Cambridge Community College
Cambridge, MN

CLOSE Landscape Architecture+ joined with Hokanson/Lunning Wende & Associates, Inc. to develop a master plan and phase one construction plans for Cambridge Community College, an hour north of the Twin Cities.

The master plan sited the main campus of buildings at the edge of a plateau above the Rum River. A new entrance will welcome visitors with plants, signage and lighting. Athletic fields will be developed as a green edge to the campus.

The new campus opened in the fall of 1996 and reflects a successful collaboration between architect, landscape architect, and public artist. The site and building are integrated to incorporate stunning views of the landscape into the community spaces of the building. A terrace and amphitheatre provide an outdoor gathering space framed by the building and topography. The grounds outside the perimeter walk of the building were restored to prairie with fields of wildflowers. Stormwater is gathered in a series of "prairie pools" and is cleansed before moving to the Rum River below.