Students, Alumni Laying Foundation for DU’s Future
Author(s)
Lorne Fultonberg
Writer
Pioneers past and present have a hand in constructing the new residential village and community commons
When the University of Denver knocked down Driscoll North, Joanne Cho (BSBA ’16, MSC ’19) was just about in tears.
“I had a personal connection to that building,” says Cho, who as an undergrad worked inside as a reservations administrator. “It was a bittersweet goodbye, although I never really liked the old, outdated blue tile in there.”
But every day at work, when she puts on a fluorescent yellow vest and a hard hat, Cho is reminded of how sweet the future will be. As a project engineer at Saunders Construction, Cho (who recently left the company to pursue another opportunity) is just one of several DU alumni and current students who quite literally have a hand in building the new Community Commons and Dimond Family Residential Village for first-year students.
“Looking at the prints, I remember how excited I was when I was told I was on the Community Commons project,” Cho says. “It was very personal to me because I was longing for that [space], not only as a current student but as an alum and now a working professional.”
The two buildings, located adjacent to Sturm Hall, are cornerstones of the Denver Advantage Campus Framework Plan, grown out of the DU IMPACT 2025 strategic plan. Both will open in fall 2020.
The Dimond Family Residential Village will house 500 first-year students in a pod system, created to foster several layers of community and create a greater sense of belonging and connection.The Community Commons is designed as a hub to bring faculty, students, staff and community members together. Its halls will feature spaces for classes, programming, studying and meeting, as well as a central dining hall. A rooftop venue with views of the mountains and campus is Teena Bergstrand’s favorite feature.
The "footprint" of the Community Commons will expand outward with each story. The basement houses the infrastructure for a centralized dining facility.
Each side of the Community Commons features curved surfaces, giving the viewer a unique perspective at any angle.
The Dimond Family Residential Village is intentionally located within steps of the Community Commons to foster a tighter-knit experience for students.
The Dimond Family Residential Village is built to host 500 first-year students in a layered pod system, encouraging different levels of community interaction.