A plan to build a new climate research center in north Fort Collins has taken a big step forward with a vote by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approving the project.
The project will be a part of Colorado State University’s Powerhouse campus and will be devoted to researching energy efficiency, with a special emphasis on solar. Earlier versions of the plan have additionally called for the construction of solar arrays on the roof of the building.
The structure, to be built from such sustainable sources as mass timber, will go up at the northeast corner of East Vine Drive and North College Avenue.
Launched in 2014, the Powerhouse Energy Campus was originally centered on a single building: the repurposed Fort Collins Municipal Plant used by the university for a program seeing advanced work on electric grids, biofuels, and energy policy, among other disciplines.
The new five-story research center will measure around 150,000 square feet, on a larger site with walking and biking paths.
Work on the much-anticipated facility is expected to begin in early 2023, with a rough late 2025 completion date.
By Garry Boulard
