As the first new building on CCD’s campus since its inception in 1967, the Confluence Building capitalized on the opportunity to establish a new identity for the college both externally and internally. The building is located on the Auraria Higher Education Campus, and houses bright classrooms along with its function as a “one stop” student services center.

Sitting on the edge of campus, the building is flanked by a major campus thoroughfare to the north and an historic park preserving small houses to the east. Our design response was a varied massing speaking to the dual-nature site context. We also introduced a new landscape plaza to the south, creating outdoor gathering spaces and connecting with the park. Facing this, a two-story “back porch” with a small café activates the space and provides year-round shelter for outdoor seating. The northwest façade steps up to four-stories, giving CCD a strong urban front door.

Inside, the “Welcome Hall” connects the north and south building entries, acting as the main social hub. We wanted this space to tie together lounges and study spaces on multiple levels, enhancing visibility and drawing daylight into the heart of the building. Benefiting from gorgeous city and mountain vistas, a third-floor terrace overlooks an expansive green roof, and the sequence of interconnected spaces culminates with tutoring labs and study lounges on the top floor, rewarding diligent students with the building’s best views.

Ultimately, our goal was a building that engages the student, enhancing the educational process and student retention through a light-filled, rich, interactive environment. And we were able to achieve that goal while holistically embracing sustainability, achieving LEED Gold certification.