Construction is actively underway on Summit House, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s first on campus housing project.
The 12 story mass timber building on the Auraria Campus will deliver 500 student beds along with retail space and a new Classroom to Career Hub, marking a major shift for the historically commuter focused university, with completion expected in 2027.
Construction is well underway on Summit House, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s first on campus student housing project, on the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver.
The 12 story mixed use building is located at 11th Street and Auraria Parkway on the north end of campus, across from Ball Arena and just east of the Tivoli Garage. Recent construction activity shows the concrete podium structure completed, with vertical construction progressing above grade.
Summit House is planned to include approximately 155 residential units totaling about 500 student beds, along with MSU Denver office space, a Classroom to Career Hub community space, and ground floor retail and food and beverage uses. The building is designed as a mass timber structure, with a two story concrete podium supporting 10 floors of mass timber above, making it one of the tallest mass timber buildings in Colorado.
PCL Construction Services, Inc., in partnership with Columbia Ventures, is leading the $117 million development. Total development costs are estimated at $118.3 million. Construction began following site mobilization in summer 2025, with substantial completion anticipated in March 2027 and student move ins expected later that year.
Summit House represents a significant shift for MSU Denver, an institution long known as a commuter school. The project is part of a broader mixed use vision for the Auraria Campus that also includes a future workforce housing building intended to serve mixed income residents, including qualifying MSU Denver faculty, staff, and students.
The architect for the project is Shears Adkins Rockmore.
