Colorado Mountain College Aspen Campus
A building for a college does more than satisfy physical spatial needs. It’s exterior is a reflection on the nature and personality of the institution it houses, while its plan has an important influence on that nature and personality.
In this case the 33,000 SF building houses a two-year college with general purpose classrooms, administrative offices, a ceramics studio with kiln shed, arts studios, photography studio and darkrooms, computer instruction classrooms, an art gallery, three dance studios and a student lounge.
As a whole campus wrapped up in one building, its L-shaped plan embraces an indoor and outdoor “quad” with naturally lit corridors while presenting a more demure two-story elevation to the nearby residential development. Large storefront windows bring inspiring, if distracting views of the nearby mountains into the studios, and give the community a tantalizing glimpse of the activity within.
The circulation convenes on a two story common area and adjacent sheltered outdoor space that provide natural places for co-mingling of students and faculty, and greatly enhances the community feeling of the campus.
The red and charcoal color scheme combines with the simple shed roof and propped overhangs to quietly refer to the rustic/agricultural intentions of the nearby subdivision. Simple, standard and inexpensive materials were used throughout the project, to keep construction costs to a minimum, while significant design effort went into making the college green and energy efficient.
Project Directory
Architect: Harry Teague Architects
Structural Engineer: KL&A
Civil Engineer: Timberline Engineers, High Country Engineering
Geotechnical Engineer: Hepworth-Pawlak Geotechnical, Inc.
Accoustic Consultant: David Adams Associates
MEP: ME Engineers
General Contractor: B&H General Contractors
Landscape Architect: Mt. Daly Enterprises
Interior Design: Marcia Weese
Estimating Services: Crystal Springs Builders
Construction Administration: A4 Architects
Photography: Thorney Lieberman