Standing at 14,115 feet above sea level, Pikes Peak is home to majestic views, a National Historic Landmark, more than a 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 COR-TEN^® weathered steel roof is an S-5! ColorGard snow retention system.

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. It offers sweeping views and features interpretive outdoor exhibits and digitally interactive displays on the history, significance and geology of Pikes Peak.

The weather on Pikes Peak is cold, icy, windy and generally unforgiving.  By October, temperatures can plummet to zero, with wind chills falling even lower. Snowstorms sweep in quickly, with wind gusts reaching over 100 mph. During the winter, temperatures can drop to -40 degrees. Roof design snow loads are 125 pounds per-square-foot on the Peak vs. an average of 30 pounds per-square-foot in nearby Denver. 

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 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 CorTen™ steel 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:

General Contractor: GE Johnson Construction
Architect: GWWO Architects & Architect of Record: RTA Architects
Roofing Contractor: Weathercraft Co. of Colorado Springs
Snow Guard Supplier: S-5!