Colorado State University Agricultural Education Building

Preparing the next generation of educators and skilled professionals through hands-on agricultural and vocational training.

Saunders partnered with RB+B Architects as the design-build team to deliver the Colorado State University Agricultural Education Building, a 15,500-square-foot facility dedicated to advancing agricultural and vocational education throughout Colorado. Designed to support experiential learning and workforce development, the building provides future educators with the resources and environments needed to train the next generation of skilled professionals.

The facility serves as a hub for preparing teachers who will lead agricultural and vocational programs in K–12 schools and community colleges across the state. By combining traditional instructional spaces with hands-on training environments, the building supports a curriculum focused on the trades, technologies, and operational practices that are essential to modern agriculture.

The facility includes three classrooms, four offices, a conference room, storage areas, and a variety of support spaces designed to facilitate both instruction and collaboration. An event dining and lounge area, along with a dedicated catering space, provides flexible accommodations for meetings, educational programs, industry events, and community engagement activities.

A centerpiece of the building is its 4,842-square-foot shop space, which features multiple welding stations and specialized equipment areas that allow students to gain practical experience in agricultural trades and technical skills. These hands-on environments help bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, preparing future educators to effectively teach vocational subjects in their own communities.

Delivered through a collaborative design-build process, the project aligned educational objectives, functionality, and budget considerations while creating a facility tailored to the evolving needs of agricultural education programs.

The result is a modern teaching and training facility that supports workforce development, strengthens agricultural education across Colorado, and equips future educators with the tools and experiences necessary to inspire the next generation of agricultural and technical professionals.