CU Denver Lola & Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center

CU DENVER LOLA & ROB SALAZAR STUDENT WELLNESS CENTER 

What do you think are some important aspects of physical and mental wellness that would need to be taken into account when designing a wellness center? 

The Lola & Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center facility and programs embody the seven dimensions of wellness, as created by CU Denver students, to support and enhance the well-being of the CU Denver campus. Perched proudly on the corner of Auraria and Speer, the Lola & Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center is an Urban Industrial style beacon of CU Denver pride. Its location on the Auraria campus makes it part of the Auraria neighborhood. Auraria is the oldest continuously occupied neighborhood in Denver, with the buildings now occupied with campus offices (Fink, 1969). 

Structure
The 85,000-square-foot building is a new student wellness center that includes a pool, weight training, cardio, exercise, basketball, multiple activity gym, outdoor sports, commuter lounge, climbing wall, student kitchen, student health clinic and many other amenities. The building is located next to the new Student Commons building at the corner of Auraria Parkway and Speer Boulevard in the heart of downtown Denver (CU Denver Student Wellness Center Fact Sheet). 

Architect
Anderson Mason Dale is a 50-person architectural firm located in Denver, Colorado. For over 40 years they have provided a full range of services including the planning, programming and design of buildings for colleges, universities, schools, libraries, justice facilities, office buildings, cultural venues and housing. AMD has twice been awarded the American Institute of Architects’ Firm Award “a distinguished body of work” and numerous local, regional and national design awards (About).

SmithGroup is an architectural engineering and planning firm with 1300 employees and 12 offices in the United States and China. Architect Sheldon Smith established the firm in Detroit in 1853. The firm figured out early the value of multiple disciplines, adding engineering services to architecture as soon as the steel building frame was invented. It delved into specialty market sectors early, leading to today’s deep well of expertise in fields as diverse and complex as academic medical centers and marina design. The firm has always been at the leading edge of change: it designed one of Henry Ford’s first manufacturing plants, as well as NASA’s Lunar Sample Receiving Laboratory. Today, the SmithGroup name reflects the emergence from several talented regional practices to a united, award-winning firm practicing around the globe (About Us). 

CU Denver Wellness & Recreation Services
Wellness & Recreation Services’ mission is to provide the University of Colorado Denver community with facilities, programs and services to engage the mind, body and spirit in order to enhance individual and organizational wellness, and promote student retention to graduation. Its vision is to be a leader in fostering an integrated student experience through wellness, recreation and sport.  

References
Fink, R. 1969. Emmanuel Shearith Israel Chapel National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
CU Denver Student Wellness Center Fact Sheet.
Anderson Mason Dale. About. Retrieved from http://www.amdarchitects.com/about/. 
SmithGroup. About Us. Retrieved from https://www.smithgroup.com/about-us/about-smithgroup.  

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