CREJ

/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2017

all the parts together in reds that Kingsnorth said reference the

sandstone found on campus and at the Garden of the Gods. “It’s

100 percent Colorado Springs.”

In terms of the way the new heating and cooling mechanical

equipment works, “You can’t have a big glassy building,” she said.

Still, “we had to find a way to open the building up.” The first

floor is all glass, but she selected upper-level panels to replace

with glass “where the people will be.”

The biggest challenge for Kingsnorth – and the GH Phipps

Construction Cos. senior project manager on Tutt – was how to

deal with lower floor-to-ceiling heights than those found in to-

day’s construction, as well as working with an interior concrete

structure. There was no drywall to hide the wires and cables.

Kingsnorth says the “college’s commitment to getting technolo-

gy in this building was incredible.”

For GH Phipps Senior Project Manager Mike Hester, who has

worked on the Colorado College campus for more than a de-

cade, “This has been the most complicated project, and I’ve spent

half of my career on that campus.” The skeleton of an historic

concrete building being tied in to a modern addition made “the

ceiling heights almost impossible to get much wiring in.” But it

got done, just as Team Tutt overcame a tight location, a nearby

historic building, an aggressive schedule, demolition of an an-

nex, and moving half a million books out of – and then back

into – the library.

For Ian Johnson, Colorado College’s director of sustainability

campuswide, his work was part of the up-front planning, while

confirming the college’s board and officials were on board for

the suite of systems that were installed to achieve carbon neu-

tral, net zero status. Johnson said that the college was fully com-

mitted to the plan.

He worked for that goal, rather than pushing for LEED certi-

fication. “LEED doesn’t guarantee any specific performance,” he

said. “It’s more of a checklist. We followed the checklist, but we

were more focused on what we want to get out of this building –

the net zero.” This initiative led Colorado College to receive a 2017

Innovation Award by the National Association of College and

University Business Officers.

There will be more net zero efforts on campus, he said, “It’s

hard to go backwards. Success creates more success.”

/ Tutt Library Marries Modern Past with Today’s Needs /

OPENING ART:

The Tutt Library entrance.

Courtesy Jennifer Coombes

ABOVE TOP:

The 1962 library, designed by legendary

architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings

& Merrill, is a stellar example of mid-century

Modern architecture. Courtesy Jennifer

Coombes.

ABOVE BOTTOM:

With the renovation, the seating doubled,

and the space inside increased 35 percent.

Courtesy Michelle Meunier Photography