Colorado College Announces Reconstruction of Honnen Ice Arena

October 26, 2016December 9, 2016 Green Building 3073 Views

The new $10 million ice arena is scheduled for completion in 2018. Photo Credit: Colorado College

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Colorado College (CC) announced a $10 million plan to rebuild the Honnen Ice Arena on the south side of campus. The construction project will tear down the previous hockey arena as well as the CC Inn, a building that currently houses 60 students and two resident assistants, according to a statement from CC.

According to Leslie Weddell, CC’s spokeswoman, many details surrounding the construction project aren’t known including the architect and general contractor. Once bidding is complete, space and site programming will begin and details of the project will be further outlined.

All firms bidding on the project are aware that the project must comply with city standards for building height, architecture and streetscape. Currently, the arena will have seating capacity for 900, but no additional parking is planned.

“The relocation of the ice arena provides an opportunity to create an open space around Cossitt Hall and amphitheater, immediately north of Honnen,” said Weddell in a statement. “When the Honnen facility was built in 1963, it obstructed the amphitheater and left many of Cossitt’s rooms dark and obscured.”

According to a statement from Weddell, the Honnen Ice Arena is the least energy-efficient building on campus. In order to improve the energy efficiency of the building and lower its carbon footprint, CC spent over $55,000 repairing Honnen’s roof and installing over 13,000 succulents this summer.

CC plans to break ground on the new ice arena sometime during the 2018 academic year. Upon completion, the existing Honnen Ice Arena will be demolished.

“One sustainable goal is for the new building’s energy intensity performance is to greatly surpass that of Honnen,” said Weddell. “Many sustainable features will be considered including; photovoltaics, enhanced building envelope features, and new energy technology that recycles the energy used to maintain the ice surface back into the arena’s heating system.”

The new arena will be named after Edward J. Robson, a 1954 graduate and former hockey player of CC. Robson is also a former member of the board of trustees and has established a number of scholarships for CC students.