Denver Art Museum Sie Welcome Center and Martin Building
Denver
Award of Merit

Owner: Denver Art Museum
Lead Design Firm: Machado Silvetti
Construction Manager/General Contractor: Saunders Construction Inc.
Civil/Structural Engineer: Martin/Martin Inc.
MEP Engineer: ME Engineers Inc.
Owner’s Representative: Grundy Construction Management & Consulting Ltd.
Architect: Fentress Architects
Subcontractors: All City Floor Co.; Douglass Colony Group; Horizon Glass & Glazing Co. Inc.; Intermountain Electric Inc.; ISEC Inc.; RK Mechanical

A $150-million addition to the Sie Welcome Center and the renovation of the Martin Building at the Denver Art Museum improve gallery spaces and add new amenities for visitors. The Martin building is the only Gio Ponti-designed building ever built in the U.S. The complex renovation maintained its historic significance while incorporating new elements to support the museum’s mission. The contractor used laser scanning of as-built conditions to build a detailed model that saved $60,000-$90,000 by eliminating conflicts before construction began. 

The Sie Welcome Center serves as a new front door to the DAM campus. The center is the only structure in North America of its size with an elliptically curved structural glass facade. Mock-ups were tested in the laboratory to verify its durability to wind and water. The structural-glass panels provide unobstructed views from the second floor, which will host a variety of events and amplify the surrounding civic and cultural plaza.

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