The average occupied Denver Public Schools (DPS) building was constructed 56 years ago, when incorporating central air conditioning was not common practice. In today’s warmer climate, this raises concerns about the safety and well-being of students and staff. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Education, classroom temperatures above 79 degrees can pose health risks and adversely affect test performance and knowledge retention. Hot classrooms not only cause physical discomfort but also hinder learning, prompting DPS to declare "heat days" and cancel school during hot weather spells.

To beat the heat and create a safer learning environment, DPS hired PCL Construction to complete fast-paced retrofit projects at seven DPS schools over the summer of 2024, including installing air conditioning at Thomas Jefferson High School, Stedman Elementary and Steele Elementary. These projects help DPS meet the promise made in a 2020 bond issue, which committed to using a portion of the funds raised to install cooling solutions in the district’s hotter K-12 schools.

The age of many of DPS’ K-12 buildings makes renovation projects no easy feat. “With a lot of these older buildings, the plans you have available are inaccurate or sometimes don’t even exist,” says Ethan Powell, project manager for PCL’s Denver office. “You have to go in blind a lot, knowing the plan might change.”

Numerous buildings were not designed considering the possibility of future upgrades; mechanical rooms and critical workspaces in these facilities are often situated in a manner that makes access challenging. In some cases, the entrance to these mechanical rooms was no more than a small hatch.

“You can’t just look at the big picture with these kinds of projects,” says Powell. “Our teams had to look at the ‘how’ with every scope, taking into consideration things like load-bearing capacity and moving equipment into existing spaces that can’t be demolished. They are different challenges than a new build.”

Another challenge is scheduling work for when students and teachers are outside the building, to not disrupt learning with construction noise. For larger projects like the Thomas Jefferson High School upgrades, construction began in the summer of 2023 and continued through the school year and into the summer of 2024. Crews were required to work night shifts during the school year, completing as much work as possible in a short timeframe and cleaning up before the sound of the first school bell. 

The upgrades to Thomas Jefferson High School were still being finalized over the summer when Lake Middle School, Bradley International, Holm Elementary, Evie Garrett Dennis Campus and Centennial Elementary also underwent major renovations. These “summer slammer” construction projects were fast-paced, requiring 60-hour work weeks to ensure the work was completed before students returned for the school year.  

Despite these challenges, Thomas Jefferson High School, Stedman Elementary and Steele Elementary will have brand new air conditioning for the start of the 2024/25 school year. Lake Middle School, Bradley International, Holm Elementary, Evie Garrett Dennis Campus and Centennial Elementary all received extensive mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades. These projects add to the list of over 30 K-12 construction projects PCL has completed for DPS since first partnering in 1985.

“PCL’s experience with K-12 construction projects and retrofitting older buildings puts us at an advantage to successfully deliver these projects for DPS,” says Powell. “We’re proud to be a part of a project that will have such a positive impact on teachers and students for years to come.”