CREJ

90 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / December 2021 The first LEED Platinum building on the DU campus, the visually striking, 23,000-sf, three-story Burwell Cen- ter for Career Achievement caters to students through career development and employer engagement, as well as hosting alumni activities. In a process that somewhat mimics that of Commu- nity Commons, the core mission of the building was developed after DU and architecture firms Lake|Flato and Shears Adkins Rockmore, hosted an integrated de- sign workshop, followed by smaller, focused workshops, which brought in faculty, students and alumni. What came out of those workshops was that this building would be about bringing people together, cross genera- tionally, so that it works for prospective students, cur- rent students and alumni. “It’s a really interesting approach to bring together alumni, development and career services,” says Ryan Yaden, designer, Lake|Flato Architects. “It's not a model we’ve seen at other universities.” One of the ideas that came out of the design work- shops was exploring the use of mass timber because of DU’s commitment to the environment. DU was unfamil- iar with the process, and there weren’t any projects in Colorado to learn from, so trips to Canada and the Pacific Northwest bolstered its knowledge and commitment. Ac- cording to Yaden, it made the installation learning curve much easier to handle. The result is a beautiful structure. The exterior inte- grates traditional DU materials like red brick, limestone, sandstone, slate and copper with graceful, sophisticated lines, welcoming indoor/outdoor patios and lush land- scape design. Inside, the Burwell Center features classrooms, meet- ing rooms, offices, event spaces and lecture rooms. Events are hosted throughout the building, and the flow of the three floors encourages more “chance meeting” in- teraction. Although COVID has hampered the lineup of alumni events, Rodgers says the student response has been positive. “I do know that students love the build- ing.” \\ / The University of Denver / Burwell Center for Career Achievement University architect: Mark Rodgers, AIA Design architect: Lake|Flato Architects – San Antonio Associate architect: Shears Adkins Rockmore Architects – Denver General contractor: PCL Construction – Denver The exterior integrates traditional DU materials like red brick, limestone, sandstone, slate and copper. The flow of the three floors encourages more “chance meeting” in- teraction. The Burwell Center features mass timber construction.