SALT LAKE CITY evo-LUTION

Granary District’s new evo Campus is a stunning adaptive re-use that brings excitement to Salt Lake’s west side while engaging the local outdoor recreation community.
By Emma Penrod

The Bouldering Project is one of the many unique spaces at Campus Salt Lake (photo by Jeramiah Watt). Dramatic murals (left) associated with evo’s outdoor lifestyle offer a stark contrast to the rustic elements of the historic building, including beautifully-preserved 100-year old wood trusses (photo by Gabe Roth, PhotoFusionMedia).

A mishmash of a hotel, bouldering gym, skate park, café, retail shops, and more may not seem like the most logical development choice by today’s standards, but for a 100-year-old warehouse with nearly as many additions as it now has tenants, it was, perhaps, the most authentic.


evo’s new Campus Salt Lake, which opened to the public formally in June, features an eclectic blend of tenants. These include the Salt Lake Bouldering Project’s 26,000-SF gym, homegrown outdoor retailer Level 9 Sports, and of course the evo Hotel, the first of its kind by the outdoor lifestyle brand founded by Bryce Phillips, who founded evo in 2001 as an e-commerce outdoor retail company. That unique blend of tenants reflected what the development team found when they first toured the Campus site in Salt Lake’s Granary District.


The original warehouse on the site was constructed in 1891, according to Arne Westbye, Project Superintendent for general contractor Kier Construction of Ogden. Additional warehouses were built through 1954, and over time, developers began to fill in between the separate buildings to combine them into a single space. In addition to a mix of materials ranging from plaster walls to steel beams, the property boasted historical amenities such as a buried former railway line beneath it, and specialized rooms for storing cotton in the basement.


Between that and its location near downtown Salt Lake, I-80, and Salt Lake City International Airport, the old warehouse had everything evo had been looking for, according to Tommy Trause, Head of New Locations and Hospitality for Seattle-based evo + evolution projects.


evo got its start as an online outfitter, distributing sporting goods from Phillips’ garage in Washington State, Trause said. But as the company expanded and began to offer more real-world, experience-based retail options, Salt Lake—a city with which it had little familiarity—kept showing up on the radar.


They had some connections in the area, Trause said, and one of those contacts recommended they look for a property in the Granary District. This eventually led them to what was then, at least on the outside, an unremarkable vacant warehouse.


“We do see the beauty in those old warehouses,” Trause said. “You walk into a building that is forgotten and somewhat left for dead, and you see this gorgeous brick and 100-year-old trusses—the bones and DNA of that building are spectacular.”


Working with old buildings always comes with surprises, but the vision evo laid out for its new campus was essentially what you see at the site today, according to Project Architect Aaron Day, a Senior Associate at Salt Lake-based Lloyd Architects. The key tenants were committed to the project from the beginning, giving it both a clear structure and needed financial stability, explains Newton Brieter, Creative Director for developer Lake Union Partners of Seattle.


“They created a story book of ‘This is what we want to do’—this is the experience we are going to be providing,” Day recalled. 


The core element, Day said, is the great hall, a spine from which everything else could branch. From the main entryway, guests have access to the L9 and evo retail spaces, the hotel check in desk, a cafe, and—at the end of the hallway—the bouldering gym. And evo wanted to make it all happen while making as few changes to the property as possible.


“We wanted to leave exposed all of that character so you could see the building had seen 120 years of use,” said Breiter. “The new design elements were intended to contrast that, not replicate it.”


Fortunately, Day said, the warehouse property lent itself well to the objective. Although combined over the years, the warehouse is still clearly comprised of five separate buildings, each with its own style. So, the team took advantage of the site’s quirks. The Bouldering Project would go in the newest section, which featured block walls and steel trusses from the 1950s, while the retail space was assigned an older portion of the building with exposed brick and gabled wood trusses.


But the project would require making some changes to the property, Day said, because the original square footage was not large enough to accommodate the hotel evo hoped to build. Designers took advantage of the warehouse’s tall ceilings and added a second floor for the hotel rooms, raising the ceilings for just 13 of the rooms.


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The addition, Day said, is concealed by a replica of a historic sign they noticed in pictures of the building from the 1920s. This had the added benefit of creating private outdoor patios for some of the hotel rooms.


Warren Lloyd, Founding Partner of Lloyd Architects, said the fact that the 47-room hotel occupies four separate fingers of the building—overlooking the bouldering gym and also tucked into the rafters and into the historic building’s façade—presented some unique challenges. 


“We had to work creatively to interpret how the hotel rooms could fit into the roofline of the building and respect the standards, while we added not only hotel rooms, but the walkout decks,” said Lloyd. “It was a collaboration not only of evo and Bouldering Project, but the (Utah) State Historic Preservation Office to meet standards for historic rehabilitation.”


“It’s their first branded hotel,” Lloyd continued, “and it was really a bold, creative venture. Not many businesses can brand (their) own hotel, but they have integrated the evo brand, they have an outdoor community and have a network that makes them somewhat unique. They said ‘we’re going to start with outdoor enthusiasts’ […] (and) realized it’s beyond that. They have created an inviting environment where business and leisure travelers are drawn to the activities.” 


Lloyd added his firm relishes working on historic projects, with the Granary Campus a particularly satisfying endeavor. 


“For me personally and us as a firm, we love history, but we love adaptive reuse of structures to meet our current needs,” he said. “We are a modern architecture office but being able to work within historic environments allows us to think creatively.”


“When you look at the physical site itself, you have this view of the Wasatch Mountains, the canyons, and then downtown, and we wanted to make sure we preserved these sightlines and ground the project in a sense of place,” Trouse said.


Even if the design came together relatively smoothly, construction in a historic structure is never without it challenges, said Andrew Smith, Vice President of Operations at Kier Construction.


“The safety measures are much more extensive than normal when you’re cutting into a brick wall that’s crumbling as you do it—in order to ensure you have what you intended come down, and not what you didn’t intend,” Smith said. 


While adding the second floor, Kier Project Manager Paul West said, one section butted up against an unreinforced brick wall built in the 1990s. In order to ensure the wall stayed put, he says, the team essentially built an “external skeleton” of steel to support the structure. Elsewhere, the team added 8-inch concrete facings to keep existing walls, especially the exterior walls, intact.


In addition to maintaining the building’s historic heritage, evo also wanted the campus to reflect the flavor of the local community. This took the form of hiring 62 local artists, through a collaboration with a Utah-based photographer, to create pieces for the hotel rooms and on-site art galleries. 


“The Granary neighborhood has a rich history of street art and local artisans, so we hired a lot of people from that neighborhood,” Trause said. “We even hired a furniture maker who is two doors down from us.”


But beyond a one-time collaboration, Trause continued, evo aimed to create a space that would continue to invite in and engage with the local community for years to come. Making the “All Together Skate Park”—an onsite indoor/outdoor skate park—the building’s “front porch” was a conscious decision, he said.


“We have found, and strongly believe, that skate is one of the most tangible, accessible ways to invite people into the action sports industry,” Trause said. “It has a much lower cost barrier [and] a good history of inviting all humans.”


So far, this decision seems to be paying off and making the neighbors feel just as welcome in evo’s new campus as the international guests they hope to attract to their hotel. But the greatest award, he said, is watching the community come into the campus and make it their own.


“I think with the grand opening party and a few different events we have held so far, we

are seeing little kids running around, people who you wouldn’t see as specifically outdoor-focused,” Trause said. “I think that will eventually be our litmus test as far as, ‘Did we succeed?’ We are really proud and humbled with being able to walk away now that other people are taking control, operating the building, and making sure it does feel like home and welcome all these people.” 



Granary Campus

Owner: Granary Campus, LLC

Owner’s Rep: Newton Breiter

Developer: Lake Union Partners


Design Team

Architect: Lloyd Architects

Civil: Johanson Engineering

Electrical & Mechanical: Royal Engineering

Structural: Calder Richards Consulting Engineers

Geotech: IGES

Landscape: Loft Six-Four

Interior Design/Furniture: Vida Design


Construction Team

General Contractor: Kier Construction Corp.

Plumbing: Robert W. Speirs Plumbing

HVAC: CFM Heating & Air

Electrical: Next Level Electric & Salmon Electric

Concrete: Black Rock Concrete

Steel Fabrication: Gos’s Welding

Glass/Curtain Wall: Spencer’s Glass & Construction

Masonry: RJ Masonry

Drywall/Acoustics: Wallboard Specialties

Painting: Keith Pulham Painting

Tile/Stone: Popp Enterprises

Carpentry: Ron J. Peterson Construction, Inc. & Bedier Construction

Flooring: Popp Enterprises

Roofing: Weather Tech Fabricators

Excavation: TEC Excavation

Demolition: TEC Excavation (site demo); A-Core Concrete Cutting, (interior demo)

Landscaping: Landscape Specialties; Mountain West Paver Specialists

Q&A with Nathan Goodrich

By UC&D • August 1, 2025
Nathan Goodrich

100 Years & Five Generations

By Brad Fullmer • August 1, 2025
Paul founded Paulsen Construction in 1925 after immigrating from Norway 16 years prior. Sprague Library in Sugar House was originally built by Paul, and then restored nearly 100 years later, led by current President John Paulsen.

State of Industry; State of Progress

By Utah C&D • August 1, 2025
West Valley City Veteran’s Memorial Expansion Owner: West Valley City Architect: EDA Architects GC: Okland Construction Estimated Completion Date: September 2025

Showroom Showstopper

By Taylor Larsen • August 1, 2025
Commercial office is not dead. The market is alive and well, according to the design pros at HB Workplaces team. Their new office and showroom in Draper, and what it has done for employees and clients, is a case in point. All it took was a change in scenery. Transitioning from the B'Nai Israel Temple, built in 1890, to a new space was a welcome change for the team. "I just remember working between 2015 and 2020, and it was just," Keilian Meyer trailed off as he described the former office, a historic religious building converted into an office and showroom in 1987. Minimal natural lighting, rooms and layouts misaligned for team needs—their space wasn't bringing out anyone's best work. Meyer, Marketing Director for HB Workplaces, said going to work didn't engender a sense of engagement. "It was kind of punch in and punch out." But everything coalesced with their move. "The timing aligned perfectly," Meyer said of the June 2024 move and their rebrand from the year before from Henriksen/Butler to HB Workplaces. Dual Purposes Come to Life It aligned with every real estate broker's favorite word: location. Planting the HB Workplaces flag in the award-winning Baltic Pointe made perfect sense, especially with its epicenter locale between the booming economies of Salt Lake and Utah counties. HB Workplaces CEO Dave Colling summed it all up succinctly: "Our new headquarters is not just another building; it's a statement of our appreciation and stewardship of design, built upon decades-long heritage of our own, along with MillerKnoll, underscoring our commitment to excellence." The mass timber ceilings in HB Workplaces' first-floor office in Baltic Pointe—the first of their kind for a commercial building in Utah—are part of that commitment. Everything seems warmer, healthier, and better under the all-lumber ceiling. "We've always been drawn to inspiring architecture, and the natural warmth and intentionality of this structure made it a natural fit," said Meyer. HB Workplaces sought to make their mass timber home a showpiece for the beautiful and wide-ranging possibilities of today's commercial interiors, serving as an office for the HB Workplaces team and a showroom for interior designers and architects looking to envision their next project. That dual nature comes through perfectly across the space, with the showroom piece especially highlighted in the "Living Room" and its 382 SF of mid-century modern glory. The unforgettable Eames Lounge chair catches the eye, but closer inspection reveals some nods to the B'Nai Israel Temple's stained glass windows and other homages to the deep histories of the Herman Miller and Knoll brands. The room's mid-century-style lounge chairs, couches, ottomans, and side tables—all MillerKnoll line, of course—combine with gentle lighting to create the perfect spot for hosting. Brit Badger, HB Workplaces' VP of Client Development, explained how the Living Room is ideal for getting to know their design partners and clients, especially for a first meeting. "It's not all the same seating everywhere, like it would be at a conference room," she explained of how the varied seating choices—the Nelson Coconut Lounge Chair is often first dibs—help to create a relaxed and comfortable environment. "It's cool to see who chooses what. It's a fun way to start."

ASCE 2025 Report Card For Utah

By Brad Fullmer • August 1, 2025
Bragging about a “C+” might seem gauche, but Utah is one of only four states to earn that high a grade, according to the May 28 release by the Utah Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) of the 2025 Report Card for Utah’s Infrastructure. The cumulative “C+” for the Beehive State is the highest mark ever given by ASCE to any individual state—the report card itself spans 12 categories of infrastructure and is virtually unchanged from 2020 (ASCE issues report cards every four years). Utah's grade is also one step higher than the national infrastructure average grade of “C” in the ASCE 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which dropped in March. Roads (B+) and Bridges (B) remain the stars of the class, as the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) continues to receive consistent state funding in furthering its aggressive program of building new projects to meet ongoing demand, while diligently maintaining existing infrastructure. “Our transit and transportation are doing fabulous," said Anna Lisonbee, President of ASCE Utah and an Engineer-in-Training at South Jordan-based Hansen, Allen & Luce. “UDOT and UTA are lauded as some of the most efficient [organizations] nationwide, so we’re doing very well in that category.” Aviation infrastructure was the only category to see a grade increase—somewhat predictable given the sheer amount of capital investment made over the past decade at Salt Lake International Airport, Provo Airport, and other regional airports statewide. Three categories—bridges, s tormwater, and transit—saw grade decreases. The remaining eight categories held steady from 2020. "Utah is one of the fastest-growing states in the country, and state leaders have taken steps to ensure the reliability of infrastructure systems as more people move here to enjoy Utah's thriving communities, amazing outdoors, and high quality of life," said Craig Friant, Utah Civil Practice Lead for South Jordan-based Wilson & Company and Chair of the 2025 Report Card for Utah's Infrastructure. Utah grades per category: Roads: B+ Bridges: B Drinking Water, Solid Waste, Transit: B- Aviation, Dams, Hazardous Waste: C+ Stormwater, Wastewater: C Canals: D+ Levees: D-

Toward The Promised Land

By Taylor Larsen • August 1, 2025
"What gets you out of Egypt doesn't take you to the promised land." The quote, as I first heard it, came from Ron Dunn, Founder of Salt Lake structural engineering firm Dunn Associates. While he was talking about the differences between founding and growing a company, the same principle holds true in developing a robust transportation infrastructure. In other words: "What got us here will not take us there." What has taken us here has been development dedicated to personal vehicles and last-mile freight—a stellar network of roads and highways from massive investments in horizontal construction. But what will get us "there" to the promised land? What will bring us to a future where Utahns can have the freedom to move without a car? Unified Plan for a Connected Utah? We'll certainly wander in the West Desert without a plan. Lucky us, we have hundreds of agreed-upon proposals across metropolitan planning organizations, cities and towns, counties, and even the Utah Department of Transportation. The Beehive State's guiding document toward long-term transportation plans, whether for cars or not, is found in the Utah Unified Transportation Plan, also known as the Unified Plan. The visionary document aims to prioritize funding across multiple transportation options and give residents choices, ranging from personal vehicles to mass transit and active transportation. Residents and metropolitan planning organizations across the state have added their input to further unify the state's trajectory. Key in Utah's Unified Plan, as documented, is analyzing and ultimately determining how transportation projects in Utah should be funded between 2023 - 2050. With projected needs across that timeline estimated at $153 billion in today's dollars, current revenue sources generating just under a projected $95 billion, and future revenue streams projected to generate just over $18 billion, we're going to be short. But where is that money going? Most often, it's funding roads. According to the Unified Plan, transportation needs from road capacity, maintenance, preservation, and operations project at a whopping $110 billion between 2023 - 2050, with a $29 billion funding gap in revenue. Funding future mass transit capacity ($14.8 billion) and operations ($19.8 billion) over the next 25 years costs a fraction of the projected costs for roads and highways. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison, admittedly, as massive funding for highways and freeways has created so much, but where do state priorities lead? Budget at a Glance Utah continues to tread the asphalt and concrete highway to prioritize highway funding. UDOT's FY2026 funding document shows $2.5 billion in funding. Estimated Transportation Investment Fund (TIF) expenditures, primarily used for improving or optimizing capacity, are projected at $1.2 billion. Within the TIF, Class B & Class C Roads, county roads and city streets, respectively, will receive $261 million, Highway Systems Construction $205 million, and Operations/Maintenance $254 million. It makes sense when $883 million in projected revenue for FY2026 comes from user-based fees, permits, and gas tax revenues (set to be 40 cents per gallon in 2026). On the other hand, UDOT-funded mass transit receives a bulk of its budget from the above-mentioned Transportation Investment Fund—35% of the index fuel tax sales tax goes into the Transit Transportation Investment Fund. For FY2026, transit and commuter rail projects will receive $103 million. John Gleason, UDOT's Sr. Public Information Officer, said there is a major shift happening within UDOT over the last decade-plus to give some "gas" to other forms of transportation. "All transportation is important to us. For every project we undertake, we are looking at the different components across all modes—cars, transit, bikes, trails," Gleason said. "We need to keep an eye on how the entire transportation system can function across the state." The words and shift in priorities are welcome, but what "Keeps Utah Moving", will not be more highway lanes or highway construction that receives the lion's share of transportation funding. Utah highways, like those in so many other states, are the victims of induced demand. The phenomenon is a matter of economics. For vehicle transportation, each lane added, highway developed, or road widened helps to expand capacity on these newly modified transportation corridors. However, expanding capacity does not mean solving traffic concerns. While capacity expands, more people are "induced" to use these freshly expanded corridors, lanes fill back to capacity, and commutes return to their sluggish nature. This never-ending quest to meet our transportation needs is set to play out again on I-15. UDOT is set to add another lane on I-15 from Farmington to Salt Lake, and do so at a multi-billion-dollar price tag. Surely this lane will be "The One" that fixes the traffic problem on Utah's busiest transit corridor? Utah may still be adjusting to roundabouts, but will we ever get out of this circle?

Limitless Sky

By Brad Fullmer • August 1, 2025
Standing atop the now-tallest building in Utah—the dynamic 451-foot, 680,000-SF Astra Tower in downtown Salt Lake City—Lance Shields was succinct in describing the otherworldly, 360-degree views available from the 41st-floor rooftop patio. “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” mused Shields, a Principal with Salt Lake-based HKS Architects and one of a half-dozen architects on HKS’ team who contributed to the design of Astra Tower, which features 377 total units, two levels of penthouse suites, and more than 40,000-SF of top-shelf amenity space. Peering southeast to majestic views of the Wasatch Mountains, Shields referenced the striking cantilever structure gracing the building’s southeast corner—a concession that preserved the breathtaking view by eliminating what would have been a structural column. Adding this approximately $2 million change to the bottom line only further illustrated the owner’s desire for a world-class luxury apartment tower. “The uninterrupted views of the valley are really breathtaking at the top floor and is the one thing that visitors I have taken through the project consistently comment on as the best experience they have had,” said Shields, adding that it would have been easy to justify a column in that corner. “I have to hand it to the vision of our team and the owner to see the value of the views and taking steps to preserve it.” Indeed, Boston-headquartered Kensington Investment Company (KIC) had been eyeing the Salt Lake market since 2017, ready to make a splash. In 2018, it purchased the site once home to Carl’s Jr. and hired HKS in 2019 to get the ball rolling on the design side. The pandemic forced KIC to pause its timeline, with construction formally kicking off in January 2022, led by Salt Lake-based Jacobsen Construction. “We were taking an enormous risk and writing a massive check while making sure we had as many people with experience on our team as we practically could,” said Ed Lewis, CEO of KIC. “We asked ourselves if Salt Lake City was ready for this kind of product—with no [like-building comparisons] to look to—while making the project financially successful. Putting together the capital stack with no comps in the state, and ensuring the team knew what they were doing, was challenging.” Engagement with the community was a priority from the start, said Shane Rensmon, President of Real Estate Development for KIC, as was finding local A/E/C firms with the moxie to take on a unique hybrid design-build project of this magnitude, a delivery method “not common in Salt Lake City, but common across major markets,” he said. “Ownership wanted to utilize local consultants and vendors as much as possible to get the community involved and engaged with the project, which presented new challenges in designing and constructing Astra Tower,” said Rensmon. “We leveraged [KIC’s] skills and experiences to help guide the design and construction teams on issues that they have not seen before or had little to no experience in.” Hotel-like Vibe with Unmatched Amenities Emir Tursic is no stranger to massive projects, having cut his teeth in the hospitality realm as a draftsman-turned-project architect for HKS on Block A of the enormous $10 billion MGM City Center project in Las Vegas from 2007-2008, which included the 61-story, 600,000-SF Aria Hotel. “It was a project I grew up very quickly with,” recalled Tursic, Office Director for HKS’ Salt Lake office, who ended up managing part of the project before it ended. “After this, I could go to the moon and not be scared of anything.” Even amidst the challenges for Tursic and his team, Astra Tower proved to be one of the most exciting, generational opportunities in the realm of world-class residential high-rise design that—ho-hum—also sets a record as the state’s tallest-ever building. “We wanted to create a sustainable urban community that focuses on wellness and sustainability,” said Tursic. “Sustainability is not just about energy and carbon footprint, it’s also [about] health and wellness and the environment. We have this huge amenity program—40,000 SF of indoor and outdoor amenities space focused on physical and mental health.” Tursic said dispersing major amenities across three building levels was a key functional design consideration. Level 8 kicks things off with an expansive club lounge that includes a demonstration kitchen and entertainment area, a state-of-the-art fitness center where views overlook Gallivan Plaza, a remote office space with a conference room and meeting rooms, and what Tursic calls “The bonus space”—an expansive 10,000 SF outdoor urban park. “Instead of a roof on top of the eight-story parking structure, we created a space with an outdoor lawn, hammocks, fire pits, grills—it’s a great social space for Astra’s residential community,” he said. Level 23 includes the outdoor pool and indoor spa, highlighted by a wellness center, steam room, sauna, recovery spas, treatment rooms, and private locker rooms. The pool deck overlook offers excellent views of the Oquirrh Mountains to the west. Level 41 tops the amenity spaces—literally—with an outdoor kitchen, entertainment area, and a spacious outdoor viewing deck that looks down on Salt Lake’s adjacent tallest buildings. “We wanted to provide a variety of experiences,” said Tursic. “The 41st floor is meant for quiet and solitude.” ROAM Interior Design of Los Angeles provided interior design on every level. "With Astra Tower, we set out to design interiors that reflect both the soul and natural beauty of Utah, infused with the energy of modern city living," said Deanne Teeter, Design Director at ROAM. “Every amenity—from the tranquil spa on the 23rd floor to the rooftop lounge with panoramic views—is intentionally crafted to foster wellness through biophilic connection and a true sense of home in the sky." “Astra Tower was purposefully designed to exemplify KIC's commitment to o perating market-leading apartment buildings, featuring state-of-the-art amenities and an unwavering dedication to service excellence,” said Joe Bird, Vice President of Real Estate Development for KIC. “This intentional design ensures an unparalleled living experience, blending sophisticated facilities with exceptional resident-focused service to set a new standard for urban residential excellence in Utah.”

One for the Ages

By Brad Fullmer • August 1, 2025
Ralph L. Wadsworth watches demolition activity on the I-80/1300 East Bridge Slide in August 2023 with granddaughter, Bradynn Wadsworth (Tod’s daughter), illustrating his genuine passion for construction. (all photos courtesy RLW Construction)

Community First

By Taylor Larsen • August 1, 2025
First. Best. Leader. These are some of the many positive ways people described the late Marshall White, the civic hero and namesake of Ogden's past and future community centers. Marshall White is remembered as the first black police officer in Utah killed in the line of duty after being fatally shot in 1963. Equally important was his dedication to other causes outside of police work: the loving father of seven children; veteran and military doctor who helped establish a clinic at Hill Air Force Base post-WWII; youth mentor who partnered with the Elk's Club to establish the Wall Avenue Recreation Center; President of the Ogden chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Marshall White embodied community, and the original Marshall White Community Center, constructed five years after he died in 1968, was its physical manifestation. The building became a safe haven for youth, especially those with darker skin and different ethnicities from those of Utah "pioneer" ancestry, to learn to swim, take art classes, and participate in sports. But as time passed, the building fell into disrepair as Ogden's population shrank from the 1970s through the 1980s. Structural issues in the building appeared before a crack in the pool grew into a metaphorical chasm as COVID and its effects further disconnected society. Ogden needed champions who would follow in White's footsteps to bring people together, and create a space that would continue his community-building legacy. New Center; Relit Community Beacon Salt Lake-based VCBO was hired in 2020 to evaluate the old facility and propose future alternatives. It began, as VCBO Principal Brent Tippets described, "to replace a failing pool and building. […] It quickly became apparent that this community revolved around the Marshall N. White Community Center as both a gathering space and a historical icon for all minorities and people of humble circumstances." "Budget is always a challenge, but perhaps meeting all the affected parties' expectations was more so," said Tippets. "What was originally a pool and gymnasium replacement became a versatile destination with a plethora of participation options. He and the VCBO team worked with an Ogden City-appointed steering committee of passionate residents who provided valuable input on the importance and utilization of recreation and community spaces. "The Mayor, City Council, and City administration were committed to funding the project at the required level to achieve the grander vision for the facility," said Tippets. The Ogden City Council initially set aside $18 million and later increased the budget to $32 million for a new, 68,900-SF community building, doubling the size of the previous structure. Construction Challenges But challenges arose as soon as excavation commenced. Construction teams led by Vernal-based BHI encountered a dark, organic-looking soil that was previously undiscovered in geotechnical test borings. The surprise soil raised immediate concerns due to its lack of stability and reliability in compaction. BHI's history as an industrial contractor, where safety and lightning-fast communication are treasured, escalated the soil problems immediately. They collaborated and aligned with ownership, geotechnical engineers, and designers amidst evolving conditions to create a plan. Instead of utilizing native soils as initially planned, excavation teams removed the unsuitable material and imported structural fill from Ogden and nearby Plain City to meet compaction and bearing requirements, all while maintaining oh-so-important project momentum. "Working with Ogden City involved a different set of communication and coordination protocols than our typical projects," said BHI Superintendent Scot Marrot. "There was a greater emphasis on public transparency and adherence to specific city regulations. However, it was incredibly fulfilling to collaborate with the city officials who were passionate about providing a valuable resource for their community. The partnership fostered a strong sense of shared purpose and pride in the final outcome."

Daybreak: Then and Now

By Taylor Larsen • August 1, 2025
Thoughtful consideration on Oquirrh Lake transformed the initial idea for the water feature into a community and ecological asset. The 67-acre lake weaves around the 130-acre recreation space, residential area, and wildlife habitat. (Main rendering and photo pictured courtesy LHM)