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

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Classical building columns display digital data streams

    The Campus Nervous System: Why Facilities Risk Is Now a Leadership Issue in Higher Education

    Facility performance now intersects with safety, compliance, on-campus experience, institutional reputation, and financial resilience. That places it firmly on the leadership agenda.