On Thursday, March 27, Engineering News-Record awarded Copper Mountain Resort and Denver’s Hyder Construction with one of its 2024 Best of the Best Awards.

Taking place in New York City, Copper Mountain and Hyder Construction accepted the award for the Best Office/Retail/Mixed-Use building for Copper’s newest mid-mountain lodge — The Aerie. Copper Mountain president and general manager Dustin Lyman and director of development Graeme Bilenduke were in attendance to accept the award.

“It was a tremendous recognition to receive for The Aerie,” Lyman said. “It was a great collaboration between us here at Copper, Hyder Construction group, the Forest Service, Summit County and then the vision and commitment from our owners.”

The 25,000-square-foot, two-story, wood-paneled building officially opened to the public at the start of the 2023-24 ski and ride season. The property sports 270-degree views of the Tenmile and Gore mountain ranges, a full-service bar, lounge and kitchens.

Since opening to the public, The Aerie has hosted numerous events and served as a place for skiers and riders to relax and refuel.

“All of us here at Copper are really proud of The Aerie,” Lyman said. “It is a beautiful structure, and really the best part for us is seeing how much our guests and visitors enjoy it. The design has played out exactly as we hoped it would.”

“Many of Hyder’s staff are skiers and riders, so it’s incredibly rewarding to stop into The Aerie during a ski day and see a full house of people enjoying the food, the views, and the atmosphere,” Hyder Construction project executive Doug Thompson said. “It’s also been really gratifying to get messages or run into friends and family who’ve visited and can’t stop raving about the space.”

Engineering News-Record awarded Copper and Hyder Construction one of its Best of the Best awards in large part because of innovative techniques and design elements that were used during the construction of the building. Engineering News-Record also recognized Copper and Hyder Construction for the environmental challenges they were able to overcome while constructing the building at 11,207 feet.