses the fact that approximately one-third (34%) of Hillcrest students are impoverished, suffering from a social discrepancy (homeless, neglected, food insecurity, etc.). Husky Market is part of a trend of including “student centers” in schools that include a laundry room and food pantry, and is accessible to students on weekends and holidays. Gender neutral restrooms are also on every floor, and another important social consideration. 


Anderson and Morgan said the school has been such a hit within FFKR’s office, it’s prompted a deluge of requests from co-workers who want to get in on some K-12 action. 


“Since this school got up and running, we have had more interest in our K-12 studio than ever before,” said Anderson. “It’s like designing a little city—you have a business center, a rec center, performing arts and entertainment, CTE, trades, art. You can (learn) every aspect of a lot of different sectors of design. Liz has a good sports and recreation and performing arts background, for example, so we can take that expertise and apply it at a high level on a school.” 


Hillcrest High School

Owner: Canyons School District

Architect: FFKR Architects

General Contractor: Westland Construction

Civil Engineer: CRS Engineers

Electrical Engineer: Envision Engineering

Mechanical Engineer: VBFA

Structural Engineer: Calder Richards

Interior Design & Landscape Architect: FFKR Architects

HVAC Subcontractor: Koch Mechanical

Electrical Subcontractor: Taylor Electric

Masonry Subcontractor: Buxton Masonry, Doyle Hatfield Masonry

Concrete: Cornerstone

Steel Fabrication: Clegg Steel, Tushar

Steel Erection: Clegg Steel

Other Specialty Contractors: Prolific Painting, Utah Tile & Roofing, Lotz Construction, Cazier Excavating, Great Western Landscape


BRIGHTON UP

Best-in-class learning environments are the theme of Brighton High as design and construction came together for a gorgeous school built over a four-year phased construction process.

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“How come we didn’t have that in high school?” seems to be coming up a lot during a tour of Brighton High School in late February. 


While everyone on the tour is at least a few years—maybe decades—removed from pep rallies and home room, it’s still exciting to see what Brighton High has become since its extensive design and four-year rebuilding process.


Kelly Hall, Superintendent of Centerville-based Hogan & Associates Construction, and Scott Later, Principal of Salt Lake-based MHTN Architects, wanted the school to be so noteworthy that it would seemingly belong at any campus of higher education.


Site and Phasing Challenges

Keeping the school functional during construction required extensive egress paths for students, staff, and the public to travel safely through the site and existing building.


“It was a lot of head scratching,” Hall said, “wondering ‘How do we keep people going where they need to go and keep spaces and functions going?’”


The limited site and 30-foot grade change from the academic wings to existing football field proved challenging for material placement. Space near the softball field became a de-facto staging and storage area. 


The project team’s focus on phasing coordination paid dividends during construction. They completed the project with a three-phase demolition plan that allowed portions of the school to remain in operation as construction progressed.


First In Class

Phase I—creating the Career and Technical Education (CTE) wing—required the team to design the new building to make a step in grade. By building the foundation wall for retention and utilizing a lightweight concrete mix, the design decreased the structure’s slope load and the soil infill weight against the retaining walls—ultimately lessening the number of structural systems and reducing costs. 


The prominence of the many trades exhibited in the school extends as high as the four-story CTE wing. The commercial kitchen has all the gear and utensils ready and waiting for the next Michelin-star chef. A high-end auto shop classroom on the second floor looks down on multiple hydraulic vehicle bays and a different type of Michelin—this one a tad more rubbery. 


The wood shop looks reminiscent of today’s commercial mill operations, complete with sawdust and the ventilation systems needed to keep students and faculty safe. Art classes even open up out onto an outdoor patio above the auto shop garage.


Brighton High’s breadth doesn’t stop there. Engineering, ceramics, and even jewelry-making labs emphasize the new CTE wing's powerful first move in an ongoing shift toward career and technical education.


School in Sequence

For Phase II, Hall spoke of literally cutting the existing building in half. This provided a safe and secure learning environment, while achieving an efficient construction pace. The emphasis on simultaneously meeting both goals drew rave reviews from Brighton Principal Tom Sherwood


“At the core, everything we did throughout the build has been ‘What is best for students [now, and] what [will] be best for students in the long run?’” Sherwood said. “To have the architectural firm and the contractors also look at a project with an eye on students first was surprising and refreshing […] and it really made our conversations pretty easy, knowing that we all had the same ultimate goals in mind.”


The school’s only sacrifice during construction, Later said, was parking. 


As portions of the existing campus were demolished, delicate care was given to keeping the existing main electrical room in operation. Later called it “the sacred electrical vault,” and it was treated with proportionate reverence. The final building design adapted to work around this critical existing element and keep the existing building electrified during construction.


Learning in Session

Academic wings sit on either side of the main hallway, or the “canyon,” that forms the central artery of the academic building. At 480 ft. long, it surpasses the length of the school’s football field, which runs parallel to the building. 


According to Later, the three-story corridor is “a place to see and be seen. High schools are social, and this became sort of a ‘Main Street’.”


The canyon connects 12 Learning Communities on three levels to other amenities across the campus, creating a comprehensive school experience. Learning communities contain multiple classrooms gathered around a central, collaborative flex space, as well as teacher support areas and smaller breakout rooms. Three themes, Later explained, correspond with each of the three levels—trails, peaks, and waterways. Trail markers, lighting, floor patterns, and branding graphics at each learning community provide unique accent elements.


“The Learning Communities help to support the different learning styles of the students,” Later explained. “If [students] need a place that’s quieter to focus, or if they need a place where they can talk with a small group, they have that. These diverse spaces are supported with flexible, comfortable furniture and robust technology infrastructure. (All) help students feel comfortable and engaged.” 


Large-scale graphics, particularly in the auditorium lobby, celebrate the school’s colors and pride. The building’s thoughtful design lets in the most controlled natural light possible to create strong visual connections to the outdoors and surrounding landscape.


50 years of memorabilia adorns hallways of not just the main school, but the new and improved athletic wing on the campus’ east side—the Hillcrest v. Brighton jug a notable piece of nostalgia. The main gym sits on one side of the 119,000-SF athletics wing, with auxiliary gyms housing a wrestling room, dance studio, and a synthetic turf field house.


Brighton High School Replacement

Owner: Canyons School District

Architect: MHTN Architects and Lake|Flato

General Contractor: Hogan & Associates Construction

Civil Engineer: Gardner Engineering

Electrical Engineer: BNA Consulting

Mechanical Engineer: Olsen & Peterson Consulting Engineering

Structural Engineer: Reaveley Engineers

Geotech: Consolidated Engineering Laboratories

Interior Design: MHTN Architects

Landscape Architect: 

Plumbing Subcontractor: Western States Mechanical 

HVAC Subcontractor: Shoppe

Electrical Subcontractor: Tri-Phase Electric and CR Lighting

Concrete: AK Concrete

Steel Fabrication: Utah Ornamental

Steel Erection: Tushar Iron Erectors

Glass/Curtain Wall: USI All-Purpose

Masonry: AK Masonry

Tile/Stone: Ace Tile & Stone

Demolition: Grant MacKay

Other Specialty Contractors: Commercial Interiors Construction, Ceiling Systems, Hegemann Paint Co., Huetter Mill, Wall2Wall, Utah Tile & Roofing, Jones Excavating, Great Western Landscape


FLY EAGLES FLY

Sustainability a hallmark on Ellis Elementary, which was originally designed by Design West Architects before the turn of the 20th Century.

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Bringing everything together on the new Ellis Elementary was a test in patience and flexibility, nonetheless the project excelled by utilizing existing site resources and contemporary construction methods to create a dynamic new school, one shaped by its predecessor that was orginally built in 1893. 


That was school was designed by Logan-based Design West Architects is also noteworthy, as the orginal Ellis Elementary was designed by the firm’s founder, K.C. Shaw.


Go With the Flow

While every facet of the project received its due attention from the project team, their favorite was utilizing the canal water that flowed through the site. 


Wayne Anderson, President of Logan-based general contractor DWA Construction, said a significant percentage of complaints he hears from K-12 facility operators—and possibly everyone who looks at an electric bill in the summer—is the cost of air conditioning. This is mitigated at Ellis by a modified geothermal system, which keeps the building at a reasonable temperature while reducing costs and water usage. 


Mechanical engineers at Salt Lake-based VBFA designed a system that pumps water from an adjacent canal into the basement. Exchange water is then sent downstream. Since the canal water’s temperature varies only slightly, the resultant cooling of the building is constant and will help keep temperatures well-regulated year-round without requiring a newly built system.


Anderson described how box culverts were installed to cover the waterway and give students more blacktop, field, and playground areas. This site work has been great for kids while also giving staff increased visibility and supervision of students on the play areas over what existed previously.


Poured on Thick

Stephen Williams, Principal with Design West, designed the building walls with ICF, a popular feature in school construction. The highly-durable and energy-conscious façade is a reliable way to meet a tightening energy code for schools. A nearly three-inch layer of foam surrounds the layer of concrete and functions like a coffee cup, minimizing heating and cooling loads while stabilizing indoor temperatures. Composite strips that tie foam and concrete together provide a connection point to attachable sheetrock layers.



On the exterior, Corbeling, a new iteration of the clock tower, and masonry pay homage to features from the previous school.


The thin-brick façade includes three different colors and styles. The soldier course ebony brick provides a nice break in the standard red brick that takes up a large percentage of the walls. The running bond of “Logan Brick” is a nod to the masonry of much of Logan’s historic architecture and helps to provide plenty of visual intrigue to the school. 


The choice of thin brick, Anderson mentioned, reduced the needed load-bearing capacity for the foundation and saved around $300,000 on overall project costs. Thin brick on this project was not limited to the exterior of the building. Designers also added the rich masonry to the interior walls, columns of the main corridor, and the resilient low wall surface of the school gym.


Past the gym and offices at the entryway, learning spaces on both levels of the school are premium in their accessibility and features. Sunlight shines into the entire building, from vestibule into offices, through the gym, and up into the two levels of classrooms and collaboration spaces.


Pocket doors connect classroom to the shared spaces outside, with Williams mentioning that the novelty of the sliding doorways make it the preferred way for students to enter and exit the classes at Ellis Elementary.


Overall, combining modern design and construction methods on Ellis Elementary made for a lovely homage to the previous school, where ICF and the thin-brick join to make for a school designed and built to last well into the next century.


Ellis Elementary School Replacement

Owner: Logan City School District

Architect: Design West Architects

General Contractor: DWA Construction

Civil Engineer: Cache Landmark Engineering

Electrical Engineer: Envision Engineering

Mechanical Engineer: VBFA

Structural Engineer: ARW Engineers

Geotech: Gordon Geotechnical

Landscape Architect: Design West Architects

Plumbing & HVAC Subcontractor: KR Plumbing and Mechanical

Electrical Subcontractor: Golden Spike Electric

Concrete: DWA Construction

Steel Erection: Paul Higley Field Welding and Erection

Glass/Curtain Wall: NGI Glass

Masonry: IMS Masonry (ICF Masonry), Hunsaker Exteriors (Thin Brick/EIFS/TAFS)

Tile/Stone: Bird Tile

Other Specialty Contractors: Hart Flooring, Island Heights Construction, Shane Martinez Sealants and Waterproofing, Edge Excavation, Reliance Precast, Distinctive Landscaping

FITS LIKE A GLOVE

Monroe’s newest school, South Sevier Middle, is a perfect fit in the community.

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It’s always a special event in Small Town USA when a new prominent community building goes up. With South Sevier Middle School in tiny Monroe (pop. 2,593), KMA Architects of Spanish Fork designed a school that merged contemporary architecture with community needs.


Blending Old and New

With enrollment of around 350 students, the previous school required replacement to meet the needs of the students, staff, and the community of Sevier County.


“We were able to look upon this project with new eyes from our design team and with the school district and decided to move forward with a replacement school that would be a new, modern take on the existing school and surrounding area,” said Wes Christensen, Principal Architect with KMA.


The existing structure was still in good condition and seismically sound, so interior walls were removed with career and technical education (CTE) shops and three classrooms designed in the shell of the existing structure—a cost-effective blend of old and new. 


Phased construction provided another value-engineering and scheduling win for the middle school. Christensen said the project was designed in phases so that students could move into each recently-completed new phase while other phases were demolished and built. 


As new areas were constructed in phases, the gym, locker rooms, and shops were remodeled and included as part of the new design. 


Location, Location, Location

Set at the base of the mountain side in Monroe, the new school sits proud with the red tinted foothills as a backdrop. The second floor library, positioned over the administration area, looks out across the town, providing inspiring views of the natural surroundings of the valley.


“We felt that if the materials and function of the school are appropriate for the surroundings, the rural community would be accepting of the architecture,” said Christensen. As a hub of the surrounding community, "we wanted the new building to complement the natural beauty of Monroe and the landscape that serves as its backdrop.”


The picturesque foothills nearby inspired the colors and materials utilized for South Sevier Middle School. The brick, block, and stone choices created a unified design palette to complement the surrounding neighborhood and landscape. Copper-colored panels also match the natural hues within the nearby mountainside. Sevier Plateau, located behind the school, includes several canyons whose geographic form provided an additional inspirational spark for the school.


Prioritizing Needs

The main entrance, Christensen explained, acts as a pseudo-canyon through the building, with ceiling clouds rising to the second story. The front staircase looks up into the media center with aluminum-framed storefront windows. A stairway at the base of the long, narrow, two story “canyon” corridor links the classroom stacks to the north wing and its functions.

Security, Christensen said, was a top concern for the new, energy-efficient build. The two classroom stacks can be closed off in an emergency situation and accessed by the main stairway at the main entrance of the building. 


“To help with shutting off the classroom section from the cafeteria,” Christensen explained, “we designed an operable fire door that can be used to separate the spaces at the canyon.”


The new middle school has 19 standard classrooms as well as gymnasium, locker rooms, stage, media center, and  kitchen with a lunchroom. Equipped with a "maker space,” the school houses science labs and hands-on educational experiences like 3D-printing and virtual reality workshops.



Stained polished concrete floors in all common areas measure up to the wear and tear of middle school students, with South Sevier’s compass logo etched into the front entryway. Ample skylights and windows bring in natural light and open the space up.


South Sevier Middle School

Owner: Sevier School District

Architect: KMA Architects, Inc.

General Contractor: Valley Design & Construction

Civil Engineer: Great Basin Engineering

Electrical Engineer: Royal Engineering

Mechanical Engineer: Olsen & Peterson Consulting Engineers

Structural Engineer: Dynamic Structures

Geotech: CMT Laboratories

Landscape Architect: KMA Architects, Inc.

Plumbing & HVAC Subcontractor: SR Mechanical

Electrical Subcontractor: Snow Electrical Inc.

Concrete: RJ Christensen Construction Inc.

Steel Fabrication: OP Steel

Steel Erection: Prosteel, Inc.

Glass/Curtain Wall: G&B Glass Co.

Masonry: IMS Masonry

Tile/Stone: Westech Tile

Other Specialty Contractors: B&S Drywall Inc., Keith Pulham Painting, MC Mill & Design, Premier Floor Company Inc., All Weather Waterproofing Inc., Guaranteed Waterproofing & Construction, Carlisle Excavating, TID Demo, Hatch Precast Products, RBI Inc., Tri-Phase Electric

Latest Shifts in Structural Engineering

By By B. Garn • May 2, 2025
The continued spread of and improvements to BIM, new fuse plate technology, and the rise of mass timber are a few of the topics shaking up structural engineering in the Beehive State. Utah Construction + Design reached out to some Utah’s leading structural engineering firms to find out about current trends, technologies, and with five years of reflection, how are owners and designers looking at and learning from the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that shook the Wasatch Front in spring 2020. Jerod Johnson, Senior Principal at Reaveley Engineers, wrote a detailed retrospective of the event in 2023 and says researchers and engineers learned a few things from the quake from how different building types responded to insights into the geology of our region. “Research has revealed that the shape of the Wasatch Fault is different from what was previously believed. The Magna earthquake, initially thought to have occurred on a fault in the western part of the Salt Lake Valley, actually took place on the Wasatch Fault. The fault extends into the valley at a much shallower angle than expected, rather than descending steeply from the toe of the mountain. This new understanding of the fault's geometry has significant implications for seismic design and building codes. We anticipate changes to the spectral acceleration maps used in structural design. The lateral shaking observed during the 5.7 magnitude earthquake was much higher than expected,” says Johnson. “It highlighted the need for updated design practices that account for this amplification. These findings will influence future building codes and practices in Utah, ensuring that structures are better equipped to withstand such events.” But Chris Hofheins, a Senior Principal at BHB Structural, is concerned the wider public may not have learned enough from the event. “Most structural engineers thought the earthquake would be a wakeup call but to a large degree I think it had the opposite effect,” said Hofheins. “People looked around and felt like it wasn’t so bad and we’ll be alright if something bigger hits. We’ve seen a few owners who decided to increase the seismic safety of their buildings but we’re also seeing the opposite where I think some people are overconfident.” Blowing a Fuse Structural resilience, designing buildings that not only protect those inside during a seismic event but can be quickly reoccupied, continues to be of great interest to structural engineers. Replaceable fuses, or structural sections that can be sacrificed dissipating energy during a seismic event and then replaced, have continued to gain popularity with designers and improve the resilience of buildings. “This innovation represents a significant shift from traditional methods of enhancing ductility in earthquake design. Instead of merely adapting existing practices, replaceable fuses offer a new paradigm for building resilience,” said Dorian Adams, Senior principal and President with Reaveley Engineers. Adams said fuse technology like buckling restrained braces (BRBs) have been available and widely adopted for several decades. Newer proprietary systems like Durafuse, among others, for moment frames have been gaining popularity. “New technologies are emerging that offer exciting possibilities. One such innovation is the SpeedCore steel shear wall with a concrete core, which is included in the new AISC seismic provisions, the 2022 edition. This technology represents a significant advancement in seismic design,” said Adams. Replaceable fuse technology is also being employed with mass timber construction as interest in and use of the material around the world continues to grow. Jordan Terry, Principal at KPFF Consulting Engineers has designed structural systems for several mass timber and mass timber hybrid projects such as the ICCU Arena at the University of Idaho in Moscow and the recently completed Portland International Airport Terminal Core Redevelopment with its 400,000 sq ft mass Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) roof. He said there have been important advances recently in seismic systems for mass timber structures. “Typically, when you get a mass timber building over five stories you have to look at the seismic reinforcing and that is where you introduce something other than just timber. You might have a concrete core with the elevator shafts or use BRBs,” Terry said. “We had a client in Portland that absolutely wanted to use as much timber as possible. We helped develop a new system called a rocking CLT core wall. The base of the shear wall panels isn’t connected to the ground and it can rock back and forth but there are energy-dissipating sections or fuses, between the panels. They are very ductile. You swap them out and it’s as good as new.” David Dunn, CEO and principal at Dunn Associates, said the firm had utilized a rocking CLT shear panel in their design for a new all mass timber building currently under construction for the Zion National Park Discovery Center at the national park’s east entrance. Terry also said the firm was assisting researchers at the University of California San Diego in developing more all-timber lateral systems but noted like all materials, it should be used for its strengths. “CLT is really strong and stiff so you’d think it would be great for seismic reinforcement, but it is not very ductile,” he said. “We have a project in Spokane [Washington] where we used BRBs. We are letting the wood be stiff and strong like it wants to be and letting the BRBs deal with dissipation.” Hofheins noted mass timber research is going on here at the University of Utah as well. Dr. Chris Pantelides and the U of U’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are developing a BRB encased in timber. Adams noted Dr. Pantelides’s project is not the only fuse research underway locally. “One such project involved a device placed in the middle of an X brace, with elastic braces and a fuse at the intersection of the diagonal braces. This device would compress and stretch, cycling through combined flexure and shear,” he said. “A University of Utah PhD candidate recently further enhanced this concept in his dissertation, adding curved plates of steel that cross one another and engage in tension only after reaching a certain threshold of displacement. This supplemental strength activates only when needed, providing a dual-level design solution that accommodates different magnitudes of earthquakes. The idea of replaceable fuses holds significant potential for the future of structural design. These innovations will become an integral part of performance-based seismic design, offering tailored solutions for varying seismic events. Simpson's Yield-Link connection is another example of this technology, although it is currently more suited for smaller applications.” Dunn said making buildings resilient and potentially reusable quickly after a seismic event not only has implications for safety but for sustainability as well. “Designing resilient structures is really an environmental consideration that is undervalued in my view,” said Dunn. “Code-based buildings will undergo massive deformations and damage after an earthquake. Sometimes small, incremental increases in first-costs can make huge differences in anticipated building performance, salvaging buildings that would otherwise be landfilled. That is a huge environmental impact, but not as buzzy as bike racks, low-water urinals, solar panels, etc.”

No Waterway? No Problem for the Utah Inland Port Authority

By Taylor Larsen • May 2, 2025
Ports? In landlocked Utah? Sure, the traditional idea of a port in Utah, with cargo ships, cruise liners, container cranes, dockworkers, barges—not to mention coastal water—is farfetched. But the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) has broadened the meaning of a port since its formation in 2018. Even without a coast, UIPA has worked to strengthen rail, air, and road cargo infrastructure to turn Utah into a 21st century logistics hub and changing the economic trajectory of the Beehive State in the process. It’s been seven years of increased industrial development that has been a boon for the A/E/C community, but more importantly the logistics and manufacturing network to build for an ever-growing consumer demand. There have been plenty of detractors to UIPA, especially as it relates to ecological conservation. Ben Hart, Executive Director of UIPA, has heard it loud and clear as he sets the organization on a path to aid in development goals that benefit the entire state and the values Utahns hold dear. Origin Story + Coordinated Efforts UIPA was created to pioneer and implement strategic and sustainable logistics-backed economic solutions that enhance the lives of Utahns and establish Utah as a global industry connector. While UIPA began its journey overseeing 16,000 acres in the northwest portion of Salt Lake County, the Northwest Quadrant, it has grown in area and emphases since 2018. Today, UIPA is associated with 110,000 acres in 12 project areas across the state. Most importantly for the organization, Hart said, is how developments within UIPA project areas create high-paying jobs to strengthen Utah communities. Where regional logistics infrastructure does not exist, UIPA can make strategic investments to unlock regional economic growth. “Part of the [UIPA] charter is developing projects that provide economic strength for their entire region. Regional projects need regional infrastructure, which most importantly includes transportation infrastructure,” said Hart, detailing UIPA tools to build out transportation infrastructure intended “to help grow the entire regional economy. Hart said that UIPA has grown its overall area scope to help meet statewide initiatives from current Governor Spencer Cox and regional initiatives from municipal leaders around the Beehive State. Speaking specifically of many of Utah’s rural counties, “There is more commerce going on in those areas than what people recognize,” Hart said, “and you still have a really good workforce in those areas as well.” Municipalities and counties of all levels (see project area map) have been willing to go through a four-step process to access UIPA capabilities in route to industrial development and the high-wage jobs that come with it.

Steely Resolve

By Taylor Larsen • May 1, 2025
Tariff talk is loud. But don’t let that be the only thing that garners attention in steel fabrication trends. Leaders in this field said that they continue to innovate and build up their spot within the industry to ensure steel continues to be utilized in projects across the Beehive State. Tariffs Add Volatility On March 12th, 2025 the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. With over 25% of steel imported, according to the US Dept. of Commerce, steel procurement is set to get even pricier. Matt Blaser, President of Price-based Intermark Steel, sees plenty of similarities with tariff policy and the pandemic effects on the supply chain. Much as supply chains needed reconfiguring during the pandemic, “The overarching goal [of tariffs] is to bring manufacturing back into the United States,” said Blaser. “Where we’re not dependent on a global supply chain.” It’s worked as intended before, when 2018 tariffs (25% on steel imports) helped increase domestic steel production by 6 million tons from 2017-2019. For Richard Wood, President of West Jordan-based Rightway Steel, the expected increase in domestic steel production, “It’s just getting started. Many new companies have plans to build steel producing plants in the US.” These incoming ‘minimills’ are bringing faster throughput in a smaller area via a much more efficient steelmaking process. According to a 2020 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report, over half of the national steel output was produced in minimills. These mills use an electric arc furnace (EAF) to melt and refine steel scrap by passing an electric current from the electrodes through the materials to melt it at a scorching 3,000 degrees. It’s making blast furnaces and “rust belt” technology a thing of the past. But on-shoring production has still been a tough pill to swallow for fabricators as steel prices surge. “As of April 1st, steel material prices have increased upwards of 25%,” said Wood. “We’re unsure if or when the tariffs will be reduced.” Even as tariffs escalate, fabricators like Rightway Steel have sought a way forward even as Wood has seen demand and project starts slow down. Rightway has pivoted with new pricing, reduced quote hold times, and internal efficiencies to stay competitive. As developments in EAF take a greater share of steel production market toward stability—and hopefully lower prices—those internal efficiencies Wood mentioned will shape the future of steel fabrication. Innovating Internally “In any steel fabrication, or any type of production, there is a four letter word that makes all the difference: flow,” said Tyler Oliver, President of Centerville-based Fineline Steel Fabrication. Limiting the amount of movement required from the fabrication team in the shop is one internal efficiency keeping costs low. Inside Fineline’s shop, TV screens and tablets keep the team in the shop fully aware of what’s going on—and keep everyone in flow. Touring through the firm’s Centerville shop, one quickly notices how long the building is. Think arena football field, but five of them end to end to reach 1,000 feet long. If Fineline could have a facility twice as long and half as wide, Oliver said, it would help that flow even better. Oliver claimed that Fineline;s facility houses “One of the most state-of-the-art fabricators in the world.” Fineline’s Voortman Steel Fabricator has been a key part of the firm’s innovative flair. The fully-automated welding system starts with the VACAM system to determine the feasibility of assemblies, production times, etc—particularly helpful when determining the amount of automation required in the welding process. From there the magnetic handling robot grabs the steel pieces fed by the Fineline team, rotates the steel, and welds steel members in the right place. Rightway Steel has looked for similar internal efficiencies, with Wood saying the firm is improving year over year with new equipment and processes to improve quality, speed, and safety. “There’s always room for improvement,” he said before mentioning how it will be incumbent on fabricators to find or train workers capable of learning the ropes as the company invests in more robotic welding, improved machinery, and emerging technologies like wearable exoskeletons to keep production humming. Technological Infusion With lead times getting shorter for many of these projects, Oliver said, “[Owners] need their parts and members bigger, better, and faster. This is why we have innovated and are constantly working on adding automation.” Technological innovation reigns supreme. Construction software Stalwarts like Procore and Building Connected are combining with emerging technologies that incorporate in-field scanning from team members to improve accuracy. “We have also seen improvements in modeling and steel shop and erection drawings through Advanced Steel and Tekla,” said Wood. As modeling has improved, so has the final product created by fabricators. Blaser echoed Oliver’s comments on speed to delivery and Wood’s thoughts on digital collaboration, saying that the ability to fabricate from a digital file has been catalytic in today’s high-speed construction market. Blaser also reiterated points from the other fabricators regarding internal systems. Having a CNC machine isn’t enough—it’s the bare minimum. Instead, working in a “Henry Ford-esque” assembly line makes all the difference today, especially when combined with digital innovations and steel detailing software. But the future is one where those systems are bolstered by AI. “Larger companies will have machines interconnected via AI,” said Blaser. With enough capital to invest in interconnected machinery that needs less human help, AI adaptation within steel fabrication will “Consolidate the market and probably push smaller shops to the wayside.” For Oliver, “AI is the top of our list as it is with everyone else,” namely allowing the team to spend their time processing material for fabrication. “There are some major advancements with AI and how we can final QC some of our members.” While AI grows in importance on the shop floor, Wood said his teams have utilized AI as much as possible in the office for great efficiency in take-offs, proposals, RFI support, and meeting information.

Designing a Sustainable Future

By Taylor Larsen • May 1, 2025
“Our thinking needs to be challenged in our culture.” The words from Bill Reed came during his keynote address at the Intermountain Sustainability Summit held at Weber State University in late March. And the strength of his advocacy for a sea change in how our culture thinks about everything—especially sustainability—only continued. “There is no such thing as a sustainable building,” said Reed, Principal of Regenesis, a regenerative design and education organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Reed spoke from experience. He is a founding board member of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and Co-Founder of the LEED Green Building Rating System. For him and many others, LEED won’t be the answer to the problems posed by the built environment. “LEED came along to tell us we could do things better,” he said. “But sustainability is a slower way to die.” “Places are living organisms,” he said. Everyone involved in development must realize, “Your project is not ‘The Project,’ but is part of a living system,” where the development in question is part of an expansive web of community priorities. “We have to make common ground in these communities,” he said, where alignment results in a project that fits within multiple contexts. Reed’s words were strong, and he challenged sustainability experts to find ways to create a regenerative built environment and all of its positive outcomes. UC+D looked to continue those thoughts and reached out to multiple design experts to see how to challenge our collective thinking and steer us to a sustainable future for the built environment. Value Alignment from the Start When Garth Shaw approaches a project, he starts with a fundamental question: "What does our client want and need, and what sustainable design strategies will help them get there?" Shaw, Principal and Director of Sustainability at Salt Lake-based GSBS Architects, said the goal is a high-performance, sustainable design that promotes, rather than dictates, client objectives. Efficient, resilient, and healthy buildings emerge from this process. “There is so much momentum in the industry to move faster and cheaper,” Shaw explained. Everyone in the A/E/C industry values efficiency, and private developers and owners are no exception. However, they also prioritize predictability. Even when a project starts with ambitious sustainability goals, compressed schedules and cost pressures can lead teams back to old methods. "It worked last time!” becomes the enemy of progress. Shaw argued that the industry must create space for innovation. "We need time to drive deep value into buildings that precisely meet client needs while protecting—and even enhancing—environmental performance." Overcoming this challenge begins with aligning values. “If you can tie people’s values into a practical approach to sustainability, that’s the magic,” Shaw said. He encourages his team to lead sustainability conversations without defaulting to LEED certification. Instead, successful sustainability strategies require tools tailored to each project. This kind of value-driven approach has broad appeal, transcending political divides. Shaw noted that leaders across the political spectrum recognize the importance of sustainability through air quality and water conservation efforts. Depoliticizing environmental stewardship is key—it’s not just a policy issue but a human issue that affects everyone. Government incentives, like the Inflation Reduction Act, have helped make sustainability more attractive to owners. The IRA provides substantial discounts for projects implementing energy-efficient systems, such as Utah’s on-site ground-source thermal exchange systems, which can now receive up to a 50% discount. When cost savings are clear and measurable, sustainability becomes an easier sell. Beyond energy systems, sustainable construction also hinges on material choices. "Manufacturers and contractors aren’t used to tracking carbon impacts," Shaw noted, but forward-thinking industry leaders continue pushing for better transparency. Tools from organizations like the Carbon Leadership Forum help architects, builders, and owners visualize the carbon footprint of materials, empowering them to make informed decisions. For the A/E/C industry, staying ahead requires continuous learning—keeping up with evolving grants, materials, supply chains, and building systems. Shaw concluded, “Change is required, and that change will ultimately benefit our clients. It may take more time, but the result is a high-value project—for people and the environment.”

Something New

By Doug Fox • May 1, 2025
The recently completed Duchesne High School (DHS) renovation is a textbook case of the old wedding adage: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Fittingly, the project resulted in an elegant marriage of design, construction, and community spirit. The old and new are carefully blended, with brand-new buildings and modernized spaces standing alongside preserved sections of renovations past. And to tie it all together? The commons area, a brand-new roof, and other key highlights are bathed in Duchesne’s signature blue color. Naturally, like any good marriage, this $62.9 million rebuild required commitment, collaboration, and a little bit of patience. Architects, builders, and school district officials worked hand in hand to ensure that the old and new came together in harmony—honoring the school’s legacy while preparing it for the future. “We strived to make a space that brings pride to the students, staff, and the community,” said Wes Christensen, Principal Architect at KMA Architects, the Spanish Fork firm that designed the rebuild. “Our approach and design philosophy were heavily influenced by the desire to create a cohesive and efficient addition that would seamlessly blend with the existing portions to remain. We feel that we were able to accomplish this successfully, working together as a design team, including our consulting engineers, the school district, school administration, and Westland Construction.” Save the Date The Duchesne High School rebuild has been on the drawing board for nearly seven years and in the construction phase for 33 months. KMA started the design process in 2018, but the project was put on hold by the Duchesne County School District due to COVID and faced additional delays because of supply chain issues and long lead times for equipment. Westland Construction of Orem eventually earned the CM/GC bid and broke ground in June 2022. The high school remained open during the course of construction, creating the need for innovative and meticulous planning to ensure safety while working around normal school activity. “The new addition at the school was built where there was a field, parking lot, old basketball gym, and shop classrooms,” said Aaron Kirkham, Project Manager at Westland Construction. “The remodel and construction in the existing school areas were done during the school summer breaks.” When school was in session, temporary construction fencing and gates around active working areas served to keep students safe, Kirkham said. Construction delineation kept workers and equipment separated from students and staff. According to Michael Weldon, Building and Grounds Supervisor with the Duchesne County School District (DCSD), the detached gym and locker rooms were built in 1965, the auditorium and shops built in 1974, and a newer building added to campus in 2005. “The parts of the school that were demolished did not meet current building codes,” Weldon said. “The original auditorium was extremely small and the shops were also small. You had to go outside and through a parking lot to get to the second gym. The new build project incorporated the shops, an auditorium, and gym attached to the 2005 building so that they feel and look like they were built at the same time.” Bridging the old and new construction is always a unique factor that is different for any remodel and addition project, Christensen said. “These previous additions were designed by another architect, so that also creates a challenge to overcome in blending styles and design choices.” One of the most significant hurdles revolved around the central placement of the auditorium within the new school structure. While beneficial in creating a focal point for the building, the new auditorium posed myriad logistical challenges during construction. According to Kirkham, a 28,000-pound steel beam needed to be placed to support the structure’s masonry walls, which were 35 feet tall. The beam placement required a 550-ton crane, which had to be strategically positioned where the future gym would be constructed. “As a result, we had to delay the construction of the masonry walls in the new gymnasium until the beam was in place,” Kirkham said. “This sequencing created a very compressed and demanding schedule to ensure the new basketball gym was completed in time for the start of the school year in August 2024.” Despite those constraints, Kirkham said, construction on the gym’s masonry walls and concrete slab began in January of 2024 and was completed within seven months.

The New SLC Rolls On

By Milton Harrison • May 1, 2025
The historic Salt Lake City Airport Redevelopment (the New SLC) project continues to roll on into its fourth—and final—phase, with a targeted finish in October 2026 and final delivery of 16 new gates in Concourse B that will allow it to serve 34 million passengers annually. At a whopping $5.135 billion, the New SLC marks the single largest project in Utah's history, with the Phase I grand opening in September 2020 the first of many project milestones. The New SLC also sports the distinction of being the first new hub airport in the U.S. built in the 21st century, making it one of the most modern, technologically advanced, and aesthetically pleasing airports in the world. Last October, the $458 million Phase III was delivered by the Holder/Big-D Construction Joint Venture (HDJV) team, highlighted by the dynamic new 1,175-foot Central Tunnel—dubbed the "River Tunnel" for its mesmerizing blue ceiling art installation that depicts a flowing river—along with the Concourse B Plaza. The new plaza features an extension of the popular canyon motif with new art installations and the remarkable preservation of the former airport’s iconic "World Map" terrazzo floor section originally installed in 1960. Mike Williams, Program Director for the New SLC, expressed his excitement at the completion of Phase III, saying it's the most significant project milestone since Phase I opened in 2020. "This is really what I call the second transformation of the airport. The first was when we opened Phase I in the fall of 2020," said Williams, the veritable maestro of this Herculean, once-in-a-lifetime project. “[Phase III] is the one that ties it all together and makes it function as one cohesive airport." Williams said it's been remarkable to see how this project has morphed since it was announced more than a dozen years ago. At that time, the scope called for constructing just a new Concourse A and landside facilities. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, a mere six months before the scheduled grand opening of Phase I, SLC Airport officials pivoted with the original program and called for Concourse B to be built as well, essentially adding Phase III and Phase IV and nearly doubling the program budget to exceed $5 billion. Having the same general contractor team (HDJV) and design team, led by San Francisco-based HOK, on all four phases allowed a more seamless expansion since the goal of building Concourse B was to have it look and function virtually the same as Concourse A. Bill Wyatt, Executive Director of Airports for Salt Lake City, has been involved since 2017 and praised all parties involved for the successful completion of three major phases thus far, and for continually trying to improve the construction process from phase to phase. "During Phase I, we had this constant barrage of issues," said Wyatt. "I'd go on these construction walks with Mike [Williams], and someone from [HDJV], and it was a constant series of decisions that had to be made. We fixed all of those little things so that almost none of those issues were in Phase III and Phase IV. It's kind of like rinse and repeat—they're going on 10 years of building gates, and they have it pretty well down by now." Wyatt agreed with Williams that Phase III is the essential functional piece tying the entire project together, with the Central Tunnel being a vital connector between the two new concourses. The Central Tunnel makes a strong statement with its unique aesthetics and general stress-free vibe—highlighted by a carefully curated music playlist designed to help visitors decompress from the stresses of traveling on their journey to Concourse B. "In some ways, other than the [Phase I] grand opening itself in 2020, the opening of Phase III is the most significant," said Wyatt. "It makes the airport flow and function so much more effectively. Prior to this, people had a hard time understanding how it was going to come together—the Central Tunnel and Plaza of Concourse B really bring that together. We're very happy with the end result, the art [...] everything about it is terrific." "There has been a ton of excitement seeing the public's reaction to the Central Tunnel opening," added Jordan Cammack, Construction Director for the past two years for HDJV, and a former Project Manager and Senior Project Manager who has been on the job since construction began in July 2014. He praised the cohesiveness of the design and construction teams over the past 11 years and the ability to make changes without disrupting the schedule or budget. "It's been impressive to see how the architect and design teams came together and worked with us throughout the project," Cammack added. "It's been a great job—it's been like a family out here with all our team members, owner reps, and architects. We've seen families grow up. It's a pleasure to come to work with such great people for an extended period of time."

New Life for the 200 South Transit Corridor

By Taylor Larsen • May 1, 2025
“What does this corridor want to be when it grows up?” The question posed by Kyle Cook was the impetus for the 200 South Reconstruction project. It helped usher in a new era for Salt Lake City’s bus corridor with the tagline: “200 South—A Place of Motion” Cook, PE and Transportation Engineer for Salt Lake City, said 200 South was discussed years before design and construction commenced, namely from the capital city’s 2017 Transit Master Plan. After evaluating 15 corridors, 200 South was deemed the most important. “A strategic corridor,” said Cook of the area from Salt Lake Central Station to the University of Utah. Working in tandem with UTA and multiple Salt Lake City departments, the design would condense the five lanes of the old street into three passenger vehicle lanes, two dedicated bus lanes, and two bike lanes. It would create a street that matches the urban character of the area, one that is much safer and better equipped to handle the multimodal traffic on 200 South. Building for Community Needs As the Salt Lake City team went from master plan to design in the early days of the pandemic, they turned to online workshops, surveys, and virtual town halls on Facebook Live to get feedback on what folks hoped to see from a reconstructed 200 South along an area between 900 East and 400 West. “At the time, that was pretty novel for us,” Cook said of that public involvement work from the city and AECOM consultants, who served as project prime. “But I think we got very good at it.” They took in nearly 1,000 survey responses plus online event insights to determine the street needed to accommodate not just buses and passenger vehicles, but pedestrians, cyclists, and the array of businesses housed along the corridor. Reconstruction of 200 South was a two-phase project, where Phase 1 would cover 900 East to 200 East, and Phase 2 would reconstruct the far busier part of the project between 200 East and 400 West. Working with the Business Community Road construction is the bane of many and grows more challenging for a project team attempting to accommodate businesses and travelers while building in an urban environment. “It’s as downtown as it gets,” said Brett Kearns of the project scope. “The amount of vehicular or foot traffic passing through, and knowing you have to re-do the entire street, remove curb, gutter, and flatwork—it’s a huge concern.” Kearns, Project Manager/Estimator for Acme Construction, said they worked hand in hand with Salt Lake City and the public engagement team at Avenue Consultants to address business needs as construction continued between each phase. “In order for 200 South to succeed, we have to have good contact within our team and good contact with businesses,” said Kearns. “The first thing we did was canvas on the corridor,” said Stacee Adams, Public Involvement Manager from Avenue Consultants, who managed public involvement from the end of design through project completion. Adams said the team “went business to business” to show them what would go in place, infrastructure amenities, and what to expect in construction. Beyond the initial meet-and-greet, the team hosted workshops at Gallivan Plaza, took daily phone calls, and met with businesses monthly to keep them in the know. They also provided information to event attendees at places like the Greek Fest (300 West) and the Salt Palace (West Temple - 200 West) to keep visitors aware of construction impacts. Working Around the Barriers Acme’s experience on other Salt Lake City projects, notably the successful 900 South Corridor reconstruction, gave the city confidence that the Acme team would build community trust in each phase. That proved especially critical with the Capitol Theatre (50 West). Uneven grades surrounding the building posed one challenge while accommodating Capitol Theatre’s busy schedule posed another. Beyond venue patrons, “[Capitol Theatre] has load-in for their stage equipment, performers and costuming coming in, plus students coming in on school days for plays,” said Adams of the complicated logistics plan required. “We found out the best time for them was for construction to work from the beginning of July to August 15th,” said Kearns, who noted the atypical nature of the project required a level of dedication matched by the construction team across both phases. Kearns especially praised Acme Superintendent Herman Sword, who coordinated across the project’s two phases and ongoing construction projects nearby to ensure good outcomes for everyone. The Acme team installed plenty of asphalt and concrete to give the road and sidewalk new life around a bevy of ongoing work. Enbridge Gas installed their pipeline along the same corridor, Royal Wood Plaza (230 West) underwent demolition, and construction progressed on Zephyr Lofts (370 West) and Astra Tower (State Street).

40 Years of Aiming High

By Brad Fullmer • April 30, 2025
Steel Encounters' Executive Leadership team consists of (Left to right): Brad Hardy, President; Brian Tlustosch, Executive VP: Tom Jackson, Chairman/CEO; Michael Rudge, CFO.

Economists Remain Optimistic about Utah

By Milt Harrison • February 28, 2025
Despite some minor economic headwinds, Utah is poised for another solid, if semi-unspectacular, year of construction and real estate development, according to top economists locally and nationally. Indeed, 2025 is shaping up to be much like 2024, a year where firms across the A/E/C spectrum completed dozens of life-enhancing, community-uplifting projects across every major building sector—in other words, a lot of projects were built outside of the still churning multi-family market. These firms thrived for the most part, posting positive revenue growth and maintaining momentum in the face of the usual challenges of shallow labor pools and volatile material costs. Utah continues to rank among the top states nationally on key economic drivers such as population growth, construction employment, a pro-business climate, and a legislative body that continues to be bullish on funding higher education and transportation projects. Prospects are good with a can-do mentality among developers, municipalities, and the firms designing and building the jobs. "Utah will continue to have above average growth and is in great position to continue its great track record with a growing population, and a strong economy and construction market," said Ken Simonson, Chief Economist for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA) in Washington, D.C. "Utah has been on a steady, strong upward path with 27% growth in construction employment—three times the national average of 9%—since 2020." Simonson said Utah's construction employment growth doubled last year, up 6%, which is twice the U.S. average. Growth would be even stronger, he added, if contractors could find workers, particularly skilled tradesmen. Simonson said a survey of 1,500 firms nationally stated 94% had openings for craft workers. "It's hard to fill (skilled) positions, more difficult than last year," he added. Utah's consistent population growth—the Beehive State ranked fourth according to the U.S. Census from 2023-24 with 1.8% growth (3.44 million to 3.50 million)—is a driver of demand for so many types of construction, as well as a course of construction labor. Simonson said the state has been more welcoming of immigrants, an important source of labor for contractors across the board. Utahns also have a reputation for being well-educated coupled with a strong work ethic and drive to succeed, making the state an attractive place for new businesses looking to expand. Developers Waiting Out Interest Rates; Hope for a Drop in '25 The Fed kept interest rates where they are in January—a decision not popular with many real estate developers simply itching to invest capital and have projects waiting to cut loose the minute rates become more favorable. That pent-up demand could heat up the market if rates drop by even half a point, particularly in the multi-family arena. Simonson said multi-family was down nationally 8% from September 2023-24, with Utah seeing an equivalent slowdown, despite a huge amount of inventory that hit the market in 2024, including attractive high-end downtown properties like Camber, The Worthington, and Astra Tower, and many others along the greater Wasatch Front. "Reductions in the [Fed]’s short-term interest rate target will make financing a bit less expensive but developers still can't get loans or want to proceed if rents aren't high enough to cover the financing and construction costs, including time to complete if there are extended delivery times for electrical equipment such as transformers and switchgear," Simonson added. "Utah isn't immune from these challenges, but if the underlying population growth will be supportive of rent increases, that may bring back multi-family construction sooner than in areas that aren't growing as fast, or at all." Spendlove Keynote at 2025 NAIOP Symposium Senior Economist for Zions Bank, Robert Spendlove, said Utah is well-positioned to maintain solid economic activity, with factors of low unemployment (hovering around 4%), solid wage growth (3.9% in December), and more than a quarter million jobs added at the end of last year. "Utah had unexpected, continued strength in the labor market," said Spendlove at NAIOP Utah's 2025 Symposium in January. "If we could pause the economy and stay where we're at now, we'd be in a perfect position." Consumer inflation, he said, remains sticky at nearly 3%, with the Fed targeting 2% before they can lower interest rates. "Until it's at 2%, they can't claim victory," he said. Overall, consumer prices are up a whopping 22% since 2020. "It's a struggle for people—those prices are never going back down. Inflation is just adding to those price increases. [Fed Chair Jerome] Powell said they will not make the same mistake as the 70s; they will not cut rates until inflation is down." In addition to strong 1.65% [WHAT TYPE OF] growth and 1.8% employment growth, Utah rebounded quickly from the pandemic. "That shows the strength of Utah's economy and labor market," said Spendlove. He added that Utah's GDP was up 4.6%, indicating the strongest economic growth in the U.S., with consumer sentiment improving and greater small business optimism. Utah Maintains Steady Growth, Says Eskic The Beehive State's remarkably consistent and steady growth remains a major reason why its economic outlook remains rosy, said Dejan Eskic, Senior Research Fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. "Utah's population growth has never dropped below zero since 1950—we're still increasing with net migration," said Eskic at an event hosted by the Intermountain Chapter of the American Concrete Institute in January, with growth slowing by only .08 to 1.65% "There is so much demand in our economy that even in a down year for housing, construction employment is up 6.2%," he said. "The American household, on average, has never looked better on paper when looking at financial stability," with 70% of household debt tied to mortgages. Living in Utah is still expensive, even though the state is now listed as the 10th most expensive state to live in, down from 8th. "It doesn't mean Utah is more affordable, other states are just more expensive." The housing crisis will remain among the biggest challenges, both with affordable housing and overall number of units that need to be built. Governor Spencer Cox has made his intentions known that communities need to prioritize ways to address all housing issues, with a desire to see tens of thousands of single family homes built in the next decade. Way easier said than done, simply because developers cannot be expected to be altruistic when market conditions are competitive and profit margins potentially volatile and risky. He expects rents to increase once absorption is reached. Other items of note: —Consumer Price Index dipped to 2.6%, where it is expected to stay. —Expect growth in wages and employment. —Commercial construction will be primarily flat, similar to the last two years. —Office is flat, medical and industrial markets will continue to grow; industrial may be dictated by international trade. —Utah expects to add 500,000 people in the next decade, and will need a jaw-dropping 275,000 more housing units in that time, primarily along the Wasatch Front. "We need to change the dialogue if we're going to solve the housing crisis," said Eskic. "Currently, 92% of renters are priced out of the market. Construction must be optimized."

Waterworks in the Wilderness

By Taylor Larsen • February 28, 2025
July 23rd, 1847 was a pivotal day for the pioneers. Records from the time detailed how the advance party trekking into the Salt Lake Valley built a dam to convey water from City Creek to freshly plowed land. Years later, the city hired civil and hydraulic engineer Herman Schussler to design a system to bring water through laminated wood pipes to 20,000 Salt Lake City residents while preparing for future growth. Schussler said, in a presentation to Brigham Young in 1872, “I propose to construct the pipe system of the City of such dimensions as to be capable of supplying five million gallons per diem.” While those original pipes couldn’t make it to year two, the design was in place for cast iron pipes to go in their place in 1876. The 37 carloads of cast iron pipe, plumbing tools, water gates, and more came from multiple suppliers from eastern US industrial hubs of St. Louis, Boston, and Louisville, KY. Those collaborative efforts brought modern waterworks “in our lovely Deseret,” collecting water from 19.2 square miles of watershed that feeds the 14.5-mile-long City Creek stream. Modernity Fast forward nearly 150 years, past chlorination that arrived in the 1920s, past the first water treatment facility constructed in Utah, the City Creek Water Treatment Plant in 1953, past filter installation in 1966, and past the canyon reopening for recreational use in 1975—Salt Lake City needed a new treatment facility to keep clean water flowing. The Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU) partnered with engineering firm Brown and Caldwell in design in 2018 to envision and engineer something new to ensure resiliency and reliable water service to its customers. While the plant escaped any critical damage in the March 2020 earthquake, it was a reminder of the urgent need to create a new facility. Design and construction would work around a coterie of barriers and challenges—keeping operations ongoing while building on a challenging site three miles into the wilderness—to produce the future of water treatment for Salt Lake City.
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