Image courtesy Lake|Flato and SA+R
The University of Denver’s (DU’s) Burwell Center for Career Achievement in Colorado has broken ground. The 2137-m2 (23,000-sf) building will house career and alumni programming with a focus on student career development, employer engagement, and alumni activities and events.
Planned for a 2020 opening, the design has been led by Lake|Flato with Shears Adkins Rockmore (SA+R) providing local architectural support.
The project aims to be one of the first all-mass-timber buildings in the state and is also aspiring to be one of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 Platinum structures in Colorado. The Burwell Center is anticipated to use 70 percent less energy than other similar buildings.
“Coming out of our integrated design workshops, it was clear the DU community was committed to a sustainable and environmentally responsible project,” said Ryan Yaden, AIA, project architect for Lake|Flato. “This ethic led to the selection of mass timber for the building’s structural system, which will be exposed throughout.”
On the outside, photovoltaic (PV) panels could be used on the building’s roof.
Created in collaboration with landscape architect Didier Design Studio, the Burwell Center and the surrounding site wants to create ‘sticky spaces,’ areas where users are encouraged to interact and linger. The ground floor is designed to connect with the surrounding landscape, linking the center to the university’s academic core. The ground floor stimulates casual encounters around the sticky spaces, whereas the upper floors are focused on coaching, interviews, and career advising.
Inside, a tower stair will serve as a beacon, and an executive lounge will provide views to the campus, the adjacent city core, and the nearby Rocky Mountains, connecting visitors to the neighboring landscape.
