CU Denver Selects Design Firm for New STEM Building

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

  • CSU Starts Construction on New Engineering Building

    Colorado State University in Denver, Colo., recently began clearing space for the construction of the new Don and Susie Law Engineering Future Technologies Building, according to a news release.

  • Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Barbara Vick Western Branch has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.