GH Phipps recently commemorated the topping out of the new Beck Venture Center at the Colorado School of Mines. This addition to the McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Colorado School of mines will allow students to apply their skills and ideas to improve and support business ventures through a mentorship program.
Located at 17000 Washington Avenue in Golden, the project is LEED Gold Certified anticipated and Net Zero ready. The architect for the project is OZ Architecture.
The new three-story, 31,230-square-foot, $19.4 million project is made possible by a generous lead gift from Mike and Kelly Beck of Sarasota, Fla. The Becks are the parents of two Mines alums, and they support the campus vision of building an encompassing E&I culture by Mines’ 150th anniversary in 2024.
Alumni and industry partners will collaborate with students at the facility, allowing students to receive mentorship and businesses to build upon student contributions. The space is designed to accommodate various needs with a mix of private and open office spaces. The collaborative spaces will allow users to present and lecture with a capacity of up to 100 people. The rooms can also be reconfigured to support smaller groups. A large glass wall can be raised to open the space. There is a café and atrium designed with the intent to foster connection and well-being.
The building is projected to open in August 2023, following the creation-focused Labriola Innovation Hub in January 2023 and the E&I classroom building McNeil Hall, which opened in October 2021.
Photo courtesy of GH Phipps