East Classroom Building honored by American Institute of Architects Colorado

The East Classroom Building at Colorado School of Mines was recognized in September with a 2026 Design Award of Excellence by the Colorado chapter of the American Institute of Architects. 

Oz Architecture, in partnership with Mines’ University Architect and Office of Design and Construction, designed the 54,722-square-foot classroom building and parking garage, which opened in May 2025. 

The Design Award of Excellence is the highest honor given by AIA chapters, recognizing the most outstanding work of chapter members and their firms. East Classroom was recognized by AIA Colorado as the sole winner in the category of New Construction over 15,000 square feet. 

From the award citation: 

“The East Classroom Building is a transformative addition to the Colorado School of Mines campus, designed to promote innovative teaching and learning, support student wellbeing and inclusivity, and give students a greater sense of agency in how they learn. Sited on two former surface parking lots in the southeast corner of campus, the building takes full advantage of iconic mountain views to the east and long-distance vistas to the west. Thoughtful site planning weaves together plazas, water-quality gardens, and connections to adjacent projects, creating a cohesive, forward-thinking anchor for the campus’s eastward expansion.” 

Located off Washington Avenue between 17th and 18th streets, the East Classroom Building is home to a 200-person active learning lecture hall and four large-scale classrooms that can be split with overhead doors, as well as meeting rooms, study spaces and faculty offices. Connected to the building is East Garage, Mines’ second parking structure, an 871-space garage with 20 EV charging stations.  

The East Classroom Building has also been recognized with LEED Gold status. LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. East Classroom is the largest building on campus with geothermal heating and cooling, utilizing 36 wells, each 600 feet deep.  Projects earn points for incorporating various strategies related to green building design, construction, operations and performance.