By Lindsey Coulter

The 91��Ƶ Design + Construction Symposium brought education leaders, architects, designers, contractors, developers and facilities professionals together Aug. 5 at Denver’s historic Tivoli Turnhalle to examine how evolving needs are reshaping the design and delivery of K-12 and higher education environments.��

Held on the Auraria Campus, the event focused on project-driven discussions around student belonging, school safety, community engagement, mass timber, urban��development��and the increasingly compressed construction schedules facing school districts. The symposium was designed to move beyond broad industry trends and examine real projects and lessons that can be applied to future work.��

Designing for Belonging��

The program opened with a keynote from Dr. Drew Coleman, Chief of Schools for Jeffco Public Schools, who challenged attendees to consider the relationship between school environments, student��experience��and educational outcomes.��

Coleman’s presentation, “Building Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,” examined how the physical environment can either support or hinder student success. His perspective connected education leadership, school��culture��and the built environment, reinforcing the symposium’s emphasis on designing schools around the needs of the people who use them.��

The keynote was followed by a district-level perspective from Micah Ali, president of Compton Unified School District. Ali discussed the development of Compton High School and the importance of trust,��continuity��and community partnerships in delivering major educational facilities projects.��

Born and raised in Compton, Ali played a foundational role in the development of��the high��school and has extensive experience in land use, development and partnerships aimed at expanding opportunities for students.��He also is helping guide the district’s upcoming Centennial and Dominguez Hills High School projects.����

The discussion illustrated a broader theme that ran throughout the symposium: successful school construction is not simply about delivering a building, but about creating facilities that reflect community priorities and support long-term educational goals.��

Beyond Safety and Security��

The morning continued with a design panel examining how safety, security,��belonging��and well-being can coexist in school environments.��

Panelists��Erika Ashauer, Human Experience Research Lead for HCM’s PK-12 Studio; Joel Williams, Studio Director at QKA; Guy Grace, vice chair of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools; and Pat Tackney, Security & Architectural Sales Consultant for McGrory Glass Systems,��expanded the traditional definition of school safety beyond access control and security hardware. Panelists considered how visibility, privacy, supervision,��comfort��and a sense of belonging can influence the experience of students and staff.��

The discussion reflected a broader shift in school design toward environments that address both physical safety and the emotional and social conditions that help students learn.��

Summit House Provides a Case Study in Innovation��

After a networking break, the symposium shifted from K-12 schools to higher education and student��housing��with a case study��on��Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Summit House.��

Presented by��Martha Nelson, Director of Planning, Design and Construction for MSU Denver; Ben Diaz, Senior Development Manager for Columbia Ventures; Macy Huffaker, Project Architect with SAR+ Architects; Ryan Marshall – Superintendent at PCL Construction,��the��session, moderated by Leone Dick, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Administration at MSU Denver,��explored the planning,��design��and delivery of MSU Denver’s first residence hall.��

Summit House��represents��a significant milestone for the university and for Colorado construction. The 12-story student residence is being delivered using mass timber and is positioned to become the tallest mass-timber structure in the state. The project also incorporates an urban construction environment and a public-private delivery model. (91��Ƶ)��

Rather than focusing on mass timber as a standalone innovation, the presentation examined the combination of decisions and partnerships��required��to make the project possible. Those included material��selection, planning,��logistics,��development��and construction delivery.��

The case study also gave attendees a closer look at the increasingly complex role of construction teams working in dense urban environments and managing innovative structural systems.��

Racing the Summer Construction Clock��

The symposium concluded its formal program with a panel focused on one of the most persistent challenges in K-12 construction: delivering projects within the limited summer construction window.��

Moderated by Chuck Amos, CEO of��SchoolBondFinder, the panel featured David J. Henderson,��Deputy��Chief of��Operations for Cherry Creek School District, and Justin Sinnott,��Vice��President of��Corporate��Operations at Erickson-Hall.��

Dubbed “The Summer Sprint,” the discussion��addressed��planning, coordination, risk��management��and project delivery during the period when schools are vacant but must be ready for students when the new academic year begins.��

Henderson brought more than 25 years of K-12 construction and��facilities��leadership to the discussion, including oversight of approximately��2 million square feet��of capital improvement,��construction��and renovation projects across Colorado school districts.��Sinnott contributed experience in project planning, execution, risk management and operational efficiency.��

The panel underscored how compressed schedules are placing greater emphasis on early planning,��coordination��and delivery strategies that can reduce risk while��maintaining��quality.��

The topic also reflected broader pressures facing districts nationwide. 91��Ƶ recently examined the “Summer Sprint” as an increasingly demanding period in which districts must complete everything from HVAC replacements and classroom renovations to larger capital projects before students return.��

From Conversation to Job Site��

Attendees also��had the opportunity to take the��morning’s��discussion into the field with an exclusive tour of MSU Denver’s Summit House.��

The tour provided a firsthand look at the mass-timber residence hall and connected the project’s planning and delivery discussion with its physical construction. According to 91��Ƶ, the project��represents��the intersection of student housing demand, urban development, innovative��materials��and alternative approaches to project delivery.��

Across its sessions, the symposium emphasized a common challenge facing both K-12 and higher education: making increasingly complex capital investments serve long-term institutional and community goals.��

From Coleman’s examination of belonging to Ali’s discussion of community trust, the design panel’s exploration of safety and well-being, Summit House’s innovative delivery and the final panel’s focus on compressed construction schedules, the event demonstrated that the future of educational construction will require collaboration across disciplines.��

Rather than treating design, construction, operations and educational outcomes as separate considerations, the symposium brought those perspectives together around a shared question:��How can the industry create schools and campuses that are not only built successfully, but equipped to serve the people and communities who depend on them?��

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“Bryan, Ellis, Cody and Dylan have each proven themselves as critical members of our firm, and we’re confident their effect on our��leadership��team��will only push��Wold’s work��to��ever-higher standards. Growing our��leadership��team��in Colorado especially allows us��to��better serve clients throughout the region,” said CEO Vaughn Dierks, AIA, LEED AP. “The skill and passion this group brings��to��every project��to��continue creating lasting impact for the communities we serve. As new leaders, we know they will only continue��to��grow in their influence and innovative practice across Colorado, Minnesota and beyond.”

Since joining��Wold��in 2020, Hicks has worked across the firm’s education and government specialties��to��develop a unique cross-functional perspective. No matter the project, he has a passion for human-centered design that enhances a sense of place and encourages community for occupants. As both an architect and a project manager, he is driven��to��exceed client needs through collaboration and durable, strategic design. He earned his bachelor’s in architecture from Miami University and his master’s in architecture from the University of Michigan.

Joyner’s wide-ranging project experience, from airport and school renovations��to��residential construction and food services, has sharpened his ability��to��drive innovation on��Wold’s in-house engineering��team. His��leadership��on our in-house engineering��team��creates a seamless, collaborative experience for our clients that enhances accuracy, increases efficiency and accelerates timelines. His attention��to��detail delivers successful projects on time and��to��the highest standards. He earned his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

With 20 years of experience, Knoblock leverages his expertise in architecture, project management and construction administration��to��service clients. His broad expertise has cultivated a deep understanding of every step of the design and construction phases that allows him��to��translate ideas from construction documents into quality craftsmanship in every completed project. He is especially skilled in guiding clients in sustainable systems and material selection that��promotes��a green approach��to��facility improvements. He graduated from Norwich University with a bachelor’s in architectural studies.

Sullivan is an education project manager fueled by collaboration that empowers clients��to��contribute��to��meaningful design solutions. His solutions-oriented approach has facilitated the successful delivery of projects ranging from new builds��to��complex additions and renovations, all intentionally designed��to��elevate the user experience in the built environment. He earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from North Dakota State University.

Get more weekly reports and timely updates by subscribing for free at��schoolconstructionnews.com/subscribe.

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DENVER—The University of Colorado Denver recently celebrated its official “topping out” for its new City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons.

The 182,000-square-foot residence hall will add approximately 555 beds and is the first on-campus student housing complex for the university.

The $62.4 million project comprises a seven-story residence hall comprised of two wings connected vertically by internal communal scaled to encourage student interaction between floors.

Stantec is providing architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, lighting, and sustainability services on the project. JE Dunn is the general contractor

The residential tower offers students mountain or downtown views, and the L-shaped configuration of the building’s upper floors flank a sunny courtyard space that will provide a new campus gathering place and connection between the CU Denver campus neighborhood and the Tivoli Student Union.

The lower floors include a central campus dining hall on the ground floor, and a 30,000-square-foot student services center called the Learning Commons, designed to enhance faculty development and support students outside the classroom.

The Learning Commons will centralize student academic support and tutoring services into a collaborative facility that will serve residents and non-residents with the aim of making academic support approachable and convenient. The Learning Commons will also feature faculty development programs and expanded space supporting online education—a rapidly evolving and critical component of the academic landscape, even prior to the COVID pandemic.

As another prominent addition to the CU Denver neighborhood on the Auraria Campus, the project will complement the university’s refined masonry palate while showcasing public spaces with expanses of glass, including a new retail space.

The City Heights Residence Hall is pursuing a LEED Gold rating and will include a green roof on the Learning Commons, as well as five beehives to support the campus’ pollinator habitat.

“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,” said Stantec Principal Dominic Weilminster, in a statement.

“Once complete, the facility will dramatically shift the campus culture, celebrating the diverse student body that makes CU Denver so special.”

Set to open August 2021 for residents, the building is in alignment with the potential ongoing impacts of COVID-19. Operational and physical design adaptations could include modified dining operations to allow for longer meal periods and reduced density at mealtimes, modified cleaning procedures, and touchless faucets for handwashing throughout.

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