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
| Jul 18, 2014
Contractors warm up to new technologies, invent new management schemes [2014 Giants 300 Report]
“UAV.” “LATISTA.” “CMST.” If BD+C Giants 300 contractors have anything to say about it, these new terms may someday be as well known as “BIM” or “LEED.” Here’s a sampling of what Giant GCs and CMs are doing by way of technological and managerial innovation.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Construction Management Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, Barton Malow, Hill International top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest construction management and project management firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering/Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 11, 2014
$44.5 million Centennial Hall opens at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Centennial Hall houses the College of Education and Human Sciences and consolidates teacher education. It is the first new academic building on the UW-Eau Claire campus in more than 30 years.
| Jul 10, 2014
Berkeley Lab opens 'world's most comprehensive building efficiency simulator'
DOE’s new FLEXLAB is a first-of-its-kind simulator that lets users test energy-efficient building systems individually or as an integrated system, under real-world conditions.