Western State University

The new 70,000-sf College Center for Western State University accommodates the relocation of the central foodservice operation from Keating Hall. This, in turn, allows the University to capture programmatic efficiencies and provide a more contemporary dining facility for its students, faculty, staff, and visitors. In addition, the Union can then take on a more central role for student activity. To this end, a new movie theater, Ruby Cinema, was also included in the design of the new facility. From an engineering approach, this building is incorporating many strategies to improve energy efficiency and sustainability such as a radiant floor heating system. BCER tackled the Mechanical and Electrical Design services for the new facility. The construction costs for this new facility were approximately $21 million and the building is targeting a USGBC LEED Gold Certification.