september 9, 2018

The Building Design+Construction's Gold Reconstruction Award honors the expansion of Colorado College's Tutt Library, which nearly doubled its size to 94,000 sf and shifted its former inward focus to sweeping views of the nearby Rocky Mountains via increased glazing and outdoor terraces, all while supporting the College's commitment to net-zero. Designed in 1961 by Walter Netsch, the design for the expansion and renovation respects the original buildings elegant concrete forms while adding a welcoming entry plaza on the west, three new entrances, a data viz lab, flex spaces and a double-height, light filled lounge. The second floor expansion includes a flexible event space, opening onto a terrace through a NanaWall. A café with with specatcular views and outdoor seating was part of the third floor expansion. A new fourth floor, which supports an array of photovoltaics on the roof, houses a spacious reading room with glass curtainwalls and an outdoor terrace. The existing structure was transformed and renovated for energy efficiency, with 100% LED lighting on occupancy and daylight sensors, a variable refrigerant flow system, and increased insulation. Eighty geothermal boreholes, drilled 400 feet under the restored Armstrong Quad, act as a heat exchange for the library, expelling heat during warm months and storing it to supply warmth in cold weather.