Recap: Hard Hat Tour – Buell Public Media Center

Our first Hard Hat Tour of year was the Buell Public Media Center – the new home of Rocky Mountain PBS and KUVO Jazz! This new media center will transform the landscape of how public media is presented throughout the state. Tour guides included John McIntyre, Tryba Architects Principal, and Danny Nelson, Tryba Architects Project Architect.

About the tour:
While this was an active construction site, much of the work was already completed by the tour date. The building envelope and much of the interior work was finished, while exterior site work including sidewalks and landscaping still need to be completed. Installation of state-of-the-art technology devices was just beginning. We discussed the big picture planning concepts primarily featured on the exterior of the building along Arapahoe and 21st Streets, as well as dove into the interior planning and use of the building, technical integration and how a technology-driven building type functions both for broadcast and community engagement.

About the project:
Home to Rocky Mountain Public Media—Colorado’s largest statewide, member-supported, multimedia organization and parent of Rocky Mountain PBS and KUVO Jazz—Buell Public Media Center will be its new headquarters, complete with production and performance studios, a community media center, offices and community conference space. The 90,000 square-foot (includes below-grade parking), three-story building design responds to the character of the neighborhood, incorporating a mix of urban uses and interweaving of adjacent textures and scale. The center will serve as a symbol of the important role public media plays in strengthening the civic fabric of the community, while also invigorating an important thoroughfare in downtown Denver. Construction began in November 2018 and will be complete in April 2020.

Image courtesy of Tryba Architects.