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62 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2022 L ess than 3 miles north of downtown Denver, the National Western Center is an iconic local insti- tution, rich in history and strongly connected to the region’s Western heritage. Visible off the northern edge of Interstate 70, the landmark Livestock Exchange building stands at the epicenter of the NWC, long serving as a primary regional hub for live- stock trade. This building’s immediate surroundings are rapidly transforming into Colorado State University’s new Spur campus, a free, year-round public learning des- tination. Three highly innovative and complementary yet programmatically distinct buildings form the foun- dation for Spur, each providing unique immersive learn- ing experiences for visitors. Vida, designed by Clark & En- ersen, is now open and is leading innovation in animal and human health. Terra, designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, focuses on food and agriculture and will be complete this spring. Hydro, designed by Hord Cop- land Macht, is scheduled for completion the fall, provid- ing a home for cutting-edge water research. While each of the buildings is unique in purpose and mission, they were conceived collaboratively as one in- terconnected visitor experience. The Spur campus will provide field trip opportunities, summer camps and oth- er public services to the community. The projects blend seamlessly into the unified, highly active public realm of the overall campus, with each building being responsive to its location and functionality, while complementing one another in materiality and scale. Material palettes honor the site’s history and legacy with a modern inter- pretation, and all three buildings are highly transparent at ground level, activating the public spaces and pro- grams housed within each facility. As an all-seasons destination, CSU Spur will also host entertainment, symposiums, community events, retail, dining and art, offering something for every visitor. The campus has taken a truly immersive approach to commissioned artwork, featuring eight large-scale per- manent installations showcasing artists from around the world. Each piece celebrates and amplifies the cut- ting-edge research and learning opportunities hosted on campus. Spur also holds sustainability as a core value, given the profound impact of energy and water use on the Colorado economy as well as the larger Mountain West region. Each building employs a wide range of sus- tainable design strategies in service of achieving LEED Gold certification. The NWC has employed an ambitious districtwide approach to energy and water systems, in- vesting in a long-range view that enables the campus to grow toward net zero energy and water use over time. CSU Spur Campus Brings Together Complementary, Yet Distinct, Themes: Vida, Terra, Hydro Jennifer Cordes, AIA, LEED AP Principal, Hord CoplanMacht Hydro – Water Conservation The Hydro building design was inspired by the Nation- al Western Center site, the area’s history and the unique aspects of Colorado. The building enfolds the old McCon- nell Welders building to the south of the site, with a new building whose materials and form are inspired by water in the West. After evaluating the carbon emission impacts of replacing the 1930 McConnell Welder building, it was de- termined that McConnell should be incorporated into the Hydro building design. The design integrates the existing building into the new facility through a new stair tower connection, activated alley and third-floor bridge. The de- cision to keep the McConnell Welders avoided emitting 396 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to the emissions of 85 cars driven for one year or 983,700 miles driven by a single automobile. The combined building, new construction, and renovated McConnell Welders showcas- es Colorado State University’smission for innovativewater research and public outreach/educa- tion with its materiality, construction detailing, richness in visual quality, depth and shadow, and dedication to sustainable design. The Hydro building design utilizes a sophisticated material palette that capi- talizes on textures to create a play of light and shadow on the building. A metal build- ing scrim springs from the ground like a riv- er at the front door and flows along Bettie Cram into the backyard and down National Western Drive to the “activated alley” at McConnell Welders. The water-in- spired scrim is comprised of two perforated metal materi- als supported by the building’s floor structure with a light structural framing. The exterior material along the base of the building is a textural concrete panel that has a flow-