Mesa Laboratory
| Mesa Laboratory | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Alternative names | National Center for Atmospheric Research |
| General information | |
| Type | Research laboratory |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Location | Boulder, Colorado |
| Address | 1850 Table Mesa Drive |
| Coordinates | 39°58′40″N 105°16′30″W / 39.97777°N 105.274966°WCoordinates: 39°58′40″N 105°16′30″W / 39.97777°N 105.274966°W |
| Construction started | June 1964 |
| Completed | February 1967 |
| Cost | $4,500,000 (1964) |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | 565 acres (2.29 km2; 0.883 sq mi) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Concrete |
| Floor count | 7 |
| Floor area | 243,000 sq ft (22,600 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | I. M. Pei |
| Architecture firm | Pei Cobb Freed & Partners |
| Structural engineer | Weiskopf & Pickworth |
| Awards and prizes |
1967 Industrial Research: Laboratory of the Year |
1967 Industrial Research: Laboratory of the Year
1997 AIA,
The Mesa Laboratory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research is a research center located in Boulder, Colorado. The building complex was designed by modernist architect I. M. Pei in 1961 as his first project outside of city building design. It has been noted for its Anasazi-inspired architecture and use of bush-hammered concrete to blend into the surrounding area. The laboratory was named the 1967 Industrial Research Magazine's Laboratory of the Year.
In 1960 the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) appointed Walter Orr Roberts as the founding director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and designated the Table Mesa below the Flatirons sandstone cliffs as its laboratory site. After agreeing to preserve the entire 565-acre (2.29 km2) site from development, the state of Colorado purchased the land and turned it over to NCAR for the research laboratory.Pietro Belluschi, then the dean of architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology advised Roberts on the selection of the architect for the center. Utilizing the deans of architecture at the UCAR constituent universities as an expert committee, they eventually selected I. M. Pei as the project's architect. Until this time, Pei had been known for his work on large-scale urban projects and for his innovative use of concrete in building and lacked a reputation in rural projects or laboratory constructions.
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