By Lindsey Coulter

Construction��recently topped out��on��Metropolitan State University of Denver’s��(MSU Denver)��Summit House, a 12-story student housing development that marks the university’s first on-campus residence hall in its 60-year history. Scheduled for completion in��summer��2027, the approximately $118��million mixed-use development will provide��more than��550 student beds, dining and retail space, and a permanent home for the university’s Classroom to Career Hub.����

Located on the Auraria Campus��(also shared with the Community College of Denver and University of Colorado, Denver) and��across from Ball Arena��(home to the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche sports teams), the project expands affordable housing while��demonstrating��how mass timber construction can accelerate project delivery and enhance the student experience.

Making a��Mass Timber��Statement

When complete,��Summit House��will be the tallest structure on the downtown-adjacent��tri-institutional��campus. As the tallest mass-timber structure in the state, it will also be��a��showcase��for��the��design and construction��advantages of��this highly renewable building material.

Ryan Marshall, Superintendent for��project builder��PCL Construction, noted that the��thoughtful use of mass timber��helped accelerate construction, as many��components could be��fabricated��off site��down to��a��1/16-inch��tolerance.��By maximizing panel sizes, the design��requires approximately 25 cross-laminated timber panels per residential floor, with the two podium levels composed of concrete.��

��“I’ve got to tip my hat to our architect and structural designer,��because this project was��really��designed around maximizing the capabilities��and efficiencies��of mass timber,” Marshall said.��“”The width of the structure on the dormitory floors is 60 feet,��which is��the longest��[cross-laminated timber]��panel you can feasibly ship without it being an astronomical cost.��In turn,��that makes for a quick install,��because it goes faster and you’re covering more area.”��

While prefabrication speeds construction, it��also��required��significantly more coordination��with��supplier��Mercer Mass Timber��during design.��

“Every penetration in the whole building had to be dialed in,” said��Macy Huffaker, Project Architect with designer SAR+ Architects. “Every light fixture, every shaft, every dimension that they were making out of mass timber had to be locked in a lot earlier than��it��would on something that’s��site built.”����

Martha Nelson, Director of Planning, Design and��Construction for MSU Denver, noted that mass timber was��a good choice��for helping meet the project’s��timeline and��sustainability��goals, but also for enhancing student experience, campus identity, market��differentiation��and long-term institutional value.����

“The most important decision wasn’t choosing mass timber; it was understanding how student housing could advance MSU Denver’s mission to provide a high-quality, accessible and enriching education. Mass timber became one of the ways we delivered on those institutional goals in a sustainable and cost-effective way,” Nelson said.

“There’s plenty of data showing that students who live on campus perform better academically and stay enrolled at higher rates than those who commute,” added Ben Diaz��Senior Development Manager with��Columbia Ventures, which serves as the project’s��developer.��“We’re proud to bring students for a true on-campus college experience, and we hope this project is the first of many��—��helping shift the Auraria campus from a commuter campus to an active, live-in community that blurs the line between downtown and the university.”����

Solving Urban Construction��Challenges

While mass timber and early collaboration��helped��accelerate the building’s timeline, constructing��a large-scale��residence hall��just��off��downtown Denver��required��careful logistical planning.

“One thing that was definitely a concern when I got the project was��figuring��out if a 60-foot panel could make its way into downtown Denver,” Marshall said. “Just making turns and pulling in can be a challenge.”

Getting all materials to the project site required a significant level of planning, including run-throughs with 60-foot semis and coordination with trucking companies that understood the limitations of oversized loads. The team also head to adhere to curfews enforced within the city limits, which prevented deliveries during rush-hour traffic periods.

Delivering Through Partnership

Innovation and creative problem solving was a theme for the project even down to the funding mechanisms. Columbia Ventures, which serves as the project’s developer, partnered with the Auraria Higher Education Center and MSU Denver on this public-private partnership (P3) structure, which leveraged Auraria’s unique P3 statutory authority that helped accelerate project delivery.����

“From a P3 perspective, we could move at a pace and cost structure that’s hard to achieve through traditional public procurement,” said Diaz. “That let us release work quicker and often at a more competitive negotiated rate.”��

This strategy was one reason the project was able to move��from concept to groundbreaking in��just��eight months, which Diaz said is notable for a P3 project��with multiple stakeholders��and goals��happening��on such a dynamic campus.����

“Part of our success��here was MSU Denver’s commitment��to��the project,” Diaz said.��“We would not have been able to make it��at��that pace without their support in this execution methodology.”

Read more about the project in the Design & Construction issue of 91��Ƶ, available now.

The post Fast-Tracking the Future: How Mass Timber and P3 Delivery Are Shaping MSU Denver’s Summit House�� appeared first on 91��Ƶ.

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By Lindsey Coulter��

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego College of Continuing Education () recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the revitalization of the institution’s Educational Cultural Complex (). Located in the heart of the San Diego Community College District’s () College of Continuing Education campus, the ECC��is recognized as a cultural hub. The institution has tapped national interdisciplinary design firm HGA, to reimagine the ECC Theatre as a dynamic campus center that will propel the public community college district into the future. ��

As one of Southeastern San Diego’s only centers for education and arts—and the headquarters for the SDCCE—the renovation is intended to solidify the ECC’s role as an educational bridge and partner for the community at large. The $50 million project is being funded through a $35 million state grant, supplemented by the recently passed Measure HH bond. The project team also includes construction manager , community engagement and exhibition consulting firm , theatrical design firm and acoustician��Beckmann Acoustics.

In May, leaders from HGA, PCL Construction and other project partners celebrated the beginning of construction, which will encompass approximately 30,000 square feet of new and existing spaces. The project is targeted for completion by the end of 2026.��

SDCCE President Dr. Tina M. King, Ed.D., noted in a statement that the Educational Cultural Complex Theatre has been a cornerstone of arts and culture for nearly 50 years, serving as a hub for creativity, education and community while telling the stories that matter most to the diverse community.

“This renovation is not just about restoring a building; it’s about honoring a rich legacy and investing in a future where the arts continue to thrive and serve our community for decades,” King said.

The project’s scope—shaped by extensive community engagement—includes the modernization of the historic theatre, including an addition of back-of-house spaces critical to the function of a modern performance venue; the conversion of a large, double-height space into a new community room and “Living Archive” cultural center to preserve and share the theatre’s legacy; the integration of a versatile Golden Age Gallery in the upper lobby; and miscellaneous upgrades to adjacent indoor and outdoor common areas, entries and foyers. Renovations and additions throughout are designed to meet current building codes as well as improve overall sustainability, accessibility and wayfinding to enhance an equitable and comfortable user experience.

The project’s core components are intermingled and connected by common spaces that bring fluidity between the larger volumes within the complex and create smaller, more adaptable program components for future flexibility and growth. As an additional point of connectivity, the complex is brought together with a “sky sleeve” design feature, a sculptural ceiling canopy that weaves throughout a majority of the building’s spaces.

“The sky sleeve is both symbolic and functional,” said Matt Austin, AIA, NCARB, design principal at HGA, in a statement. “It’s symbolic in that it emphasizes the story and the history of the community through its continuity and adaptation to modern design, and functional in that it hides key performance infrastructure and introduces a sense of lightness to soften and complement the building’s rigid geometry, making it feel warm and welcoming to all community members.”��

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