Construction Begins on New Denver Middle/High School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/20/21

Construction on a new middle/high school has begun in the Denver Community School District in Denver, Colo. The new facility will relieve space and capacity issues at the district’s existing school buildings, as its elementary, middle, and high schools currently share a single campus. The new middle/high school will be built separately.

It will be attached to the Cyclone Center, the Denver High School athletic facility built in 2017. Construction of the Cyclone Center was Phase I of a continuing construction and expansion project for DCSD. “We always knew we wanted to upgrade our facilities to match the quality of education that our kids are receiving,” said Denver Community School District Superintendent Brad Lauers.

The $16.44-million, 75,500-square-foot middle/high school is scheduled to open in fall 2022. It will initially welcome 500 students in grades 6-12, but it has the capacity to hold up to 800 as enrollment expands. The district has welcomed 100 new students to its population during the last three years.

The existing school facilities are being pushed to their limits. Storage spaces have been converted into classroom, and an outdoor weight room has become the school’s music room. “It was time to stretch out a little bit,” said Lauers. “We’re a growing community, a growing district, and this will allow us to meet the needs of our students.”

Bids for the project came in slightly higher than expected, and as a result, a planned wrestling room was going to be scrapped. However, the school’s wrestling club is fundraising with a goal of $275,000 to be able to include the space in the new building.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Austin International School Library Renovation

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Austin International School has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Anderson Brulé Architects Rebrands as ABA Studios

    Anderson Brulé Architects, based in San Jose, Calif., recently announced that it is celebrating 40 years of service by rebranding under a new name, according to a news release. The architectural, interior design, and planning firm will now be known as ABA Studios to refresh its identity underneath a new generation of leadership.

  • California District Starts Construction on New Robotics Facility

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) near Silicon Valley, Calif., recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

  • ProTeam Launches GoFit 6 HEPA Backpack Vacuum

    Technology leader Emerson recently introduced the new ProTeam GoFit 6 HEPA backpack vacuum, according to a news release. The vacuum was designed to capture 99.97% of particulates down to 0.3 microns—including atmospheric hazards like lead dust, mold spores, and other particulates—through an advanced filtration system.

Digital Edition