DENVER, Sept. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As students return to a full, in-person campus experience at the University of Denver's (DU) campus, many are entering a collection of significant new buildings for the first time.

"Our university developed a major campus masterplan in 2016 under the leadership of my predecessor Dr. Rebecca Chopp, the Denver Advantage plan, and then immediately embarked on building several of the key recommended facilities that were envisioned in that plan," said Dr. Jeremy Haefner, Chancellor at the University of Denver.

"What no one envisioned, though, was that these pivotal new campus buildings would open amidst a global pandemic, a time during which our campus was operating under very restricted in-person learning experiences and capacity limitations. We are thrilled to finally see these buildings come to their fullest fruition in the hands of our students, faculty, and staff this semester."

With the Fall 2021 semester kicking off today, these new buildings are finally welcoming all into a new, and engaging, DU campus experience. A new community commons building, a new residence hall for first year students, and a new career center are all centrally located adjacent to the University's Campus Green, each opening for occupancy over the last several months. 

All three architectural projects were designed as parts of a unified whole, transforming the core of the campus. Designed in an integrated collaboration with DU's Office of the University Architect, whose leadership and vision for this major campus advancement was established during the 2016 masterplan project conducted with Ayers Saint Gross.

The buildings were realized through oversight by DU's Office of Facilities Management & Planning and visioning through DU's Division of Student Affairs & Inclusive Excellence, Division of Career & Professional Development and DU Advancement.

Tying these new projects into an integrated campus experience within the campus core was Didier Design Studio, a Colorado-based landscape architecture practice. The buildings include:

Community Commons 
University Architect: Jane Loefgren
Design Architect: Moore Ruble Yudell
Executive Architect: Anderson Mason Dale

The University of Denver's new Community Commons welcomes an increasingly diverse student community and brings a critical mass of students and resources to the center of campus—a primary goal of the University's Strategic Plan. The project funnels and mixes students capturing movement to and from the new first-year housing with a variety of types of spaces for students, faculty, staff and visitors to dine, meet, socialize, study, and make use of supportive services. Food services are strategically located at the heart of the Commons to unite the entire community and the building creates opportunities for the sustained encounters between people that are the foundation for meaningful relationships and student success.

Intentional student engagement through a highly participatory process revealed evolving priorities that informed the design. Responsive planning includes a central canyon-like space whose north-facing clerestory provides equitable access to daylight; social stair along the flow path; easily adaptable loft-like spaces; and operable windows, individual controls, and outdoor terraces that connect to nature and enrich social interactions. High-performance building systems reduce the energy use of the Commons by 49% against baseline.

Dimond Family Residential Village 
University Architect: Mark Rodgers
Design Architect: Anderson Mason Dale
Collaborating Architect:  Moore Ruble Yudell 

The Dimond Family Residential Village was created as a response to the University of Denver's vision for a more inclusive campus environment that embraces first-generation students, cultivating retention by building bonds to the University community. The building includes 501 beds earmarked for freshmen, along with campus-serving programs such as honors  and campus residential life. The building is designed around nested scales of community, organized into identifiable cohorts that allow students to gradually build relationships and a sense of belonging. The project creates social connections wherever possible, from interior "porches" at room entries, to common areas supporting each pod, to a communal bridge gathering space framing an activity courtyard  designed to accommodate gatherings of the full University first year class of 1,450 students. The building is on target for LEED Gold Certification.

Burwell Career Center
University Architect: Mark Rodgers
Design Architect: Lake|Flato
Associate Architect: Shears Adkins Rockmore

Situated at a key nexus between the campus's traditional core and its growing urban edge, the new 23,000 square foot Burwell Center for Career Achievement will be a campus hub focused on student career development, employer engagement and alumni activities. A tower stair serves as a beacon and an executive lounge provides views to the campus, the adjacent city core, and the nearby Rocky Mountains. Designed as a LEED Platinum building, the Center is anticipated to use 70% less energy than comparable university buildings and was built utilizing a sustainably harvested mass timber structure, the first at the University of Denver. 

These campus facilities were prioritized from those recommended within the campus masterplan to bring timely solutions to critical issues within the global higher education field. From diversity and inclusiveness to student retention and environmental responsibility, each new facility will have a significant impact on the student's experience at DU and the campus community environment itself.

"Our work in creating an inspired, human-centric built environment is teaching the next generation how to reshape the world with thoughtfulness, grace, and artistry," said Mo Lotif, Owner's Representative, Office of the Vice Chancellor at the University of Denver. "We are grateful to have worked with such a strong selection of design talent to bring these important new facilities to life for the benefit of our students."

Through the selection of award-winning architecture practices to design these new facilities, DU seized the opportunity to elevate the campus experience for its increasingly diverse population choosing the University to make Denver their home. Didier Design Studio led the landscape design for all three projects and Ayers Saint Gross developed the 2016 Denver Advantage campus master plan.

The Community Commons project and the Dimond Family Residential Village were built by Saunders Construction, and the Burwell Career Center was built by PCL Construction; both Denver-based construction companies.

ABOUT MOORE RUBLE YUDELL Moore Ruble Yudell is a design and planning team united by a passion for deep client engagement that informs dynamic placemaking. We respond to the social, ecological, and physical context of each project and embrace research and technology to create joyful places and vibrant communities ready for resilient futures. Learn more at www.moorerubleyudell.com.

ABOUT ANDERSON MASON DALE Anderson Mason Dale Architects is a 60-person design firm based in Denver, Colorado for nearly 50 years, providing a full range of services across the Western Mountain Region. AMD was awarded the American Institute of Architects' Firm Award for "a distinguished body of work" three times, most recently named "Firm of the Year" in 2017, and has received numerous local, regional and national design awards. The firm's ethos is built on the idea that architecture has the power to heighten human well-being and illuminate our cultural values. Learn more at www.amdarchitects.com. 

ABOUT LAKE|FLATO Lake|Flato is a national leader in the design of human-centered, high-performance architecture. The firm's award-winning buildings seamlessly integrate into each unique campus, environment and ecological context while expressing the mission and identity of each program and place. As a practice, Lake|Flato is committed to designing long-lived, adaptive spaces that are simple, elegant and beautiful responses to human and environmental needs. To learn more visit www.lakeflato.com.

ABOUT SHEARS ADKINS ROCKMORE Shears Adkins Rockmore (SAR+), based in Denver, Colorado, is an architecture, interior design, and planning firm with a strong reputation for the design of urban projects. Today, SAR+ operates with a team of approximately 60 professionals, planning, designing and executing urban infill, mixed-use projects across the country. To learn more visit www.sararch.com.

KEY DESIGN TEAM CONSULTANTS

Community Commons:
Structural / Civil Engineering:  Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, www.martinmartin.com
Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing:  Cator, Ruma & Associates, http://www.catorruma.com/
Landscape Architect:  Didier Design Studio, www.didierdesignstudio.com
Code:  Advanced Consulting Engineers, www.acecode.com
Acoustics / AV:  K2 Audio, www.k2audio.com
Food Service:  Laschober + Sovich, www.laschobersovich.com
Cost Estimating:  The Capital Projects Group, www.thecapitalprojectsgroup.com
Energy Modeling:  Energetics Consulting Engineers, www.energetics-eng.com
Sustainability:  France Sustainable Solutions, www.francesustainable.com
Elevator:  Lerch Bates, www.lerchbates.com

Dimond Family Residential Village:

Structural / Civil Engineering:  Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, www.martinmartin.com 
Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing:  Cator, Ruma & Associates, www.catorruma.com 
Landscape Architect:  Didier Design Studio, www.didierdesignstudio.com 
Code:  Advanced Consulting Engineers, www.acecode.com 
Acoustics / AV:  K2 Audio, www.k2audio.com 
Cost Estimating:  The Capital Projects Group, www.thecapitalprojectsgroup.com 
Energy Modeling:  Energetics Consulting Engineers, www.energetics-eng.com 
Sustainability:  France Sustainable Solutions, www.francesustainable.com 
Elevator:  Lerch Bates, www.lerchbates.com 

Burwell Career Center:

Structural Engineering:  KL&A Engineers and Builders, www.klaa.com 
Civil Engineering: Martin / Martin Consulting Engineers, www.martinmartin.com 
Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing:  Affiliated Engineers, www.aeieng.com 
Landscape Architect:  Didier Design Studio, www.didierdesignstudio.com 
Code:  Advanced Consulting Engineers, www.acecode.com 
Acoustics / AV:  K2 Audio, www.k2audio.com 
Cost Estimating:  The Capital Projects Group, www.thecapitalprojectsgroup.com 
Energy Modeling:  Group 14, www.group14eng.com 
Sustainability:  Green Ideas www.greenideasgroup.com 

Media contact:
Nicole Marshall
[email protected]
504-644-7335

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SOURCE Moore Ruble Yudell