1405 11th Street
Summit House, Metropolitan State University of Denver's first on-campus residence hall, has topped out on the Auraria Campus. Construction workers hoisted the final beam in June that drew MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, members of the university's Board of Trustees, and leadership from PCL Construction and Columbia Ventures.
The milestone caps the completion of the building's full 12-story structural frame: a two-story concrete podium topped by 10 floors of mass timber, a system that makes Summit House one of the tallest mass timber buildings in Colorado.
We first stopped by to photograph the property in February, when the concrete podium had just been finished and vertical construction was beginning above grade. Since then the tower has risen quickly. Exterior glazing is now largely installed across the timber floors, though the ground-floor podium remains wrapped in an exposed weather barrier as retail and lobby buildout continues, and a tower crane remains on site as work progresses across the block.
Structural engineer KL&A and design-assist partner Mercer Mass Timber supplied the mass timber system, using roughly 3,077 cubic meters of Douglas-fir cross-laminated timber and glulam engineered to Colorado's building codes and climate. Components were precision-manufactured off site and delivered under an offsite-first strategy meant to shorten installation time while supporting safety and quality control on the tight urban site.
Once complete, Summit House will house 550 students. The building will also include roughly 42,000 square feet of commercial space split between MSU Denver office space, retail, and food and beverage uses, plus the university's Kemper Classroom to Career Hub, a community and career-services space intended to anchor student life in the building.
PCL Construction Services, in partnership with fee developer Columbia Ventures, is leading the $118.3 million project, financed through municipal funds tied to the MSU Denver Board of Trustees.
The architect on record is Shears Adkins Rockmore.
Summit House sits at 11th Street and Auraria Parkway, across from Ball Arena and just east of the Tivoli Garage, and marks a significant shift for MSU Denver, long known as a commuter school. From the 12th floor during last month's ceremony, tour guests already had clear views of downtown Denver, a vantage point that will belong to students within the year.