CoLab Stylish Student Living in Urban Denver Incorporates Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Systems for LEED GOLD

CoLab is an impressive 7-story podium student housing residential development with 253 apartment units that house 727 individual bedrooms and includes top-notch amenities. The 5-story residential component sits atop a 2-story partially buried parking garage creating a unique above ground level installation for outdoor amenities. Colorado Hardscapes, a Bomanite Decorative Concrete Contractor worked with Landscape Architect, Britina Designs to make the outdoor living space a stylish modern green community. Environmentally conscious, CoLab chose materials and systems to minimize waste and maximize energy.

The CoLab Student Living Housing Community, a USGBC Gold LEED project, brings the outdoors in with smartly styled study spaces, a rooftop deck and several lush outdoor gathering areas for tenants to enjoy; the pool court (Resort-Style Pool), Fire Court (Outdoor Lounge) and Water Court (Table Games) all featuring decorative concrete.  During the design stage Britina Designs visited Colorado Hardscapes Showroom viewing several samples of different concrete systems and to determine the final finishes, aggregates and colors.

Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Systems Sandscape Texture was chosen for the general walkways and courtyards with an inviting eye-catching alternating band of color panels of flatwork. The Bomanite Sandscape Texture was also incorporated into the pool coping with a child safety grip and coordinating color. Bomanite Sandscape Texture utilizes specialized concrete mix designs, additives, decorative mineral aggregates, topical treatments and advanced application procedures to produce a finished product that resembles sand blasted concrete through fine “quarried stone”. Bomanite Sandscape Texture typically involves the use of Bomanite Integral Color and may incorporate specialized natural, regionally selected and qualified sands such as slag, granite, quartz or limestone.

The Bomanite Sandscape Refined Series is similar in design to conventional Sandscape, based on the exposure of fine quartz aggregates but bound in Bomanite Color Hardener. The resulting texture is known as “sugar cube finish”; the feel of the concrete mimics the texture of formed sugar cubes. Due to the use of Bomanite Color Hardener, the Bomanite Sandscape Texture Refined Series is available in a multitude of standard and custom options, including cost effective light-reflective formulations that do not require the use of white cement to reduce heat island effect. The Sandscape Refined Architectural Concrete Finish was installed around the firepit lounge area and included amber glass and crushed mirror glass for a natural reflective nighttime sheen.

The Bomanite Toppings Systems Micro-Top ST, a spray applied concrete resurfacing product, has excellent adhesion and weather resistance with the ability to withstand prolonged pedestrian and light duty vehicular traffic. Bomanite Micro-Top ST provides a tough, slip resistant water-retardant coating that substantially reduces water penetration, freeze-thaw scaling and concrete carbonation making it perfect choice for the exterior areas of this Denver Community Housing development. Colorado Hardscapes placed the Micro-Top ST on curbs, steps and walls with a custom color match to complement the surrounding finishes. Once the finish was complete the owners loved the look so much that they requested an additional application to the front foundation.

A popular growing technique, Colorado Hardscapes installed Board-formed Concrete, for the fire pit, water features and outdoor kitchen BBQ. Board-formed Concrete is a process of patterning concrete that leaves a wood grain image on the finished face of the concrete. Because concrete is extremely well-suited as a finished material in modern design, by imprinting the wood grain on the surface, it visually softens and warms concrete’s somewhat cooler appearance while still allowing concrete to express the construction technique giving a modern yet rustic organic vibe to these CoLab outdoor hangouts.

CoLab achieved LEED GOLD certification with the collaboration efforts from the owner/developer, designers, contractors, and consultants that led to points in the following categories: High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems; Energy Efficient Appliances; High Efficiency Hot Water Heating; Energy Efficient Lighting; Indoor Environment Quality; Innovation & Design Process; and Material and Resources. Making a LEED Gold certified community, CoLab provides the peace of mind to tenants of knowing their community was built and operates in an environmentally friendly manner with the generated benefits of energy-efficiency and cost-savings. Everyone worked together to transform a great design into reality, a stylish decorative green living community.

Colorado Hardscapes earned the Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Award Over 6,000 sq. ft Bronze Award for their outstanding and contributing decorative concrete work on the CoLab LEED Gold Co-housing Community Development.

 

Grain Valley High School Renovates with Bomanite Modena SL Polished Concrete

With school out for the summer that leaves room for designers and contractors to have more readily available access for specified improvements and upgrades. Growing School Districts looking to restyle, update or renovate can trust the Bomanite Modena SL system for low maintenance and cost saving benefits. The Grain Valley High School originally built in the late 1990s finished its phase 4 expansion to accommodate its rapidly growing student body. Expansion brought much needed instructional and collaboration space, a game changer for students. With a large amount of community support, the School took into consideration the need to provide a low maintenance flooring with an element of design to embody the schools colors and team spirit.

Hollis + Miller Architects worked with Bomanite Decorative Concrete Licensee, Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC on several other past projects and knew that they could come up with a custom winning design. They searched through a number of samples, library binders, created idea boards and pulled together a combination of polished concrete and different aggregates that would give the students academia pride in their newly expanded school.

Phase 4 creates a new main entrance, media center, lecture hall, administration area, and courtyard for student use. The new entrance to the “Eagle Way” promenade is flanked by a huge monolithic concrete wall dressed out in the school colors of royal blue and white. The entrance’s 2,890 sq. ft. hallway contains two shades of vibrant blue glass aggregate and eye-catching pieces of sparkling mirror glass polished to a brilliant luster. After the concrete base slab was poured, it was topped with a two-inch thick Bomanite Modena SL topping slab, aggregates added and after a brief curing period the floor was then polished to the perfect grit and shine.

Additionally, included in the project were 1,945 sq. ft. of a refined “cream polish” surface (Class A aggregate exposure with a Level 3 polish) and 4,335 sq. ft. of a perfect “salt and pepper” finish (Class B aggregate exposure with a Level 3 polish). Musselman & Hall crews also polished three sets of concrete steps with a three-line nose detail engraved into the concrete. The newly created grooves were filled with “Grain Valley Blue” epoxy to bring some school spirit and color into the Bomanite cream polished finish designed surface areas.

The Bomanite Modena SL Custom Polishing System is an engineered interior cementitious topping that is blended with selected aggregates and then ground and polished to the desired gloss level. The Modena system transforms existing or worn surfaces into beautiful walkways, school hallways, showrooms, restaurants and lobbies and is available in a range of colors and patterns using decorative sawcuts. Additional topically applied stains and a variety of aggregates, such as recycled glass or porcelain along with regionally sourced materials, are all options in creating a beautifully designed, environmentally friendly and functional floor. The Modena system is a low-cost alternative for renovation projects and provides the durability and strength for this exceptionally long lifespan system. With the industry’s lowest lifecycle costs, low to zero VOC and minimal maintenance requirements, Modena by Bomanite Polished Concrete was the optimal choice for Grain Valley’s expansion and renovations.

Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC received several awards for their exceptional work at Grain Valley High School. They were awarded the Bomanite Outstanding Grand Award as well as the Bomanite Custom Polishing Systems Gold Award. More than a century of construction heritage dating back to the late 1800’s distinguishes Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC as one of the mid-west’s longest-standing general contractors. From railroads to roadways, through two world wars and building our nation’s infrastructure, Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC has been a leader in horizontal construction of every scale. With offices in Kansas City, St. Louis and Wichita, today Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC is perhaps best known for their work in architectural concrete where they apply Bomanite systems and products to help architects and contractors realize exceptional decorative flat work on high-profile projects such as the Sprint Center, Kauffman Stadium and The Legends at West Village.

Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC maintains a comprehensive Bomanite systems showroom at their Kansas City and St. Louis offices, which allows owners, designers and builders to see and feel each product first hand during design. A legacy of valuing long-term relationships over short-term profits has earned Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC the trust and admiration of countless clients as the regional leader in exceptional construction.