Despite the unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, CU Denver hit a significant milestone last week at the future City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons. At a “topping-off” ceremony on Sept. 22, the final steel beam was placed on top of the first-year student housing building, which will bring academic enrichment opportunities and a dining hall accessible to the entire CU Denver community. That means the skeleton of the 182,000-square-foot facility is complete.
“While much of the world is working from home these days, you have been out there since January, making tremendous progress on the City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons project. I know, because I have been watching every day from my office window on the other side of Speer Boulevard,” Chancellor Michelle Marks said at the ceremony, which drew roughly 20 (socially distanced) people from the Stantec/JE Dunn design-build team and CU Denver leadership. “You are building our future. An opportunity for CU Denver to attract more students that want or need an affordable place to live to be able to attend college in Denver.”
Just three months after the City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons broke ground between the Tivoli Quad and the Student Commons/Student Wellness Center last December, COVID-19 hit and the economy came to a standstill. Because construction was deemed “essential,” Stantec/JE Dunn team’s work on the building has continued—on time and under budget, Marks highlighted at the ceremony.
Building a Holistic, On-Campus Living Experience
When the building opens in August 2021, first-year students can expect a holistic, on-campus living experience, in which they spend the first year of college establishing their community at City Heights Residence Hall before transitioning to apartment-style living at the Lynx Crossing Residence Hall.
Read more about the vision for City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons.
This systematic approach to student housing aligns with a key element of CU Denver’s Strategic Priorities—improving student retention and success. “This building will have a tremendous impact on our students and our entire campus, bringing what we’ve been missing: an affordable housing option where our first-year students will be able to live and learn together,” Marks said, adding, “Where they will make friends that will last a lifetime. Where they can get support to help them thrive—and find a burger or milkshake when they need one.”
City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons falls under CU Denver’s 10-year Facilities Master Plan, which outlines essential projects that support its goal of becoming an undisputed top asset to the city of Denver. Driven by existing needs and targets for enrollment, research growth, and the need for more space, the plan includes new facilities and renovations that leverage the university’s focus on urban engagement, and fulfill students’ desire for more living and learning opportunities on campus.
Plans for City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons call for 555 beds at a cost of up to $78.5 million. No student fees will be used to pay for the project. Funding is predominantly coming from debt backed by revenue that will be generated from housing and dining operations. For the Learning Commons, the university is using cash reserves to fund some of the cost.
Extending Gratitude to JE Dunn/Stantec
At the topping-off ceremony, attendees—and our beloved Milo—signed the final piece of structural steel, which was then lifted into place for the building. Similar to a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the topping-off tradition celebrates the success of a construction project and recognizes the builders and designers behind the scenes. As part of the tradition, a small pine tree and American flag are placed atop the beam, signifying good luck and prosperity for the future occupants of the building.
Dominic Weilminster MArch ’09, Stantec principal based in Denver, said of the project: “The City Heights Residence Hall is an exciting project that brings together on-campus student life and academic success by merging housing with student academic support services. Once complete, the facility will dramatically shift the campus culture, celebrating the diverse student body that makes CU Denver so special.”
In her remarks, Marks extended a message of gratitude to the JE Dunn/Stantec design-build team for their continued work on the City Heights Residence Hall and Student Commons, despite the challenging circumstances amid a pandemic.
“We’re so excited for the promise this new building brings, and grateful to you for delivering on that promise” Marks said. “Even during the pandemic, your good work continued, and we can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done to persist in bringing this important resource for our students to fruition.”