With a growing program and a top-five national ranking, the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder had outgrown its existing facilities within the existing College of Engineering. RATIO partnered with the University to develop a vision for the future of the Department, which focuses on driving synergistic collaboration through the creation of “research clusters” within a new 180,323 SF Aerospace Engineering Sciences Building.

The facility’s design provides open, flexible research space that allows for easy reconfiguration and maximum access to daylight and views of the area’s iconic Flatiron Mountains. A large maker space supporting work in metals, composites, 3D printing, woodworking, and electronics. The building also features 5,000 SF dedicated to PILOT (Practical Innovation and Learning through Observation and Teaching), an aerospace-specific program within CU-Boulder’s internationally recognized Integrated Teaching Environment & Learning Laboratory.