In 1995, after more than 80 years of operation as a U.S. military facility, the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure list. At the time it was recommended for closure, the Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado Hospital, and the City of Aurora teamed up to put forward a proposal for the decommissioned site: its reuse as a world-class academic health center. The U.S. Department of Defense ultimately approved the proposal, and the $1.55 billion reconstruction project was underway shortly after the base closed in 1999.
By 2008, the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, as it is known today, has matured into a 227-acre mixed-use academic and medical complex with private and public operations all on a contiguous site. With the exception of the original Fitzsimons Hospital, referred to as 500 Main, all of the facilities are new construction. The architectural language of the campus is governed by design guidelines that define a series of distinct quadrangles around which the campus is organized: the research quadrangle is characterized by a contemporary glass and metal aesthetic; the education quadrangle utilizes brick expressed in a contemporary manner; and the core quadrangle, located on the central axis of the campus and anchored by the 500 Main Building, takes on a more eclectic, referential quality.
Represented in this project profile are designs by Perkins + Will / Davis Partnership, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson / Christopher Carvell Architects, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca / H+L Architects, Kling Stubbins / Fentress Architects, Anderson Mason Dale and AR7 Architects.
