The new VA Medical Center on the Fitzsimons Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado will add 1.2 million square feet of new development and parking for 2,500 cars. Organized around a core linear concourse, the design provides a built-in social center where patients, visitors, and staff can interact. This concourse also serves as a functional spine, connecting several different departments.

The new hospital will include diagnostic and treatment facilities, ambulatory care clinics, research laboratories, support facilities, and inpatient beds in acute care, critical care, mental health, rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and long-term care units.

Sustainability is central to the design, which is targeting LEED Silver or higher certification. Photovoltaic and hot water panels, earth tubes, and solar concentrators will contribute to reduced energy costs. The design team is a joint venture of H+L Architecture, SOM, Cator, Ruma & Associates, and S.A. Miro, Inc.

Project Facts

Completion Year: 2014
Site Area: 31 acres
Project Area: 1,100,000 ft²
Building Height: 24.38 m
Number of Stories: 4

Principles of the Design

• Strengthen the VA’s integrated continuum of care
• Provide close connections between clinical care, treatment, and rehabilitation
• Create continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces
• Design a hospital with human scale and access to daylight and views
• Provide clear and convenient circulation routes
• Support veterans’ and families’ social networks
• Integrate indigenous landscaping into the site
• Generate renewable energy via solar power