Project Profile
September 10, 2026
Palmer High School is the oldest school in Colorado Springs. When the district decided to renovate the facility, including reconstruction of the east wing, the goal was to enhance programming, improve security, and better connect adjacent spaces to create a unified campus. Leveraging a Design-Build approach, precast/prestressed concrete provided the ultimate solution for the complex design, the
tight urban site, and the ambitious project schedule.
The new east wing incorporates 698 precast components, including grade beams, double tees, beams, columns, shear walls, flat slabs, and architectural insulated and solid wall panels. The system integrates structure and enclosure, eliminating the need for perimeter framing and reducing the number of columns. This approach lowered foundation demands and reduced the number of anticipate drilled piers, each representing a significant cost savings.
Precast also enabled key architectural features. The two-story, curved and cantilevered entrance—modeled after the original 1939 building—relies on 16-inch prestressed flat slabs. The red and gray wall panels feature exposed aggregate and acid-etch finishes, with curved elements produced using
custom-built formwork and urethane liners to achieve the required radius.
With limited access for transport and laydown, reducing on-site congestion was essential. Precast accomplished this by minimizing cast-in-place foundation operations and reducing superstructure trades along with associated scaffolding. The total precast system was erected in 58 days using a single crane located in the footprint.
A CUSTOM FACADE
The facade features a unique fluted pattern with divotted accents which was made possible with
form liners and timber blockouts. One-time use plastic liners were used to manufacture flat wall
panels, whereas the prominent entrance panels required a custom curved form with a urethane liner. Stresscon’s quality control program ensured consistency in the appearance and
finish of products created with the two different liner types.
INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
Integrating structural and architectural systems enabled the removal of perimeter columns. Not
only did this increase usable square footage, it reduced foundation loads. On a tight site with expansive soils, every pier matters. Stresscon’s TPS eliminated several 50-foot deep piers, each
representing a $30,000 – $40,000 cost savings.
BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING
BIM was central to the project’s success. The model was used to coordinate mechanical openings, strand layouts, and framing geometry, including alignment of double tee stems with
openings and façade features. Model data fed directly into fabrication through piece tickets
and material takeoffs, allowing components to be planned, produced, shipped, and erected in
defined sequences.
PERFORMANCE BEYOND PROMISE
This project’s success was driven by a collaborative Design-Build approach. Early engagement between the owner, architect, engineer, contractor, and precast team enabled iterative development of the cantilevered entrance, architectural detailing, and structural
systems. This coordination reduced field conflicts, streamlined fabrication, and resolved complex design challenges that could not have been achieved through a traditional Design-Bid-Build delivery method.