Colorado State University Starts Construction on Liberal Arts Building Renovation

Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., recently began construction on a $137-million renovation project to one of its largest academic buildings, according to local news.
Last week, one of the three wings of Clark Hall (“Clark B”) was demolished to clear the way for a ground-up replacement. Once work on Clark B is complete, a second wing (“Clark A”) will undergo major renovations, according to CBS News. No renovation work is currently scheduled for the third wing, “Clark C.”

“The complex will serve nearly every undergraduate student on campus at some point in their academic career at CSU,” said Ryan Claycomb, College of Liberal Arts project lead and associate dean for faculty affairs, in a local news article. “When the project is complete, we truly expect this building complex to be the heart and hub of much of the academic activity on campus.”

The university estimates that 97% of undergraduate students who attend the Fort Collins campus will have at least one class in the Clark building during a four-year academic career. “The Clark building hosts more students than any other building on campus,” said Greg Luft, CSU journalism professor and graduate.

Construction on Clark B is scheduled to begin in November 2024, providing an additional 90,000 square feet of academic and office space. The university was recently granted state funding to put the project into motion. The exterior of Clark A will be renovated to match the B wing. The move is triggered by the building’s age, with “clear evidence of parts of the staircases and façade literally falling apart,” CBS News reports.

The project is scheduled for completion by May 2026, according to the university website.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.