FORT COLLINS – Construction has been suspended on a planned fifth building at Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Fort Collins campus.

Work on the building, which is to house offices and not manufacturing, already was under way by general contractor Gerald H. Phipps Inc. of
Denver when a stop-work order was given.

“The project is on temporary hold, not a permanent hold,´ said Dick Freske, president of Gerald Phipps. “The steel already had been purchased, and
they charged us with finding a way to use it (in the redesigned facility).

“We’ve found a way to use most of it,” he added.

Renee Benzel of Hewlett-Packard’s public-relations office said that in the past, the computer giant has fashioned “cookie-cutter type buildings.” The
formula building apparently is losing some favor.

“We’ve looked at the opportunity to redesign this and to make it a lot more economical,” Benzel said. “Hewlett-Packard is a conservative company
always looking for ways to cut costs.”

Part of the internal redesign included seeking a height variance from the city’s planning and zoning board that makes the building more efficient.”

“Hewlett-Packard historically has used the same building everywhere, whether in Colorado or California or Idaho,” Freske said. “Now they are
building for the needs of each campus.”

Benzel would not discuss costs or square-footage changes related to the work stoppage or redesign. One source said it could be a $15 million to $20
million project, and the building once was said to be 180,000 square feet.

“There was an impact to us,” Freske said, “but we suffer that every time something like this happens. In the private sector, this happens a lot.”

Hewlett-Packard now has four buildings on its 175-acre campus in southwest Fort Collins, with room for seven. Approximately 2,800 employees
work at the 1 million-square-foot complex.

Overflow employees now are being housed in modular buildings while awaiting construction of the latest facility.

Benzel would not say when building will resume on the new complex. Freske speculated it could be within the next two quarters. Another source
guessed it could take up to eight months.