Portfolio
Portfolio
The New Academic Village (NAV)
The Ram’s Horn Dining Commons
The Design Mission:
The university embarked on the creation of a “village” of 2100 residents to consolidate the south half of the residential campus and to create a more intimate community experience for the Engineering Residential Learning Community and the Honors Residential Learning Community. Our assignment was to help support that mission by creating a dining center that would encourage socialization over meals, be economically efficient to allow for extended hours of service, and to provide a palette for the university’s dining staff to offer a variety of unique, tasty, and constantly varied food choices.
The Challenges:
The Dining Center was limited, by funding limits, to a total of 44,000 square feet on 2 levels. That envelope of space had to house a 600-seat All-you-care-to-eat Marketplace, a 200-seat “sports grill” option, an emporium/convenience store, and a mail/information center for the entire village.
Because the Marketplace would be located on the second level, there was considerable requirements for vertical circulation, including a public elevator a grand staircase, fire exit stairs, and the back of house service elevators and stairs.
The project was designed to conform to a LEEDS “Silver” rating, but the University elected not to apply formally for that rating.
Design Achievements:
The Ram’s Horn Dining Commons now serves over 2000 meals routinely, with little or no waiting in line, and a myriad of food choices including, a Mongolian barbeque, a Euro kitchen, a Tex-Mex bar with a “salsa susan”, a soup and fresh bread deli, a salad/sushi bar with a “toss-to-order” “sizzling” salad stand, as well as the requisite desserts, beverages, cereal, and fresh fruit.
The dining areas are all integrated through the marketplace to create a true “dispersed” plan. All restaurant-quality seating and sophisticated environments offer a variety of spaces for the changing moods and choices of the students.
The achievements in environmental sustainability are remarkable. For example:
A Pulper System was used for waste handling that will save 125,000 gallons of water a month, and reduce landfill needs by 70%. The byproduct is turned into compost that is sent to local farms.
A “Trayless” system will save an estimated 195,000 gallons of water a month, and is expected to reduce food waste.
Biodegradable and reusable beverage cups are used to reduce paper waste, and recycling is energetically encouraged.
Exhaust hoods are all equipped with Variable Speed Sensors that reduce the speed of the fans when cooking demand is lower, saving tons of conditioned air.
The Sports Grille, on the main level, provides a retail option during late hours and over meal periods in a sports bar environment featuring large TV, music, and large graphics. The pizza oven and deli station are designed to serve hot, prepared foods into the C-store/Emporium adding flexibility to the dining options.
Project Data
No. of Seats:
Ram’s Horn Marketplace 600 seats
The Sports Grille 200 seats
SF in Scope:
Dining Areas:
Ram’s Horn 7,600 sf
Private dining 825 sf
The Sports Grille 1,800 sf
Serveries:
Ram’s Horn Marketplace 7,700 sf
Ram’s Horn Express 1,400 sf
Kitchens/Storage/Support 4,700 sf
Dishwashing 1,125 sf
Equipment/Furnishings Cost:
Equipment $2.5m
Furniture/Furnishings $613,500
Owner:
Colorado State University
Management:
Director of Residential Dining Services: Deon Lategan
Deon.lategan@colostate.edu
Associate Director of Operations: Norma Long
Senior Executive Chef: Cynthia Lategan
Ram’s Horn Executive Chef: Karl Bendix
Architect:
Aller-Lingle Architects, Fort Collins, CO
Interior Designer:
Ricca Newmark Design
Joanne McGilvray, Principal
Brenda Amsberry, Designer
Culinary Consultant:
Ricca Newmark Design
Al Moller, Principal
Lona Homersham, Director
Date Opened:
October, 2008
Awards:
FES (Food Equipment Specialist) Project of the Year, 2009
