Cherry Creek School District 5
Centennial, CO
117,000 SF
1,100
At Cherry Creek Innovation Center, students are immersed in a number of career pathways through applied learning.
Cherry Creek School District in Colorado made a bold commitment to elevate and diversify its educational approach and prepare students differently for the workforce they’ll enter by placing greater emphasis on innovation, critical thinking skills, and advanced career-based programs. The Innovation Campus supports learners at all levels. Students who plan to attend college can take dual enrollment courses to earn credit toward a degree. Those who prefer to enter the workforce or military immediately can learn skills or trades that help prepare them for their careers.
Our design for the 117,000-SF CCIC comprises a variety of learning environments and social spaces from traditional classrooms for instruction, to more intense labs that provide hands-on areas for a project-based curriculum. Industry-specific spaces support real-world training or trade certification programs, and high-bay labs provide flexible spaces for experimentation and exploration. The high-bay labs for infrastructure, aviation, and transportation logistics have direct access to sheltered work areas for opportunities to explore in authentic outdoor environments.
Our design provides a flexible and adaptable environment that will evolve as future careers and the demands of the Colorado workforce evolve.
Today’s students need hands-on learning opportunities that allow them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills they will use in future careers.
Cherry Creek School District officials aligned their focus with the Colorado Workforce Development Council and Colorado’s Career Clusters to identify seven career pathways, including advanced manufacturing; business services; culinary/hospitality; health services; infrastructure engineering; IT/STEAM; and transportation. By collaborating with industry partners, the needs of each career pathway were clearly defined and ensured critical design parameters with special space requirements such as access, loading on floors, furniture and fixtures, and equipment needs were appropriately defined.
We designed various learning environments from traditional classrooms, to more specialized environments for hands-on, project-based curriculum.
Health services is one of seven career pathways with specially designed learning environments.
An “i-commons” at the heart of the campus encourages intentional collisions and synergy among industry partners and career-based programs circulating between break-out areas and learning labs. Transparency throughout the campus is reinforced through the use of glazing for visual accessibility into learning spaces, and to encourage interaction among the different pathways. The i-commons is further activated by the adjacent cafe/culinary program and main learning stair, which connects the two levels of the facility.
The heart of the campus is designed to encourage connection among industry partners and students circulating between break-out areas and learning labs.
Transparency throughout the campus is reinforced through the use of glazing for visual accessibility into learning spaces.
CCIC is nestled on 40 acres in Dove Valley, in the central core of the district. Bound by two main thoroughfares, the site slopes dramatically to a low point that runs north-south at the center of the site. Rather than shying away from the slope, we embraced the opportunity to frame a unique building with a unique roofline. The design follows the topographic lines along the north-south axis and features contrasting roof lines that step down the slope, forming an iconic structure the community will recognize and celebrate for generations to come.
The campus follows the topographic lines along the north-south axis of the site.
DLR Group Senior Principal Pam Loeffelman, FAIA, pens an article for spaces4learning on the new Cherry Creek Innovation Campus and its curriculum rooted in real-world skills and trade certifications.
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DLR Group designs college and career preparedness facility offering pathways identified with the Colorado Workforce Development to support the local and regional economy.
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