Entry No. 23 — the Boulder file — filed under: architecture
NCAR Mesa Laboratory
In 1967, I.M. Pei completed what many architects consider his most quietly radical building: a federally funded atmospheric research lab on a mesa above Boulder that looks like it grew from the earth rather than was placed on it. Three connected towers of bush-hammered pink-aggregate concrete were chosen precisely because the gritty, pockmarked surface and warm hue mirror the surrounding Flatirons sandstone. The inspiration was explicit — Pei studied Anasazi cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde and designed the complex as a village of interconnected towers with crow's-nest lookouts and a maze of corridors meant to force chance encounters between scientists. The building won the 1967 Industrial Research Laboratory of the Year award and the 1997 AIA Colorado 25 Year Award. It sits on 565 preserved acres. Admission is free, and the visitor center's rotating science and art exhibits are open 363 days a year.
The move: Drive up Table Mesa Drive at golden hour when the concrete glows amber and the Flatirons light up behind it. Walk through the free exhibits, then pick up the Walter Orr Roberts Nature Trail — the nation's only interpretive weather trail — for a short loop with sweeping views of Boulder and the plains stretching east.
📍 Before you go Open 363 days a year; weekdays 8am–5pm, weekends and holidays 9am–4pm. Admission and parking are free (dedicated visitor lot on the northeast side of the building). No reservation needed for walk-in visits; guided noon tours run Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays excluding holidays. No direct bus service — arrive by car, bike, or on foot via the 0.75-mile trail from south Boulder. Annual maintenance closures are announced in advance on the UCAR website.
- 📍 Boulder
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1850 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder, CO 80305
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11