The Denver International Airport (DEN) is the fifth busiest airport in the United States, annually serving more than 53 million passengers and generating over $26 billion for the regional economy. DEN is one of the world’s largest airports by land area at over 53 square miles. Of DEN’s 33,000 acres, 17,000 acres are reserved for aviation use.  With plans to double in size from six runways to twelve over time, DEN is poised to become one of the busiest and largest airports in North America, and even the world. 

In April 2012, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced the vision for the future development of an “airport city” of diverse mixed-use commercial development on DEN’s remaining 16,000 acres—an unprecedented opportunity for regional economic growth focused around connectivity and innovation. The vision for DEN’s airport city builds on the distinct architecture of the Jeppesen Terminal, vast prairie landscape, and breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains. A newly constructed passenger rail line connects DEN to Union Station in downtown Denver, forming what Mayor Hancock refers to as the Corridor of Opportunity. This network of regional, national, and global connectivity—combined with DEN’s extensive land resources, the natural beauty of the surrounding prairie, and the Rocky Mountains—provides the context and inspiration for our work.

Sasaki, an interdisciplinary planning and design firm, is leading the master plan effort, working closely with diverse sub-consultants from specialized fields such as market economics, engineering, aviation, energy, and transportation. The master plan will provide a comprehensive development strategy and vision for future streets, blocks, and building footprints, along with public and open space. The new train linking DEN to downtown will spur Transit Oriented Development (TOD) opportunities near the three commuter rail stations. This series of compact TOD nodes along the corridor will be surrounded by open landscape at a scale of thousands of acres, presenting tremendous opportunities for innovation in designing and managing an ecologically functional native ecosystem.

The design team will benefit from research and deep understanding of topics such as prairie landscape design and management, pollinator habitat, monarch butterfly flyways, and innovative stormwater management (standing water is not allowed on site for more than 48 hours due to aviation regulations intended to prevent bird strike events). 

The design team is also seeking potential elements that will give the property an authentic “sense of place,” reflecting not only its aeronautical relationship to airport operations but also the unique aspects of the Denver metropolitan area and the Rocky Mountains.

The SNRE team will be working with an interdisciplinary team of design practitioners and in-house scientists from Sasaki to augment the rigor of the design practice and the potential of the project. All disciplines in environment and sustainability related fields are welcome.  The scope and duration of the research can be coordinated with Sasaki’s on-going design effort, or be a standalone project that lasts for 16 months after the design is completed. The participating students are expected to submit a responding proposal of their own research scope and interests within the above mentioned context after the initial site visit and meeting with the Sasaki team.