Project Engineer Jennifer Barneby hands me a hardhat —“we’re OSHA-compliant,” she says of her employer, G.E. Johnson Construction Company—and we step from Guggenheim Hall’s temporary main office into the front hallway. Workers are reconstructing one of two original walls that were removed decades ago, and consultants are studying different types of flooring materials. Barneby points to a wall where paint colors are being tested to match the original wall colors—soft buttery yellow above the oak chair rail, and a muted dark green below. Aggie colors. The colors of CSU, Colorado’s land-grant institution.

The next time you pull open Guggenheim’s red oak doors and step into the arched- porticoed foyer, you may feel as though you’ve stepped back nearly 100 years in time. Over the summer, the building’s hallways and staircase were renovated to match or emulate many of the architectural and design elements from 1910, when Guggenheim’s doors first opened. “This project is what my final paper is based on - how industry can partner with schools to do community projects.” - Jennifer Barneby, project engineer and CM master’s student

The major difference, however, isn’t visible to the naked eye: The renovation was accomplished using sustainable building practices.

The original hanging lights now feature energy-saving fi xtures and bulbs and time-period-appropriate brass stems and ceiling plates, notes Barneby. The crown molding from 1910 has been repaired and repainted to its original glossy, bright white color. Where the old wood floor couldn’t be retained, due to asbestos abatement, recycled carpet tiles were installed—not wall-to-wall, but rather, encased between wide, finished—oak borders.

“ We’ve also minimized the waste stream out of the building,” Barneby adds. Materials that were removed were either reused inside the building or were donated to architectural salvage firms.

The other thing you can’t see is the unique collaboration that characterized this project. G.E. Johnson Construction Company responded to Department Head Larry Grosse’s proposal of renovating the stairwell and corridors as a naming opportunity for the company. CM Professor Chris Koziol and his graduate class prepared a study of the historic architectural features of the building. Brian Dunbar, also a CM professor, had his facility management graduate class use the historical information to generate renovation ideas.

The scope of the project expanded, and industry support grew, including a major gift from ISEC Millwork to restore the building’s beautiful woodwork.

Other subcontractors and suppliers contributed to the effort as well.“The best part of this project is that it has been a community effort with many different parties coming together to make it happen,” says Grosse.Koziol, director of the department’s Architectural Preservation Institute, and Dunbar, director of the Institute for the Built Environment, served as consultants in helping to retain the building’s historical accuracy while also employing green-building techniques.

The department hired CM students to do much of the demolition.

G.E. Johnson added further value by enlisting many of its subcontractors to do the drywall, plumbing, electrical, painting, and other work and to donate anywhere from 10- to 30-percent of their services. Suppliers too made donations.

The most recent renovation to Guggenheim is stunning. The luminous stained-glass windows of the past continue to transform sunlight into brilliant colors and patterns that splash against the stairwell’s floors and walls. But equally stunning is the community-wide collaboration that made this project possible and turned it into an investment providing attractive returns.

“The best part of this project is that it has been a community effort with many different parties coming together to make it happen,” says Grosse.

Cost savings, donor recognition, learning from one another, strengthening skills, gaining experience, enriching relationships—these are some of the pay-offs. But even more gratifying are the pride, satisfaction, and sense of community that arise from doing the right things to preserve the past, sustain the natural environment, and ensure a bright future—for education, the industry, and the planet.

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The department extends its gratitude to the following contributors to the Guggenheim renovation:

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General Contractor
G.E. Johnson Construction Company.
Jim Johnson, president;
Dan Starr, vice president of operations;
Jeff Christmann, operation manager;
Dan Rondinelli , business development manager;
Dave Daldegan, operations manager; and
Jennifer Barneby, project engineer.

Many of the company’s employees who worked on the project
are CSU alumni.

Consultants and Designers
Larry Grosse, CM department head;
Brian Dunbar, director, Institute for the Built Environment;
Chris Koziol, director, Architectural Preservation Institute;

Graduate students in historic preservation and facility management classes;

Student interns

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CSU Facilities Management
Brian Chase, Director
Mike Davis, Engineer
Wood restoration
ISEC Millwork
Plumbing
RK Mechanical
Electrical
Riveria Electric
Drywall and painting
Phase 2
Plaster repair and restoration
Monarch Plaster and Stucco
Recycled carpet
Interface Flooring/Resource Colorado
Collins & Aikman
Cabinets
Alpine Cabinet Company
Lighting
The Light Center
Linoleum Flooring
Forbo/Holmes & Associates
Chairs/Upholstery
KI Industries/Design Tex fabric