Science Building takes shape

Written byCaitlin Gibbons
(cgibbon4@mscd.edu)
Photo by Drew Jaynes
(ajaynes1@mscd.edu)

Auraria’s new Science Building is unique, inside and out.

The building is an odd shape, somewhat reminiscent of a horseshoe, a result of the building’s home nestled among Speer Boulevard, Lawrence Way and the North Classroom Building, said Joyce Carnes, senior project manager for Jacobs Global Buildings North America.

Venture inside the half-finished building — a mere 50 feet away from busy Speer Boulevard — and you’ll find that the interior reflects the exterior’s bold design.

“Auraria is not sitting back. We are a part of Denver and the Denver scene,” said Jim Fraser, Director of Facilities Management at Auraria.

The wall facing Speer will be constructed entirely of windows in order to “show off the science academics happening at Auraria,” Carnes said.

One of the most dramatic design elements of the new building will be the frame outlining the windows, which emulates a picture frame.

“Science will be looking back at Denver,” Fraser said.

There will also be bright accent colors featured in the classrooms facing Speer to attract onlookers, along with a large atrium that will connect the existing Science Building to the new addition.

The atrium will be home to a large piece of public art from a Denver artist commissioned by the Colorado Council for the Arts. While a final piece hasn’t been picked, options include a giant butterfly, 25-feet wide and 20-feet tall, suspended from the ceiling, its wings holding test tubes filled with colored liquid. The council will announce their decision by the end of March. One percent of the $121 million budget for the building will fund the art.

The building will comply with the Green Building Rating System as set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a third-party program and is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings that has both financial and environmental benefits.

Any new or renovated building whose total project cost includes 25 percent or more in state funding must be built to a high-performance green building standard, such as LEED, to comply with Senate Bill 51, which Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law in April 2007.

The project had already been funded when the law was enacted so it wasn’t necessary to meet the standard; however, builders decided to comply with LEED standards at the gold level anyway.

LEED certification is based on a 69-point system. Points are awarded for everything from storm water control to the amount of daylight a building lets in. In order to reach the gold level, the Science Building must be between 39-51 points out of the 69 possible.

Fraser explained that part of the LEED compliance states that the contractors must recycle 75 percent of their waste.

In addition to the recycling of materials, the contractors will get additional LEED points for obtaining their materials within 500 miles of the site.

The distance requirement for materials is to ensure that the amount of resources used to transport building materials is minimized without hindering the builder’s ability to get necessary supplies.

Construction of the new Auraria science building commenced Dec. 7,2007.

The schedule for construction was revised after asbestos was unearthed in the neighboring lot.
After a three-month delay for cleanup and removal, construction resumed and is now on track with the revised schedule.

The project is also on budget and aims to have occupants by November 2009. At that time, the existing Science Building will be vacated and shut down for renovations.