CMU Formation District Concept 8.10.22.pdf

THE POWER OF THE ARTS:

COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY

FORMATION DISTRICT

As western Colorado’s cultural engine, Colorado Mesa University is currently undertaking a

$55 million uplift project to replace Robinson Theatre with a new, state-of-the-art main-stage performance venue the likes of which western Colorado has never seen. The new 36,000 square foot, 800 seat theatre will be separated from the existing Moss Performing Arts Center along North 12th Street in Grand Junction and will be become the new anchor of the CMU

Formation District immediately south of Hotel Maverick. The new District will connect key campus art amenities including:

Hotel Maverick

(TBD NAME) of new Theatre

Jac Kephart Fine Arts Building

CMU Campus Art Walk

Love Recital Hall

Moss Performing Arts Education Center

Beyond designating a new district connecting campus art and education facilities, the CMU

Formation District project will also provide opportunity for redevelopment and vibrancy in the existing southwest corner of campus. Beyond the new main stage theatre, the vision for the CMU Formation District includes a meandering pedestrian path connecting Hotel

Maverick with North Avenue. This new path will include unique architectural features designed to communicate a sense of place – and purpose.

for·ma·tion /fôrˈmāSH(ə)n/ an act of giving form or shape to something or of taking form any igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rock represented as a unit; any consecutive series of beds sufficiently homogeneous or distinctive to be a unit

Visitors and patrons in the CMU Formation District should expect to be confronted with beautiful architecture intended to allow buildings to interact and play off one another so as to provide a human-scale experience resembling an enjoyable hike in some of the West’s most striking destinations. Anchored by the region’s highest-quality theatre, the CMU Formation

District will eventually include multiple uses including retail, commercial, dining, student housing and community housing, to name a few.

With an eye towards detail, building materials most closely resembling regional geologic conditions will be sourced and arranged to leverage the dual meaning of the word formation to communicate the power of artistic transformation taking place within the theatre complex -- while highlighting the majestic beauty of western Colorado’s unique vistas.

Beyond its striking architecture and vibrant activities, the CMU Formation District will also become Colorado’s most energy efficient mixed-use development project. By connecting all new buildings to CMU’s robust geo-exchange heating and cooling system, the energy use and corresponding carbon footprint of each building will be dramatically lower than any similar facility in the region or State. Further, a series photo-voltaic solar panel banks will be deployed on building rooftops, screens and shade structures to enhance the aesthetic and functional value of facilities throughout the CMU Formation

District.

To learn more about the CMU Formation District or to inquire about development opportunities, visit:

www.coloradomesa.edu/formation