In 2018, former DU chancellor Rebecca Chopp developed the Denver Advantage Campus Framework Plan. It envisioned a revitalized, sustainable and community-based campus. This fall quarter, two of the buildings detailed in her vision have been completed and are open to students.

The Dimond first-year residential village was designed to “foster meaningful interactions, dialogues and relationships” between incoming students. The Burwell Career Achievement Center was created to connect students to alumni, meaningful internships and career paths. 

Both Dimond and Burwell are on track to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications, said Mark Rodgers, the campus architect. The rooftop solar panels, local materials and innovative sustainable technology are some of the features which make LEED certifications likely. 

The new buildings also feature shiny copper panel exteriors because the material is durable and recyclable. Eventually, the copper will oxidize and turn a blue-green color. The Dimond building also features a “workers wall” with the names of the 800 people who contributed to the construction.

The Dimond first-year residential village was designed to create common, interactive spaces where newly independent freshmen would be able to make lasting friendships during the critical first few months of college.

“Dimond was designed with the idea that we would pull students together. We wouldn’t allow students to just close the door and close the world out,” explained the architect Mark Rodgers.

The Dimond design encourages interaction by having a shared bathroom and doors which can be propped open magnetically.

The building’s first occupants moved in at the beginning of the 2020 fall quarter. These freshmen are the first of many students to come who will enjoy unique common areas, complete with hanging chairs and a multitude of windows. Dimond has six different “cohort houses” which are meant to contribute to the social support and academic success of students. Each “house” has separate energy-use metering to promote sustainable competition.

Although blessed with sleek bathrooms and a pristine interior, the first-year students have not been able to reap the benefits of the interactive building design due to COVID-19 precautions. Under normal circumstances, the building is able to house more than 500 students. However, DU transformed the rooms to single-occupancy spaces this year to promote physical distancing.

The Burwell Center for Career Achievement will be a “resource for an industry that will build the workforce of tomorrow,” said contributing donor Barbara Burwell.

During its construction, DU students studying real estate or built environment practices were able to see unique building materials like Canadian cross-laminated timber up close.

The buildings are named in honor of their respective $5 million donors. 

Navin Dimond was a first-generation college student who obtained three degrees, one of which from DU. He founded a hospitality powerhouse with claims to the Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Four Seasons brands. He serves on the University’s board of trustees as the chair of the buildings and grounds committee, hoping to leave a legacy of “generosity, thoughtfulness and future-thinking.”

Rod and Barabara Burwell’s three sons graduated from the University of Denver. In return for DU’s “stellar faculty and the outstanding education [their] sons received,” they donated $5 million towards the creation of the Center for Career Achievement. Mrs. Burwell, who was crowned Miss USA in 1976, heads the philanthropic Burwell Family Foundation, and her three sons have found success through their purchase and operation of the Echo Mountain ski area.

The Community Commons building is another highly anticipated addition to campus and is expected to open in the spring of 2021.