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 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. It offers sweeping views and features interpretive outdoor exhibits and digitally interactive displays on the history, significance and geology of Pikes Peak.
According to the City of Colorado Spring’s website, the new visitor center is the most sustainable high-altitude structure in the country, if not the world. All pre-fabricated building components used in construction meet and exceed green, sustainable certifications, including its new sate-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).

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 150 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 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 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:

• 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!

About S-5!
Since 1992, S-5! has been the leading authority on metal roof attachment solutions. S-5!’s zero-penetration clamps attach ancillary items to standing seam and exposed-fastened metal roofs, while maintaining roof integrity and warranties. S-5! solutions are engineered for a variety of roof-mounted applications and are now installed on more than 2 million metal roofs worldwide, providing strength and longevity never before seen. For more information, visit www.S-5.com.