UCCS selects top design firms for new visual and performing arts center

Semple Brown logoSemple Brown Design, Denver, one of the most recognized and respected performing arts design firms in the Mountain West, will be the architect of record for the university’s forthcoming 76,000 square foot, $56 million visual and performing arts center.

Gary Reynolds, executive director, Facilities Services, and the firm announced the selection May 7.

As one of the first of several major buildings to be located on the University’s North Campus, the new center will unify the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, now located in six locations across campus. The center will be designed to encourage and support working relationships with cultural organizations in the community, and conveniently located to provide direct public access to performances, exhibits and classes. To respond to the unique, interdisciplinary relationships within VAPA, the new, integrated complex will include a 750-seat main theatre, a 250-seat recital hall, and the University’s 250-seat Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theatre, home to UCCS’s resident theatre company, TheatreWorks, a 100-seat Osborne Theatre, and the Gallery of Contemporary Art.

“Semple Brown Design has been working on the development of our program plan for this project since 2001, as well as multiple revisions since then, and we are excited to have them help us complete their work of the last 14 years,” Reynolds said. “Our longstanding relationship has proven to be of enormous benefit to the university.”

Chris Wineman, principal, Semple Brown Design, said: “Our commitment to the UCCS Visual and Performing Arts Department has been unwavering for many years, so we are thrilled to have this opportunity to help further the University’s vision. This new facility will make a timeless mark on this growing campus.”

Semple Brown leads a highly regarded team of consultants from across the nation including H3 Hardy Collaborative, New York, N.Y.; Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, San Francisco; Jaffe Holden, Norwalk, Conn.; Martin/Martin , Lakewood; M-E Engineers, Wheatridge; Tapis Associates , Colorado Springs; Wilson & Co., Colorado Springs; Group14, Denver; and George Sexton Design, Washington, D.C. The construction manager is J.E. Dunn Construction, Denver. The project will be built in multiple phases as funding becomes available.

Since its 1982 co-founding by Sarah Semple Brown and Rusty Brown, the firm’s design has resulted in prominent, award-winning projects in the state. Notable examples of Semple Brown’s work include the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, the new Parker Arts, Culture and Events Center, the restoration of Larimer Square and renovation of Denver Pavilions and Kent Denver School’s new dining hall. Semple Brown also designed many of Denver’s most beloved restaurants—Frasca Food & Wine, The Kitchen (Denver, Fort Collins and Chicago) and The Kitchen Next Door (Denver Union Station and Glendale CitySet), The Squeaky Bean, Coohills, Steubens and Euclid Hall as well as numerous Colorado residences. In recognition of its design excellence, the firm has also received more than 100 design awards from a variety of esteemed groups, including the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Interior Designers, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For further information, please see: http://www.semplebrowndesign.com.

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