Holt Watters Field Camp

Design Build Project by the Colorado Building Workshop

ColoradoBuildingWorkshop

The ColoradoBuildingWorkshop, the Department of Architecture’s design build certificate program, has served the broader community by partnering with non-profit organizations on a variety of innovative projects. The certificate centers on the practical application of architectural theory and promotes a blend of hands-on skills, creative design, and cutting-edge materials to construct buildings for communities in need.

In February 2022, Phase I of the Holt Watters Field Camp design build project in Antarctica was completed. The design and fabrication of the Phase II build began in the Spring 2023 semester with the final installation in Antarctica in Winter 2023-24.

In 2021, NOAA Fisheries awarded a contract for the replacement of the facilities at Cape Shirreff, now called Holt Watters Field Camp, to a partnership of three entities, including a new, woman-owned small business, Bespoke Project Solutions, an award-winning architecture firm, OZ Architecture, and the Colorado Building Workshop's design build certificate program for students pursuing a Master of Architecture degree within the Department of Architecture at CU Denver. The scope and design of the rebuild project include flat-packable prefabricated structures, weather-resistant construction, an off-grid power system, and housing and laboratory space for 8 scientists. The new buildings will enable the continuation of NOAA Fisheries’ long-term science-based, ecosystem-based approaches to management in the Southern Ocean.