16 Nov Learn More about the CSU SPUR Campus and the Boettcher Foundation

VIDA

Vida is Spanish for life. The name Vida was selected to represent the building’s intent to showcase the relationship between human and animal health and to honor the connections between CSU and the Latin X communities in the surrounding neighborhoods of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea.
Vida is made up largely of glass in order to create as much visibility, both literally and figuratively, into the world of veterinary science, equine rehabilitation, and equine therapy programs.
Vida hosts a donor subsidized Dumb Friends League animal hospital where pet owners who are facing financial challenges can receive high quality veterinary care at a reduced cost.
Visitors to Vida can observe surgical procedures, talk with veterinarians, observe equine rehabilitation, including underwater treadmills, human therapy sessions on horseback, and interact with virtual reality exhibits designed to teach about human and animal health.
Vida is home to CSU’s second Temple Grandin’s Equine Center which provides services to individuals with a wide range of disabilities and challenges while conducting research.
Vida utilizes a 113-kilowatt, 255 panel voltaic solar energy system which will provide 8% Annual Building Energy Offset.

Hydro is Greek for water. The name of the building highlights Colorado’s key role as a headwaters state.
The architecture of the Hydro building is inspired by the flowing nature water. The outside of the building includes a metal scrim sunshade which originates at the front doors and flows along the entryway. The inside includes a spiral staircase inspired by a swirling river eddy.
The Hydro building will be the fourth building on the CSU Spur campus to join the largest sewer-heat recovery project in North America. This means that the building will be primarily heated and cooled by transferring heat from dirty water into the heating system and transferring heat from the building to the dirty water in the winter.
The Hydro building includes a greywater catchment system which will provide greywater to flush all of the toilets in the building. Greywater is water which has been used in sinks, showers, or washing machines but never come in contact with feces. This is usually considered wastewater, but systems like those at CSU repurpose the water and increase sustainability efforts.
The Hydro building will host Denver Water’s new water quality lab, enabling the number of annual tests to increase from 70,000 to 200,000.

Terra is Latin for earth. The Terra building is dedicated to teaching and connecting individuals to food and agriculture and encouraging collaboration between rural and urban communities.
Terra features a “living wall” which is made up of more than 1,600 plants.
The architectural palette of the Terra building was selected to represent Colorado’s agricultural landscape. The lower portions of the building features colors and textures drawn from Colorado soils and crops.
To provide hands-on educational opportunities to the public and conduct cutting-edge research, Terra is home to kitchens, labs, and gardens that provide space for community cooking and gardening classes, market research, soil, water, and plant analysis, and urban grow spaces.
Terra includes an exhibit called CSU Impact which is an interactive digital map displaying the numerous teaching, research, and service sites sponsored by CSU around the world.
Terra includes an exhibit called CSU Impact which is an interactive digital map displaying the numerous teaching, research, and service sites sponsored by CSU around the world.

The Boettcher Foundation was established on December 22, 1937 by Charles and Claude Boettcher.
The Boettcher Scholarship was started in 1952 when 12 students were selected to receive the scholarship. Currently, the Boettcher Foundation awards 50 scholarships each year.
In 1959, the Boettcher Foundation donated the Boettcher Mansion to the State of Colorado to serve as the Governor’s Residence. The Boettcher Foundation continues to contribute to the upkeep and preservation of the beautiful, historic mansion.
By 1981, the Boettcher Foundation had awarded 1,000 Boettcher Scholarships. Today, the Foundation has awarded over $110 million in undergraduate scholarships to Colorado students.
In 2003, the Boettcher Foundation celebrated the milestone of giving $200 million in grants and scholarships designed to invest in the potential of Colorado and Coloradans. By 2011, this number reached $300 million.
Tony Frank, the former president, and current Chancellor of CSU, also serves a Trustee for the Boettcher Foundation and currently chairs the board.