Denver Architecture Firm of the Week 7/21/08 - EVstudio

Last week I sat down with Sean O'Hara, principle architect in the Denver office of EVstudio and we discussed his firm and it's commitment to sustainable design. I was also very interested in the EVstudio Blog that Sean started back in May. It has extensive information about the process of architecture and it is growing into an invaluable resource for architects and clients that are interested in hiring an architect. I highly recommend a visit and look forward to seeing the future progress of EVstudio. The following is a summary of the firm supplied by Sean O'Hara.

EVstudio is an architecture and planning firm with offices in Evergreen and Denver, Colorado. EVstudio was recognized with the People's Choice Award at the 2008 AIA Colorado Young Architect's Awards Gala. The firm was established in 2006 and has quickly grown to seven staff with a variety of backgrounds and interests. In that time the firm's work includes custom residential, multi family, commercial office buildings, master planning, mixed use, retail, educational and hospitality. EVstudio's projects are designed with sustainability in mind whether or not they are pursuing a green rating. The firm plans to continue to grow as a collection of offices so that it can provide a future for ambitious architects and allow both clients and staff to minimize their driving distances.

The image above is Evergreen Terraces, a project that we anticipate will be LEED Silver. It is an office building that combines a mountain vernacular with an urban sensibility. It bring under building parking and elevator service to the first Class A office building in downtown Evergreen. On of the most interesting things is that the building was not originally planned with LEED in mind. The owner decided that a LEED rating could be a selling point for the tenants and asked about it after the building was already dried in. Thanks to EVstudio's general philosophy of designing sustainable buildings they were able to make a few minor tweaks and have the points necessary for an anticipated LEED Silver rating.

In addition to great architecture, EVstudio works to give back to the community. EVstudio's staff has organized the EverGreenDrinks events and the Natural Talent Design Competition in Colorado. The firm has donated time to the Montessori School of Evergreen and Mercy Housing Colorado. Staff members are also active in the American Institute of Architects, The Congress for the New Urbanism, the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, the Stapleton Citizen's Advisory Board and have participated in many juries at the University of Colorado.

Pecha Kucha Vol. 2 in Denver Next Monday

Pecha Kucha Night 20x20 returns to the Buntport Theater next Monday, July 14th.

See photos from Pecha Kucha Vol.1 via theartofwhere. designklub posts a flyer with a list of presenters.

Denver Architect Receives Gold LEED Certification for Fitness Center

Denver-based Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative has received gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for its design of the Washtenaw Community College Health & Fitness Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The fitness center, which opened in September, includes:
• Lights that turn on only when there’s not enough daylight.
• Non-toxic and renewable materials for the floors and carpet.
• A reflective white roof to reduce heat and cooling requirements.
• Pavement in the parking lot that allows rainwater to soak back naturally into the soil.
• Landscaping with plants that require little or no irrigation.
• Interior pool water that recycles with the aid of appropriate filtering systems.
• Recaptured heat with a central boiler unit.
• Temperature control with room-monitoring sensors for automatic adjustments.

Previous blog entry on OLC

via Margaret Jackson's The Real Deal Blog

AIAS FORUM 2008 in Denver

FORUM is the annual meeting of the AIAS and the global gathering of the architecture and design students. The event provides students with the opportunity to learn about important issues facing architectural education and the profession, to meet students, educators, and professionals with common interests, and to interact with some of today's leading architects through keynote addresses, tours, workshops and seminars.

This year's theme is energy, imagine that. Denver green architecture for students, I like it. More information to come - also, this video may cause seizures.

FORUM 2008 will be held in Denver, CO on December 29, 2008-January 1, 2009.

AIAS FORUM DENVER 2008

Boettcher Concert Hall Architect Selected

The Boettcher Concert Hall Architect Selection Committee chose Toronto based, Diamond and Schmitt Architects and their local partner, Oz Architecture, to lead the design of the symphony hall renovation and expansion project. Plans call for essentially gutting the building's interior and building a new concert hall inside and adding a 35,000-square-foot expansion on the Speer Boulevard side of the building.

via Cherry Creek News

Architecture Study Ranks Denver 8th

Denver ranked No. 8 on a list of top 10 U.S. cities for architecture and design based on citizen polls, according to a study by the RMJM Hillier architecture firm released Thursday, June 26th.

The winning markets, in order, were: Chicago, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Metro Denver's architectural highlights in recent years include the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center, architect Daniel Liebeskind's addition to the Denver Art Museum, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's LEED Gold regional headquarters in downtown Denver, and one of Colorado's first LEED Platinum buildings, the Signature Centre office building in Golden.

via Denver Business Journal

Unique Bell Tower Proposed to Stradle Cherry Creek at Larimer

Fentress Architects, designers of DIA and the Convention Center in Denver, has unveiled new designs for an architecturally significant and prominent addition to the lower Denver skyline. Kudos to the large open space proportioning of the site, almost %65 private and public open space + %23 creek = 12.2% building footprint. I like the idea presented here with the contrasting building styles, a traditional small office commercial building against the jutting balconies on the residential tower which will be sure to bring out some love and hate. The plaza layout is especially appealing to me with it's creek access and creek-side patio, it's another bright spot to add to the Cherry Creek bike trail downtown.

via Rocky Mountain News and see the slideshow of illustrations

Denver Earthworks Expo This Weekend

EarthWorks Expo is Saturday and Sunday at the Merchandise Mart with some good workshops.

LaN-IN-FLIGHT Will Depart from Denver July 11th

Book now, deadline is 6/11. Anyone wanna sponsor me?

Boulder locals Monika Wittig and Luis E. Fraguada with James Coleman and Shane Salisbury recently won the DIA/DOCA Emerging Artist Program competition with their entry [Wind]ow Seat. As a result of the commission, the group is setting up a traveling seminar called LaN-IN-FLIGHT which will depart from Denver to LA, then to NYC, Boston then back to Denver from July 9th-18th. The seminar will focus on digital fabrication and the output will be published and presented in August at the LaN's [Wind]ow Seat exhibition. 10 days of traveling to cutting edge design firms and industry leaders including Ball-Nogues Studio, Contour Crafting, SCI-ARC, Commonwealth, REX, and others, looks like a lot of Rhino sessions in airport lounges.

This is a great concept and I'm sure will help inform the final exhibition, but why no seminars or visits in Denver itself?

From their site - "A Live Architecture Network is under the direction of 4 designers who landed in Barcelona to pursue postgraduate studies in Digital Tectonics at IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) and following have taken-off on the path of DIGITAL FABRICATION as a means to forwarding composite processes /collaborations driving architectural development. LaN recognizes the power of digital fabrication, not merely as a toolset of of a high technical caliber, but as the driver of particular groupings of resources–an organization of human, economic, and material assets–varying widely based on project circumstances. LaN’s mode of operation is parametric in nature, and seeks to with re-associate architecture with a flexible, non-authoritative, temporal, & data-rich practice of spatial design."

Photo Credit from LaB ,the Live Architecture Network's Blogsite.

Three Upcoming Sustainable Communities in Denver

All have yet to officially break ground but should be completed in the next 2-4 years. It will be interesting to compare the 3 very different sized projects to see to what degree of sustainability has been achieved.

Geos - Arvada: 25 acres, 300 homes
Opening of Pre-sale Release June 2, 2008.
Geos - Colorado's First GeoSolar Neighborhood : Green Elevations
"Over 300 sunny Colorado days per year and a constant temperature of the Earth at five to seven feet below ground level are the power sources of Geos, the first fossil fuel free community in the United States."

Horizon Uptown (City Centre) - Aurora: 503 acres, 3,800 homes , 1.3 million sq ft retail (1/3 small format, 2/3 large) and 4 million sq ft office (16,000 people)
Lend Lease Project
Green Development Planned for Aurora : Denver Post
"All commercial buildings in the project must meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold standard. Homes will be built to either Colorado Built Green standards or those established by the U.S. Green Building Council."

Lowry Range - Lowry: 4,000 acres, 13,000 homes, 260 acres commercial and 750 acres open space
Lend Lease Project
Solar Power may come to Lowry Range : Rebchook's Blog
"The Lowry Range, the largest mixed-use development on the drawing board in the Denver area, could become the first, large-scale Colorado community to use solar as a power source."

16th Street Mall - Keep the Granite and the Trees, lose the Teletubbies

"Where else in the United States does this exist?" asked Paul Chapel, a principal with BOKA Powell Architects, in Dallas. "A mile of granite carpet woven by hand. It's a work of art."

"Those beautiful granite pavers, set so that they look like the back of a rattlesnake, are inspired, a hallmark of a mixed transit and pedestrian mall designed by Henry Cobb, a partner of I.M. Pei, whose name was dropped liberally during the presentation."

"Honor the original design and its civic significance to Denver," ...that includes uncluttering the sidewalks; old pictures of the mall show understated planters and other accessories. "Those Teletubby planters and wastebaskets have to go," said Brown of the numerous newly (and brightly) painted planters and wastebaskets.

Lots of discussion of the recent Mall meetings at the DenverInfill Blog: The Future of the 16th Street Mall

via Rocky Mountain News

Photo Credit :: denver.gov

Aurora Plans Sustainable Community With Electric Cars?

"Lend Lease, a development company with its U.S. headquarters in Denver, got zoning approval for the project last week. The company anticipates its conceptual plans for Horizon Uptown will be approved in the next three months.

All commercial buildings in the project must meet the LEED Gold standard. Homes will be built to either Colorado Built Green standards or those established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Home-management systems will measure consumption of water and energy. A website, also known as a community portal, will allow residents to check consumption, said Greg Ochis, Horizon's project manager.

Lend Lease also has been talking with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory about the possibility of equipping each home at Horizon, as well as its development at the former Lowry Bombing Range, with electric cars."

via Denver Post
previously from Rebchook's Blog

Film and Design Series at Starz FilmCenter

Wednesday, May 21 - 7:00pm - Starz Filmcenter
Film and Design Series : Not the Usual Suspects
Featuring the films Kochuu and Louis I Kahn: An Offering To Architecture
Sponsored by AIA Denver

Denver Justice Center Awarded LEED Silver

The Post Office/Parking Garage located in the new Denver Justice Center complex has received a final SILVER LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, rating from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

"Denver Public Works and our partners, AR7 Architects and Haselden Construction LLC, prioritized environmental stewardship as an integral part of the design and construction process of the Justice Center Post Office/Parking Garage," said City Engineer Lesley Thomas. "Our ultimate goal is to ensure that all three of the structures on the Justice Center campus are appealing, engaging, functional and sustainable."

via Government Technology
Photo credit: Denver Justice Center

4240 Architecture Names Six Associate Principals

On the eve of its fifth anniversary, 4240 Architecture, Inc., an award-winning architecture, interior and urban planning firm with studios in Chicago and Denver, has promoted six Senior Associates to Associate Principals.

"This is the next generation of leadership for our fast-growing firm, which does site-specific design work on a global scale," explained Peter H. Dominick, Jr., FAIA and 4240 Architecture President. "While each individual is a star in his or her own right, the promotions are not about individuals, but about creating a great team that will dovetail with our marketing and business strategies -- each member contributing the right mix of innovation, creativity, and leadership as we move into the future."

via PRWEB

Denver Architecture Firm of the Week 5/14/08 4240 Architecture

Image from 4240 Architecture Website : Riverfront Park

4240 Architecture Inc. is an award-winning national design firm doing site-specific work on a global scale. Based in Denver and Chicago, we offer services in architecture, planning and design, renovation and adaptive re-use, interior and landscape design. We are committed to a collaborative design process that intimately involves our clients, and that involves deep research on each project to help us understand its needs and goals. We are known for our leadership, innovation and creativity, technical expertise, and our management process.
· A proven track record of delivering complex projects on time and on budget, facilitating a smooth and timely process when multiple approval parties are involved;
· The ability to integrate the cultural, environmental, and lifestyle character of the locale;
· Coordination of the smallest details for staging, phasing and meeting design and community guidelines needs;
· A strong portfolio of preservation and urban re-use and infill;
· The ability to reveal new possibilities, and be strong players in developing project marketability through better design;
· And a familiarity and working knowledge of unique environmental requirements such as seasonal construction microclimate constraints, and the natural forces of sun, sea, snow and wind.

4240 Architecture, Inc., is an industry leader in the design of buildings that exceed expectations in terms of economics, social equity, and environmental sustainability. We excel at identifying strategies that work together in a whole-building approach to achieve more than any one system alone – the building struggles less to perform better. The firm is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and has nine LEED™ Accredited Professionals on staff. LEED™ Accredited Professionals go through rigorous training to reach an advanced understanding of design strategies that enhance performance in every phase of a project, from initial site selection and orientation to programming, massing, systems design, materials selection, construction, close-out and follow-up.

Info via 4240 Architecture Inc. website

Denver Union Station Project Meeting on Thursday

The Union Station Advocates are hosting an update on the Union Station Project in Denver this Thursday, all interested citizens are invited. Some of the agenda items include a overall project update, a video project with Havey Productions, CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning studio wrap up, a planning/branding exercise and discussion, and a post meeting happy hour.

Thursday, May 15th 4 - 5:30pm at the Oxford Hotel, Theatre Room, $10 at the door, hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served with a cash bar for the post meeting happy hour in the Cruise Room. See this link for agenda and RSVP info.

Photovoltaics, Wind Turbines and Art Infuse Colorado Development at Belmar

From the AIArchitect This Week newsletter this past week, an article about the recent Belmar development project":

"Developer Continuum Partners decided instead to reduce their impact by recycling most of the content of the former Villa Italia Mall on the site and incorporating an array of sustainable strategies, including a 1.7 Mw solar array and a small-scale urban wind farm." On the parking lot lampposts! great idea. "To reduce the ecological strain that results from the development’s annual energy use, Belmar is currently in the process of installing an array of 8,370 photovoltaic panels. The panels will be installed on three parking garages, including the natural foods store, and will measure 125,000 square feet total."

Also, check out the Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar, "part museum, part public forum". They will reopen on May 22 for a new exhibit called "Silent Films and Bedroom Paintings". Lakewood is getting hot! Another great video from Charles Carpenter below.


The LAB, belmar from Charles R. Carpenter on Vimeo

Things to do in Denver & Boulder this Weekend

Washington Park Home Tour: Give your mother, aunt, grandma and YOU a Mother's Day weekend to remember by attending the Washington Park Home Tour on Saturday, May 10, 2008 from 10 am- 4 pm. All funds benefit Steele Elementary School.

Northwest Denver Old House Expo - 9am-4pm. The free event will offer information and workshops from a range of experts on everything you need to know, including how to heat and cool your old house with energy efficiency; utilizing or expanding space; remodeling; caring for older windows and masonry; water efficiency; building and zoning permits; and choosing the right colors for your home. Stop by the Highlands Masonic Temple Center, 3550 Federal Boulevard.

Tour the CU Solar House in Boulder: 1pm-5pm in the field adjacent to Innovation Drive in the CU Research Park. University of Colorado teams won both Solar Decathlon competitions in 2002 and 2005, and placed 7^th overall in 2007. Lead by the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the 2007 CU Solar Decathlon team returned to the National Mall with a compelling new design that responds to the changing energy needs of the American West.

Pangea Day: 12noon-4pm MST. Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future. In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that — to help people see themselves in others — through the power of film. Sites in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked live to produce a program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music. Denver Open Media Pangea Day- Denver's Public Access TV station will be hosting a special community screening of the Pangea Day films. Attendance is limited to 100 individuals. 700 Kalamath St. or watch online.

1800 Larimer is Pre-Certified LEED CS Platinum

1800 Larimer is pre-certified LEED CS Platinum. Designed by architecture firm RNL Design, this 22 story, 500,000 sqft office building will be the new headquarters of Xcel Energy when it opens in the summer of 2010. Westfield Development Company, who is developing the project, will also house it's offices here and the building is already about 75% leased. This will be the first high rise building in the central business district of Denver to be built in the last 20 years, so it appears that progress is moving quickly in Denver! The building's location in the heart of Lower Downtown Denver is an ideal sustainable site with it's easy access to mass transit via the downtown circulator.

According to their website, some of their LEED highlights include restoring 77% of their non-footprint site to native or adaptive vegetation. A 17,000 sqft landscaped terrace will attach the side of the building off of the second floor lobby. Waterless urinals and other water saving features will adorn the fancy bathrooms and I'm sure the water wall feature in the main lobby will recycle it's water as well.
An innovative under floor ventilation system will provide more fresh air and better energy efficiency. It's relationship with Xcel Energy will be strong and green with a four year contract for 35% of core and shell power to come from from WindSource®. It's materials will comprise of 20% recycled content in core and shell materials, 20% locally obtained materials, and FSC Certified wood doors. I'm interested to know what the outer shell window design configuration is based on, Tetris?

1800 Larimer Website Also, check out their sales movie