Mortenson breaks ground on Fitzsimons bioscience building
Mortenson broke ground earlier this month on the newest bioscience project at the Fitzsimons Innovation Community. Officials from the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority joined dignitaries from the University of Colorado, the city of Aurora, the Aurora and Denver Metro Chambers, along with U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman celebrated the groundbreaking. Undergoing a transformation into one of the nation’s largest and most ambitious biotechnology communities of its kind, the construction of the 115,000-square-foot Bioscience 3 building is a major milestone in the development of the 125-acre campus, which will house laboratories, apartments, schools and hotels in the years ahead.
Developed and built by Mortenson, and designed by MOA Architecture, Bioscience 3 will house a variety of companies and scientists working collaboratively to turn leading-edge research into innovative medical products and services. Amenities include a 100-seat flexible auditorium, shared conference facilities, a café with outdoor seating, and covered parking. It is scheduled to open in 2019 at an estimated cost of $55 million.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate this milestone,” said Steve VanNurden, president and CEO of the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority. “It’s exciting to see the physical construction underway, proving the Fitzsimons Innovation Community is open for business and ready to support those in the biotech industry now, in the near future and long-term, to bring breakthrough technology to market,” he added.
The Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority is working with its partners the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Aimco to redevelop multiple districts and sites on the former Fitzsimons Golf Course and across the campus through a master planning effort led by Tryba Architects. Some of the unique proposed concepts include the offering of “co-labbing” space, co-working space tailored specifically to the biotech community.
“In addition to the immediate opportunities in Bioscience 3, some of the other future development we’re investigating includes ‘co-labbing’ options and flexible incubator spaces,” said Taber Sweet, director of development at Mortenson. “It’s truly an opportunity to build on the strong roots the industry is already seeing in Colorado for the advancement of modern society,” he added.
