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BOULDER — Most people glean the traditional image of fraternity houses from the movie “Animal House,” but one Boulder fraternity soon could break the mold.

When school starts this fall, Phi Kappa Psi’s newly remodeled house will feature state-of-the-art building technology, energy-efficient appliances and systems and drought-resistant Xeriscaping.

The redevelopment project brings together three different buildings, some close to 100 years old, that had been stitched together on the site at 1131 University Ave.

PEH Architects, led by principal Peter Heinz, has completely redesigned the building to give it a unified exterior character and promote better flow and more efficient use. When completed in August, the building will encompass approximately 9,269 feet without its underground parking garage.

The building is owned by local developer Alex Montoya, president of Friar’s Corp., who hired PEH Architects to plan the $1.4 million redevelopment. Friar’s Corp. will lease the 12 double-occupancy bedrooms and one upgraded president’s suite to fraternity members.

Heinz and his project manager on the fraternity house, Chris Mirto, are both graduates of the University of Colorado’s School of Architecture and were pleased to give something back to their alma mater.

“We’re both party animals,” Heinz joked. “Really, though, this is a situation where a fraternity is investing their money back in a building, promoting their chapter and providing state-of-the-art housing for their brothers in an environment where there is lots of housing available.”

That technology includes resource-efficient plumbing, dimmers and occupancy sensors in public areas to reduce energy
used by fixtures and Energy Star appliances including dishwashers, refrigerators, freezer and clothes washers.

“The city has their own set of rules to comply with energy codes, but this was an effort to get the building up to today’s newest technology not only to save the client as much money as possible but also to be as friendly to the environment as possible. Obviously here in Boulder, a lot of these improvements are pretty prevalent,” Mirto said.

W.E. O’Neil Construction is the general contractor on the project. At the architects’ instructions, much of the existing building material on the site is being recycled either into the building or will be donated to other projects.

Located among its fellow University of Colorado fraternities and sororities on University Avenue, the building will have many features that set it apart. A secure, underground seven-car parking garage makes up half of the on-site parking to fully accommodate all members of the fraternity. The house also will encompass a new elevated deck, paved with donor bricks, for larger events.

“The project is interesting in that the city approved the exterior deck, which is specifically set up for large gatherings. It is not facing the street but faces the alley instead. It is sized accordingly so that if their parties tend to move outside, they have an organized space to enjoy their festivities,” Heinz commented.

Heinz is no stranger to educational projects. In addition to his corporate work focused on shopping center and recreational facilities, he has extensive experience in the renovation and design of educational facilities as well as program planning.

“We have quite a bit of experience in remodeling existing structures. In Boulder’s design environment, where there are very few smaller scale projects being built, a lot of our work is in remodeling, and so we tapped that experience to guide us in this project,” Heinz explained.

The architects and contractors are not the only ones giving a hand with the new fraternity. In an interesting reversal, the brothers of Phi Kappa Psi are not only getting a brand-new facility. They are helping to build it.

“The fraternity is supplying sweat equity from the brothers in a variety of areas,” Heinz confirmed. “They did some of the demolition, and they will be doing a lot of the painting and landscaping. They will do a lot of the installation of the furnishings.”

In a city where unfortunately some college students make bigger news by breaking things than by building them, the quality of the Phi Kappa Psi house says much about its occupants.

“We felt that if we give them a facility that felt like their house, they would take more pride of ownership in it,” Heinz said. The house has been under an accelerated construction schedule since early February, following a few short delays in finalizing contracts and obtaining building permits. All the parties are confident that construction will be complete in time for fraternity members to occupy the house next semester.

Although many of the architectural and environmental upgrades were not specifically requested by the building’s owner, Heinz feels a responsibility to meet the needs of both the community and his clients.

“If architects don’t address sustainability and conservation in construction, who will?” he asked. “Builders follow architects’ plans, generally. It is our challenge as professionals to create a building using materials that are as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible while still keeping the job within budget.”