Vertical distribution on airport-owned ground puts structure, vertical circulation and fire protection ahead of the usual dock-and-slab questions, and it is a type of building that rewards a contractor who can price steel, concrete and conveyor support together. In Colorado Springs we build large-floorplate and multi-level industrial space, along with the site work, utilities and truck circulation that surround it.
The airport business park is the clearest example of the demand. In February 2020 Amazon bought 69.2 acres in Peak Innovation Park, the 960-acre business park owned by Colorado Springs Airport, for $6.33 million to build a distribution and sorting center planned at about 4 million square feet over five stories (800,000 square feet on the first floor) with more than 1,000 full-time jobs. That is a plan announced in 2020, and we use it to describe the kind of building that gets proposed here, not to say what exists on the site today.
Plans of that size raise questions that smaller buildings avoid. How do trucks and employee vehicles stay separate? How are floor slabs on upper levels designed for racking and equipment loads? Who coordinates fire protection and egress for a building with vertical stacking? We address each during preconstruction and carry the answers into the estimate.
Large-floorplate buildings and their structural demands
A multi-story distribution center depends on structural efficiency, and that holds especially for e-commerce fulfillment operators, whose sortation floors stack equipment loads. We compare tilt-wall with steel frame on the lower level, evaluate composite deck against post-tensioned slabs for upper floors, and test column grids against racking layouts. Each choice affects the cost per square foot and the speed of erection.
Upper floors raise live-load, vibration and fire-rating questions. Conveyor systems, sortation equipment and automation add concentrated loads that must be coordinated with the structural engineer before drawings are finalized. We bring structural, mechanical and equipment vendors into the same room at the design stage.
What we manage closely on a big floorplate
We schedule, supervise and inspect the foundations, slabs and tilt panels, which gives us direct control over flatness, curing and panel tolerance. For high-throughput buildings, slab flatness and joint design determine how smoothly automated vehicles and lift trucks move, so we set tolerance targets with the equipment vendor and measure the floor before it is accepted.
Structural steel erection and distribution center expansions follow on schedule because our field supervision stays through the full sequence. When an owner wants to add a bay or a mezzanine later, the original foundation and column design anticipates it.
Reading the Pikes Peak regional code
Colorado Springs adopted the 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code, which carries the 2021 International Building Code, by Ordinance 23-16 (passed March 28, 2023, effective April 10, 2023, implementation June 30, 2023), enforced by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. A single regional department serving several jurisdictions simplifies plan review for owners who build in more than one place.
We still confirm the amendments that apply to the project, along with the fire department's requirements for access, hydrants, sprinkler design and smoke control. Large multi-story logistics buildings often face specialized review, and we schedule time for it. The local fire marshal's criteria for storage commodity and rack height drive sprinkler design, so we obtain them before the shell is finished.
Airport adjacency and height restrictions
Land close to a commercial airport brings its own constraints: height limits, lighting requirements, restrictions on certain reflective materials and noise considerations. The airport is the hub of a sizable aviation economy: the 2025 Colorado Aviation Economic Impact Study, covering 2023 activity, reports 34,829 jobs (up from 25,093 in the 2020 study), $2.7 billion in payroll and $5.2 billion in business revenue tied to the airport.
For builders that matters in two ways. It shows the regional aviation base that supports cargo and aviation-related users, and it signals that the airport authority will review any new building in its business park. We bring the height analysis, the lighting plan and the stormwater design to the airport's review as early as possible, and we are comfortable with aircraft hangar work for owners who want aviation-adjacent space.
Fort Carson, Fountain and Monument
Fort Carson reports 23,716 active-duty soldiers, 5,412 civilians and 1,450 contractors, 373,000 total acres including 236,000 at Pinon Canyon, 4,638 buildings, and a total economic impact of $2.67 billion, with a $311.6 million civilian payroll (fact sheet as of February 2026). A base that size supports a network of suppliers, service companies and logistics users in the surrounding market, and many of them need warehouse, shop and yard space.
We build in the neighboring communities along the I-25 corridor too: Fountain to the south and Monument to the north, both within the same Pikes Peak code framework. Owners comparing sites between them benefit from one builder who knows the shared review process and the differences in land cost.
Phasing a large building
A million-square-foot building rarely opens all at once. We stage the work by structural zone so one section can be enclosed and turned over while another is still under construction, with temporary fire separations and construction entrances protecting occupants. Commissioning and turnover proceeds zone by zone, and each zone gets a turnover package.
Long-lead equipment drives the dates. We track steel, electrical switchgear, dock equipment and automation equipment from the first week. If a lead time grows, we adjust the sequence so crews are not idle and the owner knows the effect on the opening date.
Send the program and the site boundary
Send us your square footage, number of levels, racking or equipment layout and the site boundary. We will return a structural option comparison, a code and review path, and a phased schedule.
Common Questions
Can you build a multi-story distribution building?
Yes. We compare steel frame, tilt-wall and precast options by cost, speed and structural performance, then coordinate the upper-floor design with the equipment vendor. Vertical circulation, fire separation and egress are reviewed with the fire department early.
Which building code edition applies in Colorado Springs?
The city adopted the 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code, which carries the 2021 International Building Code, enforced by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Local amendments and fire department criteria still apply, so we confirm them before design is released.
What does building near the airport add to the project?
Height review, lighting and possibly glare or reflectivity limits, and coordination with the airport authority on drainage and access. We bring those items to the first review meeting and carry the review time in the schedule.
How flat does a slab need to be for automated equipment?
It depends on the vehicle or conveyor, so we get the vendor's tolerance requirements in writing and design the slab to meet them. We test the floor with a surface profiler before acceptance and repair any area out of tolerance.
Can I phase the opening of a large building?
Yes. We stage construction by zone with temporary fire separation and separate entrances, so a completed zone can open while another is under construction. Each zone has its own commissioning and turnover.