Shepley Bulfinch | Colorado College

in Interiors by editor — 8:15 am | September 9, 20120 comments

Colorado College celebrates dynamic dining space
The buzz was hard to miss as students poured into Colorado College’s renovated Worner Center at the start of the semester. Over the summer, Shepley Bulfinch’s fast-track first floor renovation of the College’s dated dining services transformed the Center into a dynamic social and study space for the Colorado Springs campus. The 24,000 square foot renovation makes the Worner Center both welcoming and highly energy-efficient. Finishes of light wood, stone, and shades of green to create a welcoming and contemporary space in 400-seat Rastall Hall and the 150-seat retail components of Benji’s Café and Colorado Coffee.

“The materials and colors provide a clean, simple palette that responds to Colorado’s beautiful natural environment,” said Janette Blackburn, Shepley Bulfinch project principal. Diners circulate easily through the curved forms of the serveries in Rastall Hall. By making the salad and sandwich server as a prominent central form, the College promotes healthy eating, a message reinforced throughout the Hall’s mixed-media artwork. Shepley Bulfinch activated the first floor space outside of dining hours by relocating some retail elements and creating three meeting rooms for social activities and group study, extending the notion of learning in community from the classroom to the campus at large.

To meet the project’s targeted 30% reduction in energy consumption, the renovation included a complete building systems upgrade. All kitchen appliances are Energy-Star rated, lighting has been upgraded throughout to low-energy use bulbs, and all plumbing is low-flow. In addition to Shepley Bulfinch’s interior renovations, Colorado College installed 144 solar panels on the building’s roof. The College is pursuing LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design – Existing Buildings) certification for the Center. Close collaboration between architects Shepley Bulfinch, construction manager G.H. Phipps, and Colorado College was key to completing construction in less than three months.

Location: Colorado, USA

Architect: Shepley Bulfinch

Photos: Kat Nania