Project Description

Big-D Construction continues a longstanding relationship with Swire Coca-Cola with this renovation to this 1950s-era metal shop building adjacent to their York Street warehouse just north of downtown Denver.

The 29,000 square foot renovation completely restored an aging structure while also keeping the original structural steel, footings, and slab-on-grade foundation. Scope of work included asbestos remediation, cleaning and repainting of all interior steel, removal of exterior skin and replacement with insulated metal panel walls and roof, overhaul of the concrete floor surface, electrical service upgrade, new lighting, and ESFR sprinkler system addition. Additionally, in order to use this building as intended for storage, it required construction of a high-piled storage area sprinkler system, loading dock with dock levelers, renovated restrooms, and general life safety improvements – emergency lighting, fire alarms and proper egress out of the building, etc.

The team faced several challenges during the course of construction. The site was originally part of a railroad yard and the soil had been exposed to numerous chemicals and contaminates over the years. As part of the Voluntary Cleanup and Redevelopment Program, all digging required a third part inspector to be present and once suspect soils were encountered, they were tested, documented, and removed from the site to a landfill. Construction was also complicated when attempting to fit the new metal wall panels to the existing structure. The Big-D team successfully overcame this challenge by collaborating with project engineers to develop special attachment methods and find ways to keep the panels level in a more than 60-year-old building where significant settling had occurred.