BOULDER, Colo.—Designers Hacker Architects and Handprint Architecture have unveiled the design for the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building and Mary Rippon Theatre Capital Renewal Project at the University of Colorado Boulder. The project entails renovating the Depression-era Charles Klauder building located within the university’s Norlin Quadrangle National Historic District. The designers will be working with general contractor Adolfson and Peterson.

The new venue, due to be completed in the summer of 2025, is aiming for LEED Gold Certification.

The 102,000-square-foot project allows the designers to reimagine the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building as a modern learning environment while simultaneously respecting its historic character. The redesign entails a combination of quiet study areas as well as spaces dedicated to group learning. In a bid for sustainability, the designers are reutilizing the original building’s footprint. They will remove certain layers of walls so that students will be able to enjoy ample natural lighting and views of the outside.

“Charles Klauder, the original architect, famously said he wasn’t that interested in the interiors of the buildings he designed. We set out to fix that mistake, turning what was a dark and inwardly focused building with challenging wayfinding and lack of connectivity into a light-filled, inter-connected hub for CU students and faculty to thrive,â€� Nick Hodges, principal at Hacker Architecture and Interiors and market sector leader for the firm’s higher education practice, said in a statement emailed to Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø.

In addition, the design team will connect the main entryway with the Mary Rippon Theatre in the courtyard that will allow in even more natural lighting. Two new porches will be set up for outdoor gathering, and will play a prominent part in the annual Colorado Shakespeare Festival, which takes place in the summer. The indoor Mary Rippon Theatre will also undergo a series of renovations for infrastructural and accessibility improvements.

The design team is restructuring the building’s east wing for new classrooms and consolidating faculty offices in the west wing. The design incorporates exposed concrete, stone, and wood floors. Despite the renovations, the designers will preserve the historic facade except for certain window replacements.

“The campus is renowned for its regionally inspired facades, a hallmark of CU Boulder’s identity,� said Hodges. “Our aim was to bring these distinctive features indoors by incorporating regionally sourced materials, emphasizing craftsmanship and attention to detail in every aspect of the design. By maximizing natural light and showcasing the breathtaking views of the surrounding campus, we sought to foster a deeper connection not only with the university but also with the broader region.�

In an additional statement to Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø, d’Andre Willis, assistant vice chancellor for planning and design and campus architect said that the design team of Hacker and Handprint understood CU Boulder’s history as well as the school’s looking to the future simultaneously.

“They quickly understood how important the Hellems Building is on campus because of its role anchoring CU Boulder’s historic quadrangle and sheltering the Mary Rippon Theater,� Willis said. “Led by [Hacker Principal] David Keltner, they responded to the challenge of renewing the building while respecting its strengths by designing interventions big and small that open the interior to daylight and views, create welcoming collaboration and study spaces for the students and faculty, provide excellent classroom space, and completely refresh the experience for patrons of the outdoor theater. Alumni will be greeted back to a place they know and love, while current students will build new memories in space that is creatively reorganized for contemporary college life. The result is a building that is ready for its next 100 years.�

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BOULDER, Colo. — The Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE), which opened in the heart of the University of Colorado Boulder’s main campus last summer, has been awarded LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 114,000-square-foot CASE building serves as a new gateway to the campus that supports the academic and student experience from the time prospective students first visit campus through their time at CU Boulder, to graduation and beyond. The latest recognition brings the total number of CU Boulder buildings with LEED certification to 27, either for new construction or major renovations.

“Earning LEED certification for such a prominent building on our campus is exciting as it helps place our commitment to sustainable and efficient building practices front and center in the CU Boulder landscape,� said David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability.

Noresco provided sustainability consulting services to CU Boulder to ensure that sustainability goals of the CASE project were achieved. Oz Architecture and Bora Architects led design of the building, while GH Phipps Construction Cos., served as general contractor.

Sustainability was woven into systems throughout the CASE building. One of the most prominent features is the electrochromic glass installed at the top-level terraces. The glazing on these south-facing windows self-dims as sun exposure increases, minimizing heat gain and glare while highlighting the breathtaking views of the Flatirons mountains beyond. Also significant was construction of the building atop an existing parking garage, avoiding consumption of green space and actually introducing new sources of vegetation to the site on the north-facing slope.

Other sustainability highlights that bolstered the CASE building’s LEED score include:

• LED lighting throughout that contributes to 32 percent energy savings versus a baseline office and classroom building

• Low-flow plumbing features to conserve water, contributing to a 40 percent reduction in indoor water use versus a baseline office and classroom building

• 67 percent of construction waste diverted from landfills

• HVAC and envelope designed to provide a comfortable thermal environment to promote occupant productivity and well-being

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The nearly 109,000-square-foot student hub is situated in an area adjacent to the main campus known as the Williams Village Neighborhood and houses a number of services and features including a state-of-the-art dining center showcasing local and regional foods, the late-night Grotto Café, and indoor and outdoor seating. Students can even climb onto a special bike designed to blend a custom smoothie as they pedal. Non-dining features include a large, divisible multipurpose room with separate break out space, a tutoring office suite, study and lounge areas and the new Wardenburg Health Center Annex. A new UPS store and 3,000-square-foot green house will be ready later this fall. The building is also aiming for LEED certification.

“Based on student feedback from a few years ago coupled with our own vision and desire to provide top-notch services to our students, we have built a facility that we think students will be very pleased with on both an academic and social level,â€� Amy Beckstrom, executive director of Housing & Dining Services, told local NBC affiliate .

KSQ Architects’ Denver office designed the new facility, which offers views of the iconic Flatiron Mountains just outside of the city. KSQ Architects described the Williams Village Neighborhood prior to the project as a tight-knit community lacking a modern dining facility, student service spaces or places for students claim as their own, according to the firm’s .

The Williams Village Neighborhood is also home to two modern residential towers. The towers provide an interesting contrast to the main campus, which features Tuscan-inspired designs developed nearly a century ago by architect Charles Klauder. The KSQ team developed the new brick and glass Village Center to complement both the main campus aesthetic and the more contemporary residential towers.

Colorado Springs, Colo.-headquartered GE Johnson served as the project’s general contractor. The project team also included a number of Denver-based firms including ArtHouse Design, Shen Milsom & Wilke, Wenk Associates and Group 14. Other local firms included Martin/Martin and Cator Ruma & Associates, both of Lakewood, and Rimrock Technology also of Colorado Springs.

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