University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Research Complex 1
Aurora, CO
622,000 SF
The project encompasses the first research facility phase of a 217-acre master plan for the relocation of the client’s Health Center and University Hospital. In the absence of context, the first phase research buildings had to create the imprint and outline for the future facilities while adhering to a pre-determined color and finishes palette for all exterior materials. Research Complex 1 is designed as two freestanding eight and eleven story buildings linked by pedestrian bridges at several levels. The southernmost building, the tallest, defines the threshold of the research quadrangle, and houses departments whose proximity to the clinical building to the south is critical. The north building houses several interrelated components. The complex is planned around the idea of a single, prototypical laboratory space accompanied by a flexible support space. Therefore, the facility’s 241 laboratories can accommodate nearly all research programs, and their support spaces are easily customized to the needs of the individual researchers and programs.