Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

CU Denver Selects Design Firm for New STEM Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/20/22

The University of Colorado Denver recently selected architecture firm SmithGroup to design its new engineering, design and computing building. The project is one of the major elements of CU Denver’s 2030 Strategic Plan and will serve as the focal point of the university’s new downtown innovation district, according to a news release. It will provide research space for topics like artificial intelligence, robotics and cybersecurity in verticals like health, construction, urban planning, manufacturing and space.

“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,” said Martin Dunn, Dean of the College of Engineering, Design and Computing.

SmithGroup will put on a series of town halls to involve the campus and larger community in the design process, as well as to share updates and get feedback. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year and finish before the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.

“SmithGroup is one of the nation’s leaders in the higher education space,” said CU Denver Campus Architect Jered Minter. “They demonstrated an overwhelming amount of direct experience designing higher education engineering laboratories and spaces throughout the country.”

SmithGroup will serve as the design architect, architect of record and the MEP engineer for the project. The university is also partnering with Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers for structural engineering and McCarthy Building Companies as the general contractor and construction manager.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Opportunity by Design Framework

    Opportunity by Design

    Educational improvement efforts often focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, and intervention systems while treating the physical school building as background. But school design is not a passive backdrop to learning — it is a structural lever for equity.

  • DLR Group Hires Three for Higher Education Practice

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has brought three new hires on board to help shape its higher education practice in California and the northeast, according to a press release.

  • Growing Allied Health Workforce Demands Fueling Greater Need for Higher Education Facilities

    With the demand for healthcare professionals at an all-time high, colleges and universities are challenged with supporting the workforce demands in their own communities. Careers in allied health generally require specific training and/or certification, with some positions requiring degrees, certified credentials, and continuing education.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.