S-5! ColorGard Featured on Sustainable StructureS-5! ColorGard Featured on Sustainable Structure

Standing at 14,115 feet above sea level, Pikes Peak is home to majestic views, a National Historic Landmark, more than half a million visitors per year, and for the past three years, the highest ongoing construction site in North America. 

Mounted on its new $60 million, 38,000-square-feet Pikes Peak Visitor Center’s standing seam metal roof is S-5! ColorGard.

Constructed in material similar to Pikes Peak granite and designed for visitors to take in its surrounding beauty, richness and scenery, this three-building campus—the Pikes Peak Summit Complex—features a visitor’s center with dining and rooftop terraces, observation decks and interactive displays, and a high-altitude research and communications center. 

According to the City of Colorado Spring's website, the new visitor center is the most sustainable high-altitude structure in the U.S. 

All pre-fabricated building components used in construction meet and exceed green, sustainable certifications, including its new state-of-the-art mechanically seamed metal roof (with a service life of 70+ years) and S-5!'s ColorGard snow retention (warranted for the life of the roof).

During the winter, temperatures can drop to -40°. Roof design snow loads are 125 pounds per square foot on the Peak vs. an average of 30 pounds per square foot in nearby Colorado Springs.

S-5! ColorGard was custom-designed and engineered for this project to withstand these extreme winter conditions and mitigate potential rooftop avalanches, dramatically reducing the risk of the sudden and unexpected release of snow slides while providing a long-term solution for the life of the 22-gauge, DMC 200S, 2” mechanically seamed metal roof.

“We are honored to be part of this extraordinary project on ‘America’s Mountain’ right in our backyard,” said Rob Haddock, CEO & founder of S-5! “The new Pikes Peak Summit Complex is an extraordinary place to visit, with unobstructed inspiring views—a place where all people can experience the summit of a magnificent Colorado 14er. And by the way, a companion natural attraction at the foot of the Peak is the Garden of the Gods. Its visitor center also sports an S-5! ColorGard installation.”

Roof Project Team:

Photo courtesy Moss Photography