The
scientists of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA), at the
University of Colorado Boulder, designed and built the last new instrument
to be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
(COS) contributes to the study of the origins of large scale structures in the
universe, the formation and evolution of galaxies, and the origin of stellar
and planetary systems. Built in association with Ball Aerospace, the device was
launched and installed by the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis in May 2009.
To
provide facilities for the scientists who process the data from the COS, a
5,100 SF addition was designed for CASA's existing building at the University's
Research Park.
The
addition houses both closed and open dry-research offices for scientists and
graduate students, two conference rooms and a computer facility. The building
was formed in an L-shape to create a new courtyard for the entire complex. The
latter adjoins the large conference room and the open office area.
The
architecture of the addition was conceived as a light-scale, curtain wall
pavilion to provide a new identity for the overall building. A brick-masonry
wall on the north side of the addition aligns with the existing masonry
building; the curtain wall has sunshades around the perimeter to reduce glare
and solar heat gain. A new entry and lobby was provided at the seam between the
existing and new, which is day-lighted from above by a glass tower. This tower
serves as a marker for the site and is emblematic of the work performed in the
building.
