Fort Collins, CO — Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins (CECFC) will celebrate the unveiling of its new Innovation Campus, tomorrow, Aug, 5. The public, tuition-free, charter high school recently underwent an extensive remodel.
The 91,000-square-foot remodel is designed to house more than 30 teaching spaces, four science labs, farm-to-table kitchen, maker space (iNNOlab), art and music rooms, gym, bookstore, tutoring center, full health clinic, and 500-seat auditorium. Several open study spaces will also be available throughout the school to provide a college-like atmosphere. This will accommodate the college programs taught in the school through Front Range Community College and Aims Community College, and appeal to students during breaks between classes, which are designed into schedules as an added element of post-secondary readiness.
The Neenan Company, a fully integrated design-build firm based in Colorado, was the general contractor/architect for the project.
“The remodeled building was strategically designed with spaces that encourage educational collaboration, and support Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins’ remarkable growth as a top school in Northern Colorado,” said Shelby Hinchliff, architect for The Neenan Company.
The one-story replacement facility is located at 4424 Innovation Drive, Fort Collins 80525, in the former Advanced Energy industrial building originally constructed 38 years ago. The facility will provide an additional 66,000-square-feet of space for Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins – almost four times the size of the high school’s former building.
CECFC is on track to enroll 1230 students at its high school and middle school for the fall semester.
“We can’t express enough the impact that an expanded space will play on our students’ continued growth. The high school serves as a vehicle for our students’ continued success. The classrooms and common areas have been designed to empower our students to fulfill our mission in exceptional ways,” said Sandi Brown, head of school for CECFC.
The event is FREE and open to the public. Guests can join CECFC for tours, food, special guest speakers, music, activities, prize drawings and a chance to tinker in the Maker Space the iNNOlab.
Image courtesy of The Neenan Company.
