Colorado Christian University Armstrong Center

Bringing faith, learning, creativity, and community together under one roof.

Saunders completed the Armstrong Center at Colorado Christian University, a 60,000-square-foot facility that serves as a physical expression of the university’s mission to integrate faith, learning, and service.

As the fifth and most ambitious project within CCU’s campus development plan since 2015, the Armstrong Center brings together several cornerstone programs and gathering spaces into a single destination. The facility houses the School of Music, an expanded library and media center, industry-leading digital media studios, a 500-seat performance theater, and the university’s first dedicated chapel, creating new opportunities for education, worship, performance, and community engagement.

The building encompasses five distinct program elements, each requiring specialized structural, acoustic, and architectural solutions to perform at the highest level. Masonry, steel, concrete, and timber systems were carefully integrated and tuned to meet the unique functional and acoustical demands of each space. A defining feature of the project is the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof trusses within the chapel, where the warmth and beauty of exposed wood complement the space’s spiritual purpose while providing structural efficiency and sustainability benefits.

The completed Armstrong Center establishes a new heart for the campus, supporting the university’s continued growth while creating inspiring spaces for learning, creativity, worship, and connection.

This project received the 2025 Award of Merit for Higher Education/Research from Engineering News-Record (ENR) Mountain States.