KL&A Engineers and Builders

Building for the Future: Reducing Embodied Carbon in Multifamily Construction The "Return to Form" building study highlights the power of Mass Timber structural systems as a game-changer for embodied carbon reduction in multifamily residential construction. When comparing three structural systems—mass timber, cold-formed steel (CFS), and concrete—the findings are clear: Mass Timber reduces the whole building Global Warming Potential (GWP) by 21% compared to CFS and 25% compared to concrete. Focusing just on the residential structure above the Level 4 concrete podium, the mass timber system's GWP is 73% less than CFS and 83% less than concrete! These reductions are credited to mass timber’s lower manufacturing impact, natural ability to store biogenic carbon, and reduction in finish materials. Mass timber's construction speed is a major advantage! It can be built two months faster than CFS and over four months faster than concrete, cutting both time, cost, and embodied carbon. It is critical to consider holistic construction costs and speed of construction in cost estimating. While the mass timber material had a significant cost premium, when considering the whole building construction cost and speed of construction, the mass timber building premium is only 1.8% compared to CFS and 0.2% compared to concrete. This study illustrates that we don’t need to choose between embodied carbon cost and dollar cost - we can prioritize both. Read more about this forward-thinking approach and download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gHkvyA4u! Thank you to the Softwood Lumber Board and USFS for funding this work and WoodWorks for the collaboration. #Sustainability #MassTimber #GreenBuilding #ConstructionInnovation #EmbodiedCarbon #netzero2050 #teamcarbon #WBLCA Katz Development, tres birds , Swinerton, Timberlab, WoodWorks, Softwood Lumber Board, USDA Forest Service, Alexis Feitel, P.E. Brent Kehoe Greg Kingsley

A big thank you to AIA Utah for hosting such an incredible conference! It was an inspiring few days filled with insightful presentations, thought-provoking discussions, and the opportunity to connect with so many passionate professionals dedicated to shaping the future of architecture. We’re energized by the ideas shared and look forward to continuing the conversations and collaborations sparked at this conference.  Chris Kendall Jared Bodily, P.E. ETHAN PICKETT, SE

As KL&A celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2024, we are looking back and highlighting 30 influential projects in our history. The grand entry sculpture at the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai hotel is a 42 ft by 46 ft structure of slender curving wood members that uses ancient iconic symbols of the local culture and religion to inspire wonder, and to create a rich sense of place. The opportunity for the sculpture was brought to us through Spearhead and erected like a ship-in-a-bottle, fitting pieces individually together inside a glass room that had already been constructed. Every single piece of that sculpture had to be sized, brought in through the front door and then built inside the glass building. 80% of the design work went into the invisible connections of these pieces, counteracting forces coming together into a single joint, from 8 members in some places, without being able to see where one member begins and another ends. Though sculptures are not one of KL&A’s primary project types, this project is one that stands out in our history. Situated in an exciting location utilizing wood, the only truly renewable structural material, KL&A was able to design a system of complex yet virtually invisible connections. Complex and innovative projects are the foundation of KL&A’s work Without close collaboration with the builder & manufacturer, this project would have been nearly impossible. It has now become a structure that every person entering the building experiences, starting their visit to the Viceroy Palm in an amazing piece of work that looks almost too fanciful to be real. Project Team: Spearhead, KL&A Engineers and Builders

Tune in this weekend for an exciting episode of How Did They Build That? airing on the Smithsonian Channel! This special edition takes an in-depth look at the creation of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, a true architectural marvel in Colorado Springs. 🏅 From its cutting-edge design to its accessibility features, the museum embodies the spirit of excellence and inclusion. Whether you’re passionate about sports, architecture, or the inspiring stories of athletes, this episode will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how this stunning structure came to life. 🗓️ When: This Sunday ⏰ Time: 8 PM ET 📺 Where: Smithsonian Channel Set your reminders and get ready to be amazed by the ingenuity and dedication that went into building this one-of-a-kind museum. It’s a story of innovation, resilience, and the power of human achievement—don’t miss it! Anderson Mason Dale Architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro GE Johnson Smithsonian Channel https://lnkd.in/gZNPJA_y

As KL&A celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2024, we are looking back and highlighting 30 influential projects in our history. The Kiewit headquarters consists of two new office buildings totaling roughly 400,000 sf and a separate 970 stall parking garage. The office buildings feature a roof deck gathering space, a full-service café, a full service coffee shop, a full service catering/kitchen system and fitness center. With a high design compared to a typical office building and a boutique office feel, the campus features exposed concrete and mechanical features, a nod to the firm’s work within the construction industry. Building on a long standing relationship with RNL/Stantec, this project was influential to KL&A for it’s noticeability directly off of I-25, with many unique design features, and to the quick schedule that we were able to maintain. Also influential as one of the smoothest projects many of the engineers on the project had worked on, due to the high collaboration from all teams involved. Intentionally designed for 1,700 employees across different functions of Kiewit’s business to interact, share ideas and collaborate, the campus has become the hub for Kiewit’s operations in the Rocky Mountain region. Project Team: Stantec, KL&A Engineers and Builders, Kiewit

As KL&A celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2024, we are looking back and highlighting 30 influential projects in our history. The Cherry Creek North Redevelopment consists of two city blocks consisting of the JW Marriot Hotel (now the Clio Hotel), a corporate headquarters office building for Janus Capital Group, retail, residential and parking space. Taking place between 2001 and 2004, this redevelopment was beginning of the renaissance of the Denver Area, many other large scale projects were also being constructed, this being the largest to happen in the Cherry Creek North neighborhood. Multiple buildings were being done at the same time, or in close succession, starting with the hotel and Janus building. With a mix of concrete and steel structural systems, a high water table and complicated design components including the design of a 3 column garage below a 4 column hotel, this project required high coordination between the design and construction team. This coordination taught us the importance of learning from architects and contractors, who in turn were interested in why we did things the way we did, which has become one of the foundations of what we know today. Influential to KL&A as one of our first major projects with Tryba and Mortenson, both now long standing and strong industry partners. It was also one of the largest projects in KL&A’s history, transforming two city blocks into 710,000 sf of mixed use, very early on in KL&A’s emergence, proving to the industry that we had the capability and knowledge to deliver large scale projects. The development transformed Clayton Lane from suburban to an active, vibrant urban neighborhood, shaping Denver’s iconic Cherry Creek North into the development it is today. Project Team: Tryba Architects, KL&A Engineers and Builders, Mortenson

KL&A's Nate Deanda, PE and Andy Paddock, PE, attended the Boulder Country Day School ribbon cutting on their new Commons Building, yesterday. The 11,000 sf, two story building contains a dining commons, art studios, STEM labs and a roof deck. Congratulations to all who were involved on this project, we are excited to see the positive changes it will bring to the BCDS campus and their students. Sopher Sparn Architects; KL&A Engineers and Builders; FCI Constructors, Inc.

As KL&A celebrates its 30th Anniversary in 2024, we are looking back and highlighting 30 influential projects in our history. The 16th Street Pedestrian Bridge over the South Platte River is one of three pedestrian bridges conceived in the early 2000’s as a means of creating a pedestrian connection between the historic Denver Highlands neighborhood and Downtown Denver. After the first iteration of the bridge was halted by the fabricator unable to finish the complexity of the bridge design, KL&A was brought on board as the Principal Consultant, challenging our team to modify the design to the extent necessary to facilitate construction, but conforming as close as possible to the original design, with a new, more limited budget. KL&A designed a new cable-stayed bridge design using salvaged materials, partially completed abutments from the original design, and employing a more than century-old center pier foundation originally constructed for a tramway bridge at that location. KL&A was the Principal Consultant on the project, providing the structural engineering as well as steel detailing for this cable bridge that frames Downtown Denver from the Highlands neighborhood. Influential to KL&A as it was one of the few projects in our history where we were the prime designer rather than a sub-consultant. Being the prime designer gave KL&A a true appreciation of the coordination that goes into this role. Being able to reuse existing materials and reduce embodied carbon is something that fuels us to this day, also presenting the challenge of designing to the pieces of what you have. A rewarding and eye-opening project filled with collaboration from many groups we don’t typically get to collaborate with, that is still heavily used by the Denver community. Project Team: KL&A Engineers and Builders, New Design Construction

Last week, a group from KL&A took part in Mortenson's 18th Annual T-Bone Memorial benefitting American Military Family! KL&A is proud to consistently sponsor and attend this event, giving back to our communities and having a blast connecting with our industry partners. Thank you to Mortenson, we will see you again next year!

KL&A is featured in the August edition of STRUCTURE Magazine! The article, titled "Circular Construction", written by Alexis Feitel, P.E. and Dan Bergsagel, features the deconstruction of the Boulder Community Hospital, and the successful stockpiling and reuse of it's structural steel. This project illustrates that at-scale deconstruction and reuse of structural steel components is possible and financially feasible. Through concerted efforts, strategic initiatives, collaboration, and reinvention the construction industry can pave the way for circular economy, embodied carbon reductions, and environmental stewardship. To read the full article, pick up a copy of STRUCTURE Magazine today, or visit: https://lnkd.in/e88xAjC3