PCL Construction Completes Greenhouse to Feed Students

PCL Construction celebrated the construction completion of Denver Public School’s Glenbrook Greenhouse – a $4.5-million, 28,000-square-foot greenhouse spanning four acres on the southwestern tip of the city and county of Denver, Colorado. The greenhouse can hold up to 3,500 plants with a warehouse area to accommodate shipping of vegetables to DPS’ over 200 schools serving more than 90,000 students.

With PCL and DPS having a long-standing relationship of over 35 years, PCL was honored to help support this “farm to cafeteria” project. The firm was initially awarded this project in 2018, and after bond approval, managed it through design and preconstruction during the pandemic. The fast-tracked project timeline proved challenging but was achieved successfully despite uncertainties in the marketplace and procurement.

Starting with an underdeveloped plot of land, PCL repurposed the property into a commercial greenhouse site with Controlled Environment Agriculture technology. DPS can now grow local produce and feed its own student population with healthy fruits and vegetables on a much greater scale. This initiative to provide healthier food for DPS students is expected to contribute to higher academic success and lower the health-food disparity between lower-income and higher-income children that attend DPS schools.

Since officially opening, the greenhouse is providing several vibrant fruits and vegetables to schools, including fresh cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, snacking peppers and strawberries. Additionally, it has its own pollinators, using bumble bees to pollinate plants inside to improve crop quality, increase yield and reduce labor.

DPS has a vision to utilize the greenhouse to create educational programming for students interested in agricultural careers through pathway programs. It’s an encourager for students to better understand STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) by giving them a tangible example of scientific processes while providing them with a platform to experiment with growing plants.