Work is expected to begin soon on the development of a new master plan for a 150-acre campus located just to the west of downtown Denver.
The home to the University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver, the Auraria Higher Education Center campus is a tree-lined space populated with buildings of varying vintage, public squares, and green space.
The campus is also home to around 38,000 students and around 5,000 faculty members and staff.
Now the AHEC has announced the launching of a new campus master plan project designed to provide a blueprint for future construction, space use, landscaping, and architecture at the site.
To that end, the Sasaki design firm, which has offices in Denver and New York, among other cities, has been selected to lead the development of the master plan.
In a press release, Tyler Patrick, principal campus planner at Sasaki, said the plan, which is intended to layout the needs of the campus for the next decade, will emphasize how to best “reuse and rehabilitate existing buildings, as well as communicate additional development opportunities to serve students, faculty, staff, and the broader Denver community.”
The Auraria campus is not just an entity to itself, but, according to the 2015 book The University as Urban Developer, “a catalyst for the development of neighboring housing, retail, and cultural facilities.”
Work on the Auraria campus master plan is expected to enter the development design phase this summer and fall, with a final campus plan completed by early next year.
By Garry Boulard
