The Colorado State University (CSU) Spur Campus at the National Western Center project included the construction of three buildings, all pursuing LEED Gold, adjacent to one another, under three separate contracts for one Owner. JE Dunn constructed all three buildings concurrently, but each in a different phase of construction from its neighbor.
This campus project for CSU includes a 134,122 SF water resource center known as the Spur Hydro Building, a 60,124 SF community education center known as the Spur Terra Building, and an 118,000 SF, 3-story animal health complex known as the Spur Vida Building. All are now open and enhancing the community in many facets.
CSU Spur Hydro Building
This facility is unique in the world of advancing state-of-the-art practices in water, providing a place for water-oriented conversations and conferences, highlighting linkages between water and urban and rural food systems and energy, and showcasing water sustainability. With its connection to a restored section of the South Platte River in north Denver, Hydro also provides a home for community activities and hands-on water education for students and families. Major partners on site at Hydro include Denver Water and the CSU Salazar Center for North American Conversation.
CSU Spur Terra Building
This facility focuses on food and agriculture and is home to programs that allow the public to interact with food production and develop a deeper understanding of where food comes from. The programs housed within the Terra building, including the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) and Together We Grow, promote agricultural literacy and lifelong learning, enhance community health, and advance the sustainability of our urban and rural food systems. Spaces encompassed within the facility include a K-12 Agricultural Discovery Center, agricultural research spaces, a food lab, a public teaching kitchen, vertical gardens, rooftop greenhouses, and a green roof. Additionally,
Terra will serve as an extra space for Denver Urban Extension to respond to community educational needs and offer a variety of resources, ranging from gardening classes to energy audits.
CSU Spur Vida Building
This facility is dedicated to understanding, improving, and sharing the value of improved animal health and the human-animal bond. The CSU Animal Health Complex brings together university experts, veterinarians, service providers, and nonprofit organizations to create a collaborative space focused on animal health, human health, equine sports medicine and assisted therapy and subsidized companion animal veterinary care to qualified families. The facility offers many unique spaces and programs, including the Temple Grandin Equine Center which serves as a space for therapists to treat individuals with special challenges, instructors to teach students, and scientists to research all for the betterment of horses and humans. In addition, Vida is home to the Dumb Friends League Veterinary Hospital which offers low-cost veterinary services to owners who are experiencing financial challenges.
