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DECEMBER 2017 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 63
T he architect on Colorado College’s Tutt Li-
brary renovation and addition approached
this project in a thoughtful manner. And
no wonder: The 1962 library, designed by
legendary architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Ow-
ings & Merrill, is a stellar example of mid-century
Modern architecture. Netsch and SOM also designed
the core campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy, now
designated a national landmark. Netsch’s Tutt was part
of the generation of construction in Colorado Springs
that formed a constellation of Modern architectural
stars.
But times change, and practical issues arise: Students
now own numerous mobile devices, studying and work-
ing together in a building that cried out for more data
and power. Several years after Tutt was built, the school
developed what is known as the Block Plan, where stu-
dents dive into one subject in an intensive three-and-a-half-week pe-
riod. The library becomes a second home, because the resources are all
right there. With the renovation, the seating doubled, and the space in-
side increased 35 percent.
Another aspect of the 1962 Tutt was what many considered a scarcity
of natural daylight. The building’s original design featured slit windows
about 9 feet tall and 9 inches wide inserted between concrete panels.
For the new Tutt, several of those panels were removed and replaced by
sensitively located large windows, which bring in natural light and offer
stunning views. Most of the thin strips of window remain as a counter-
point to the new windows.
From electronics to daylight, Colorado College was determined to in-
fuse sustainability throughout the project. College officials describe Tutt
as the largest carbon-neutral, net-zero energy academic library in the
country, with a geothermal energy field of 80 geothermal wells on the
Armstrong Quad, a 115-kilowatt rooftop solar array, a 400-kW offsite solar
array, and a 130-kW combined heat and power system.
Stephanie Kingsnorth, a principal with Pfeiffer Partners Architects in
Los Angeles, was part of the Pfeiffer team that devised the new plan for
the library renovation and addition. She considered its impact quite a
bit. “The library has amazing bones and incredible concrete work,” she
said, noting her regard for Walter Netsch’s design and the mid-century
Modernist ethos. “I respect the building and wanted to weave something
around it – the ribbon. We were wrapping it up like a gift.”
The “ribbon” is a colorful Swisspearl band that tops the new fourth-
floor additionand swirls up, over andaround thebuildingbeforeheading
for the ground. Three shades of red on irregular-sized rhomboid-shaped
panels are arranged in horizontal strips. This ribbon of bright colors pulls
Mary Chandler
Marketing
Commu-
nications
Specialist,
GH Phipps
Construc-
tion Cos.