The University of Colorado Denver selected SmithGroup to design a new engineering, design, and computing building that will serve as anchor of new downtown innovation district. The project is part of a major goal of CU Denver’s visionary 2030 Strategic Plan to cultivate new technology, partnerships, programming, diverse talent, and in-demand jobs in one hub located in the heart of Denver, according to a university press release.
The building will support research in key areas like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and robotics. This work will be focused on areas where emerging technologies are transformative such as health, construction, manufacturing, cities, and space. Chancellor Michelle Marks said the project will bolster the Speer Boulevard corridor, and help create a more equitable engineering education and workforce talent pipeline.
Strategically Designed for Engineering, Design, & Computing
Martin Dunn, dean of the College of Engineering, Design and Computing (CEDC), said the building will be a gamechanger by serving students with cutting-edge facilities that support computing and design-oriented curricula and pedagogy. “This is essential as technology is changing faster than ever, and industry is asking engineers to do new types of work that require increased creativity, teamwork, and collaboration across disciplines,” Dunn said.
The university cited SmithGroup’s alignment with C.U. Denver’s values of diversity, equity, sustainability, and innovation for choosing the firm. SmithGroup aims to involve the campus and community in its planning process.
The firm will host a series of town halls to share updates and gather feedback. At the March design team kickoff meeting, Marks left SmithGroup representatives with a bold request: “I want you to do something bigger and better and different than anyone has done before.”
Construction is slated to begin in late 2022, with a planned opening before the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
Owner and/or developer: University of Colorado Denver
Design architect: SmithGroup
Architect of record: SmithGroup
MEP engineer: SmithGroup
Structural engineer: Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: McCarthy Building Companies
Related Stories
| Jun 11, 2013
Music/dance building supports sweet harmony [2013 Building Team Award winner]
A LEED Gold project enhances a busy Chicago neighborhood, meeting ambitious criteria for acoustical design and adaptability.
| Jun 11, 2013
Vertical urban campus fills a tall order [2013 Building Team Award winner]
Roosevelt University builds a 32-story tower to satisfy students’ needs for housing, instruction, and recreation.
| Jun 11, 2013
Building a better box: High-bay lab aims for net-zero [2013 Building Team Award winner]
Building Team cooperation and expertise help Georgia Tech create a LEED Platinum building for energy science.
| Jun 7, 2013
First look: University of Utah's ‘teaching hospital for law’
The University of Utah broke ground on its cutting-edge College of Law building, which will facilitate new approaches to legal education based on more hands-on learning and skills training.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
| Jun 3, 2013
Construction spending inches upward in April
The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that construction spending during April 2013 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $860.8 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised March estimate of $857.7 billion.
| May 23, 2013
Supertall 'Sky City' will house 4,400 families in Changsha, China
Broad Sustainable Building has completed a long and arduous approval process, and is starting excavation and construction on Sky City in June, 2013. The proposed "world's tallest building" will be a mixed-use project that could accommodate life and work needs of up to 30,000 people.
| May 17, 2013
University labs double as K-12 learning environments
Increasingly, college and university research buildings are doing double duty as homes for K-12 STEM programs. Here’s how to create facilities that captivate budding scientists while keeping faculty happy.
| May 15, 2013
Center for Green Schools, Architecture for Humanity release new tool for green schools
The 70-page guide demystifies the processes of identifying building improvement opportunities and finance and implementation strategies.
| May 1, 2013
Groups urge Congress: Keep energy conservation requirements for government buildings
More than 350 companies urge rejection of special interest efforts to gut key parts of Energy Independence and Security Act