Housing Market Spurs Work in Region

Site engineering for a new housing development in the foothills of Alpine and Design West is honored for enlivening homes for military families.

Psomas Awarded Three Falls Ranch Development

Psomas will provide civil site design for this 60 lot subdivision. Psomas' will oversee the grading and of new roads across the site and the widening of Fort Canyon Road. The project requires that 75 percent of its 800 acres to be left undeveloped but will include extensive equestrian and hiking trails. Responsibilities include road designs, drainage and utility plans, water tank and pump station, site grading, boundary surveying, subdivision platting, construction details, specifications, and the coordination of meetings with city departments and other design team members.

Psomas worked previously on this project to provide Alpine City with an environmental document report that included the investigation of potential concerns and remedies for this gated community. Significant focus was given to determining proper stream setbacks for water quality and wildlife migration needs. Psomas also conducted an alternatives analysis investigating varying impacts from different roadway widths in the steep side slope conditions. The City used information obtained in this document to develop appropriate conditions to best protect the environment while allowing proper use of private property.

Psomas is a consulting engineering firm specializing in Water and Natural Resources, Civil Engineering, Land Development and Surveying and Information Technology. In addition to Salt Lake City, the firm has offices in Arizona and throughout California.

Design West Honored for Air Force Base Housing

A community center will be integrated within the new elementary school. Parents and grandparents will be able to drop off their youngsters and then enjoy fitness classes, and educational and social activities. This approach makes it economically feasible to offer a greater range of recreational facilities for the school children. It also ensures more efficient use of the building well beyond the confines of the school day.

Clustered teaching spaces

The annual Air Combat Command Design Awards were established many years ago to recognize improvements in the quality of life and mission capabilities of Air Force installations through design excellence. Each design entry competes on its own merits, with no limits on the number or types of projects submitted for consideration or the number of awards given in any category. The awards selection jury consists of architects from all across the country.

There are seven ACC design award categories: Planning Studies and Design Guides, Housing Community Plans, Concept Design, Interior Design, Landscape Design, Facility Design and Family Housing. Three award levels are bestowed: the Citation Award, the Merit Award, and the Honor Award.

Design West's Honor Award, which is the highest award given by the ACC, was received in the Concept Design category for its new residential project at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The goal of this project was to create new single-family and twin-home units in a clustered community to reflect the character, massing and scale of a traditional family neighborhood of the early 20th century.

Of Design West's work, the jury stated that "This is a refreshing approach to Military Family Housing at Mountain Home Air Force Base. It provides "Craftsman" exterior style housing with elements carried through to the interior."

Design West's goal and philosophy was to provide the Air Force with quality housing and friendly neighborhoods that would stand the test of time. Project Architect, Scott Olcott said, "The use of a classic architectural style, which has stood the test of time, aided in achieving that goal. Strict attention was given to scale, proportion, and detailing of each unit in an attempt to be true to the selected architectural style. Rich exterior colors were selected bringing life into neighborhoods, something military bases have lacked for some time."

Farr West Center completed by R&O

R&O Construction has completed the design-build construction on the first phase of the new Farr West City Center. Completed is the new city administration building with court facilities, and a senior citizens' center that includes a multi-purpose room, a kitchen, exercise area, and technology and craft room. The Center is located at 1896 N. 1800 W. in Farr West City, Utah. A ribbon cutting and open house was held on Saturday, May 15, 2004.

The design of the project with its red brick and gabled roof reflects the character of Farr West City. The project was designed by Cooper Roberts Simonsen Architects.

The final two phases of the project will include a recreation center and aquatic facilities.

R&O Construction administered pre-construction services to Farr West City for nearly two years prior to construction of the project, and worked side by side the architect and city officials during the past year.

More information and renderings are located at: http://www.usu.edu/

SPECTRUM ENGINEERS EARNS PRESENTATIONS MAGAZINE AWARD

The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD) headquarters conference and training facility in Berthoud, Colorado, teamed architect RB+B of Fort Collins, Colorado, with Spectrum Engineers technology design team of Salt Lake City. Designers achieved a facility boasting sophisticated and integrated technology matched with a comfortable and open atmosphere. The NCWCD facility's efficiency, advanced technology systems and intuitive controls, combined with its overall aesthetics earned Spectrum Engineers Third Prize in Presentations magazine's prestigious Best Presentation Rooms 2003 competition. Spectrum Engineers entered the project in the "Classrooms and Training Facilities" category.

Natural design befits the headquarters of this organization charged with conserving water systems vital to nearby metropolitan areas and farms.

The training and conference facilities, equipped with folding partitions to maximize configuration possibilities, feature technologies, designed and integrated by Spectrum, including audio/video (AV) enhancements and an intuitive wireless interface, or touch panel.

The facility includes pop-down projectors and electric roll-up screens, rollaway plasma screens, electronic annotation systems, automatic window shades and a carefully crafted lighting system with

preset "scenes" to accommodate various room configurations. A presentation platform with access to technological devices, software, and interfaces rounds out the amenities that this well designed space has to offer.

According to Spectrum's Principal Technology Designer Gerald F. Nelson, BSAT, "What is so unique about the space is the interaction created by the physical relationship of the presenter to people seated at the three dais rows, whose spaces are each equipped with individual screens, and to the remainder of the audience. The lectern is part of the millwork and forms a wing, canted at 45 degrees from the dais."

This configuration brings personal interaction to training and meeting efforts, even when the room is filled to capacity. Cameras, projectors and plasma screens enhance excellent sight lines from each seat, reiterating the open and intimate atmosphere created by the polished millwork, wood beams, high ceilings and cupolas."