The V-shaped roofline of the “butterfly” building sets the tone for Fort Collins, Colorado’s two-block civic campus, known as Block 32. Logan Simpson worked with the architect to develop programming, development concepts, master planning, and site design for this underutilized parcel. The project was initially proposed as a design for a new Utilities Administration Building located on the block, but was expanded into a redevelopment plan for the surrounding Civic Center area as other city departments revisited their future spatial needs. The “butterfly” building was once a lab that tested products for the nearby Poudre Valley Creamery. Now a café, the building anchors the civic campus area and offers a contrast to the new, sustainably designed government buildings that surround it, including the Utilities Administration Building.
Several concepts were developed for arranging the site, and 3-D modeling was was used so stakeholders could understand the choices and preferred design solution. The design team embraced sustainable design and is aspiring towards Net Zero classification, coordinating the use of solar energy, high efficiency building materials, and low-impact design planting strategies. The site design incorporates the preservation of a small historic building on site with elements such as rain gardens, biofiltration swales, low water landscape, a green wall, and utility themed public art formed into concrete entry walls. The site was awarded LEEDv4 New Construction (NC) Platinum status. According to the USGBC, this is the first V4 NC Platinum project in Colorado, and only the third in the U.S. In 2019, the project was awarded the City of Fort Collin Urban Design Award for Sustainable Design & Public Spaces.
