Elevating Spaces for Innovation, Research, Education, and Personalized Clinical Care

AE Design & Project Partners Celebrate Project Milestone for University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Alongside our partners and project architects, Anderson Mason Dale (AMD) and ZGF, we are proud to share details of our collaborative work on the University of Colorado Anschutz Health Sciences Building (CU Anschutz Health Sciences Building). Our team served as the lighting design for the construction of this building, while Cator Ruma specified the specialty lighting controls. By highlighting the simplistic and natural elements of design, we incorporated lighting style, specialty lighting controls, interior and exterior architectural elements for this tier-one destination for research, education, and personalized clinical care.

For our work in the medical industry, enhancing comfort and creating an inviting and balanced space is always a top priority, and it was no different for this project. CU Anschutz Health Sciences Building is recognized as a leader in the Rocky Mountain West, and to achieve their goals of elevating their space, we implemented strategic lighting solutions throughout.

Consisting of several departments throughout seven floors and shared event space, we curated a comfortable, home-like retreat for staff and patients. By highlighting vertical surfaces with perimeter lighting and enhanced finishes, our solutions provided a focal glow for connection and wayfinding, while sparking inspiration for community-building and collaboration.

Alongside our project partners, we ensured our design elements were aligned when focusing on the building’s entry. The project’s exterior was designed with sustainable selections in mind to enhance a visual connection with nature by subtly spotlighting the plant life and intentionally creating the convergence of safety, humanity, and nature that blend with existing adjacent campus sites. The exterior’s lighting design was inspired by bioluminescence and reflected the internal glow of the interior through the façade. This element was carefully studied to create a lantern effect through the strategic placement of interior lighting and connecting the exterior and interior composition. Through up-lighting and down-lighting the V-shaped columns, we created a grand entry while simultaneously grounding the building.

AE Design and Anderson Mason Dale have previously worked on the CU Denver North Classroom Atrium Renovation and are currently working together on the Metro State University Campus Upgrades, Northglenn City Hall, and Westwood Recreation Center projects.