March 12, 2007—Build a brewery in 1866, morph it into a shopping mall a century later, turn it into a student union 10 years after that, and what results? A renovator’s worst nightmare.
But as the Auraria Higher Education Center’s Tivoli Student Union shows, even nightmares such as major mismatched remodeling of 16 buildings, an overall aesthetically-challenged structure encompassing 324,000-square-feet of warped and rotting windows, leaking roofs, peeling paint and crumbling masonry, can have excellent outcomes.
The Center, which is located on University of Colorado’s Auraria Campus in Denver, recently completed a $20 million exterior and interior makeover that involved everything from complex paint removal, mortar repair and brick replacement, to replacing all of the structure’s 19 roofs and replacing exterior lighting, adding an entirely new mechanical system, upgrading the electrical and fire detection systems and replacing more than 180 window units with custom-fitted, energy-efficient, historically stylized windows from Kolbe.
Mark Wernimont, Colorado Sash and Door, Inc.’s project manager emphasizes the project’s sensitive aesthetics were key. “The Tivoli demanded a level of detail from us that we had never done before on any window project. But when you are talking about a structure that is not only on the National Register of Historic Places but also a designated Denver Landmark, the standard of detail called for was certainly justified.”
According to Wernimont, there were more than 260 window openings on the Tivoli, and only 12 were the same size.
Kolbe’s window units had to meet the aesthetic expectations, as well as necessary energy and performance requirements, including higher than normal wind loading. Meeting all the necessary criteria, Kolbes window products relied on HK LoE2-270 glass. The extruded frames were finished in steel blue and extruded sashes in camel, with pine interior wood trim.
Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co, Inc. remains a privately held, community-oriented business located in Wausau, Wis. For more information, see the Web site.
