Colorado Architecture News | 08.16.23
THE WEEK IN WORDS
“[Architecture’s] a mix of form and function. It’s really fun to figure out how to make functional things beautiful”
— Kevin Nguyen, AIA, of Regular Architecture, dishes on his creative process, local restaurant design trends, and the importance of community in 5280 Magazine.
Kevin’s work has also helped bring Fuel & Iron Food Hall to life in Pueblo. Read more about that project here.
AIA COLORADO NEWS
Design + Honor Awards Event Celebration
On September 19th, join AIA Colorado as we unveil the recipients of the 2023 Design + Honor Awards and celebrate the exemplary work of Colorado architects. We hope that your whole team, clients, friends, and family can join in the celebration. It will be a fantastic event and we’re looking forward to it!
Event sponsorship is available and we invite all firms and allied industry partners to view the event prospectus. It’s a great opportunity to demonstrate your support for design excellence across Colorado.
Expo Hall Vendor Hall Open
Know a company that serves your firm and clients really well? The AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference expo hall is now open to all to sign up for booths or sponsorships.
Girls Design Experience Needs Workshop Mentors
AIA Colorado J.E.D.I. Committee is seeking female and female identifying practicing and emerging architects and architectural students to participate in a new program to introduce middle school girls to architecture and allied professions. For this program, mentors can chose to participate in one or all upcoming day-long Colorado workshops with students that follow an immersive design curriculum created by AIA DC and the Washington Architectural Foundation. There will be an informational meeting taking place August 30th at Noon on Zoom. Learn more about the program and future dates at the link.
AIA COLORADO EVENTS
Code Class: Overview of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code
This August 30th, join us for an overview of the current 2021 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code and how architects apply it to their everyday work. This full-day program includes lunch and will be submitted for approval for 6.0 AIA CES Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) learning unit hours.
Thank you to the Colorado Energy Office for the grant to ensure special pricing possible for the first 40 registrants. AIA Member Early Registration pricing is just $50 and this rate expires August 22nd!
One River North Tour
This August 24th and August 31st, the Denver Local Advisors have organized tours of One River North, a project in the RiNo neighborhood that has certainly provided a captivating story with its crevasse running across its façade. Tours for both dates have reached maximum capacity, but waitlists are now open and you are welcome to add your name, should someone be unable to attend.
RSVP’d and unable to attend? Please update your RSVP through the Eventbrite platform if you cannot attend to allow for wait listed individuals to be confirmed.
AIA COLORADO MEMBER NEWS
A glass house situated on a unique ridgeline in Salida residence designed by Mike Peché, AIA and Studio B Architecture & Interiors is the cover story in the current Modern in Denver. See the magazine spread here.
PARTNER NEWS AND EVENTS
Denver Public School CEC Early College Coach/Mentor
This is a volunteer opportunity seeking A/E and construction professionals to mentor high school students with specific interests in architecture. Deadline to apply is October 23rd. More information can be found on the J.E.D.I. webpage.
Habits of the Anthropocene Conference
The ACADIA Board of Directors and the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver are excited to announce the 2023 conference Habits of the Anthropocene: Scarcity and Abundance in a Post-Material Economy which will be held in person in Denver, CO from October 26-28th, 2023.
NEWS AT NATIONAL
Wildfires On The Islands Of Maui And Big Islands In Hawaii
The unprecedented wildfires on the islands of Maui and Big Islands in Hawaii have caused widespread damage and killed dozens of people. The death toll continues to rise, making it the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.
The AIA family is deeply saddened by these recent wildfires and is working in close coordination with AIA Hawaii as recovery efforts get underway. Our 97,000 members and extensive resources are being activated to support Hawaii’s health, safety, and welfare in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
AIA’s past experience with disasters of this magnitude tells us that the recovery process is a long, arduous road that architects can, and must help navigate, to make communities whole once again. We cannot bring back what has been lost, but together we can help find a new way forward.
AIA Hawaii recommends giving to the Maui Strong Fund. 100 percent of the funds will be distributed for community needs for immediate response and recovery.
Women’s Leadership Summit
This premier event is designed for ambitious women who want to unlock their full potential, make a lasting impact on their careers, and lead change in architecture and the allied professions. Join AIA members in Boston September 12–14, 2023, to meet, network with, and learn from an extraordinary lineup of renowned speakers, trailblazing leaders, and industry experts—and earn up to 45 AIA LUs.
Repaving The Road To Licensure
Patricia Ramallo, AIA, assistant vice president of innovation at NCARB, talks about removing unnecessary barriers for a more equitable profession.
Private Projects Stall Even As Public Construction Spending Jumps
Although infrastructure dollars are flowing, “developer-driven activity appears to be drying up,” said ABC’s chief economist.
2023 AIA Upjohn Research Initiative Grant
The AIA Upjohn Research Initiative supports applied research projects that enhance the value of design and professional practice knowledge.
This AIA program funds up to six research grants of $15,000–$30,000 annually for projects completed in a 6- to 18-month period. The funds must be fully matched with hard dollars, with a maximum of 10% of allocated for overhead. A maximum of 10% of the requested Upjohn grant funds may be allocated for overhead. Grant recipients’ research findings and outcomes are published online by AIA.
California Adopts First-in-Nation Building Code Revision To Reduce Embodied Carbon
California is now the first state in the country to formally implement general code requirements for reducing embodied carbon in the built environment.
Read more in Architectural Record
Look Inside The World’s Largest 3D-Printed Neighborhood In Texas
Some Of AIA’s Top Honors & Awards Are Open For Submission
AIA Honors & Awards has several awards open for submission—Fellowship, Interior Architecture, Regional & Urban Design, etc. View available submission opportunities and make Colorado proud!
View Submissions Currently Open
Premier Partner Spotlight
We’re proud to highlight one of AIA Colorado’s Premier Partners, The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community.
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), headquartered in Chicago, is a non-partisan, not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry in the United States. AISC’s mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural-steel-related technical and market-building activities, including specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, market development, and advocacy. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry providing timely and reliable information.
Learn More About The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
Looking for Additional Resources?
Colorado Architecture News | 08.02.23
News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 08.02.23
THE WEEK IN WORDS
“…once residents started working with the architects, they found that they could imagine the possibility for their house that was dramatically better, with lower energy bills, more thermally comfortable, and more environmentally responsible across the board than the house that they had.”
— Scott Rodwin, AIA, Rodwin Architecture, AIA Colorado North Section Direction, discussing sustainable residential design at the recent State of the Art of Architecture event, held at the Aspen Art Museum. Read more from the event here
AIA COLORADO NEWS
On September 19th, join AIA Colorado as we unveil the recipients of the 2023 Design + Honor Awards and celebrate the exemplary work of Colorado architects. We sincerely hope that your whole team, clients, friends, and family can join in the celebration. It will be a fantastic event and we’re looking forward to it!
Event sponsorship is available and we invite you to view the event prospectus.
Practice + Design Conference Expo Hall Vendor Application Now Open to Premier Partners and Allied Members
Know a company that serves your firm and clients really well? The AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference expo hall and event sponsorship online sign-up page is now open to our Premier Partners and Allied Members as a benefit for their continued support of AIA Colorado. This opportunity to secure a booth, register for a learning lab, or become a conference sponsor is available through August 15th, at which point if there are opportunities still open, we will make them available to a wider industry audience.
If a firm is not currently a Premier Partner or Allied Member, there is still time to sign up as one of our industry partners and secure a booth, submit for a learning lab, or sign up for conference sponsorship.
Lastly, if you’re interested in viewing the 2023 Engage Practice + Design Conference prospectus, you can view it here.
Denver Local Advisor Tours
The Denver Local Advisors recently provided tours of the Colorado Convention Center expansion and the National Western Complex. Catch up with the Denver Local Advisors and learn about recent tours in the Denver area here.
AIA COLORADO EVENTS
Happy Hour Q&A with Boulder City Council member Lauren Folkerts, AIA
Tuesday, August 15th, join members from the North to hear what Boulder City Council is working on, and how to get involved. Lauren will provide an update on the City’s initiatives on affordable housing, homelessness, transportation, sustainability initiatives, the state of the Development Services Department, and a host of other topics of interest to the local architectural community. This will be a casual format and you’ll have opportunities for Q&A. Please RSVP in advance.
Code Class: Overview of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code
This August 30th, join us for an overview of the current 2021 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code and how architects apply it to their everyday work. This full-day program includes lunch and will be submitted for approval for 6.0 AIA CES Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) learning unit hours. Early registration is now open for AIA members until August 9th, when registration will open up to non-members as well. Early registration rates expire on August 22nd!
AIA COLORADO MEMBER NEWS
DNA Alpine wins the 2023 North American Copper in Architecture Award
Awarded to CCY Architects, this award recognizes and promotes North American building projects for their outstanding use of architectural copper and copper alloys. Learn more
PARTNER NEWS AND EVENTS
Denver Community Planning and Development – Resources for Electrical Vehicle (EV) Charging Spaces Requirements
EV code requirements impact how parking is configured for a project and should be addressed during the Site Development Plan process. On June 20, 2023, City Council approved amendments that take a phased approach to these requirements to ensure projects already at the formal site development plan/construction drawing preparation stage can continue with minimal impacts
Learn more
2022 Denver Energy Code Resources
Residential and commercial checklists for the 2022 Denver Energy Code (DEC) are available. Please note that these have been recently updated and will continue to be updated on a regular basis.
Denver Public Schools Opportunities
- DPS CEC Early College Coach/ Mentor is a volunteer opportunity seeking A/E and construction professionals to mentor high school students with specific interests in architecture. Deadline to apply is October 23rd.
- DPS High School Architecture/Drafting Instructor is an opening at DPS to teach high school students architecture and drafting.
More info regarding both opportunites can be found here.
Habits of the Anthropocene Conference
The ACADIA Board of Directors and the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver are excited to announce the 2023 conference Habits of the Anthropocene: Scarcity and Abundance in a Post-Material Economy which will be held in person in Denver, CO from October 26-28th, 2023.
NEWS AT NATIONAL
Women’s Leadership Summit
Registration is open for Women’s Leadership Summit 2023! This premier event is designed for ambitious women who want to unlock their full potential, make a lasting impact on their careers, and lead change in architecture and the allied professions.
Join AIA members in Boston September 12–14, 2023, to meet, network with, and learn from an extraordinary lineup of renowned speakers, trailblazing leaders, and industry experts—and earn up to 45 AIA LUs.
Young Architects Forum July Newsletter
A newsletter from the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF). Look out for important news, AIA updates, and ways to engage, no biggie.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Applications Are Now Live
This month, EPA launched two Notices of Funding Opportunity for the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) and the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA). In alignment with the Justice40 Initiative, these grants will fund key decarbonization projects and underscore adaptive reuse as an integral climate solution. The competitions share a closing date of October 12, 2023, and additional information about engagement opportunities as well as the process to apply for funding is available on the EPA’s website.
Exceptionally Strong Growth in Nonresidential Building Spending Projected for 2023; Slower Gains Predicted for 2024
The American Institute of Architect’s (AIA) Consensus Construction Forecast panel has optimistic projections for nonresidential building spending in late 2023 and beyond, and the news is generally positive – with a caveat.
View Consensus Construction Forecast
Artificial Intelligence in Contract Management- Rhetoric to Reality
Today’s automated contract management systems and their use of AI grew out of three different disciplines – contract management, document management, and business analytics. Read more of the White Paper in the AI in Contract Management Series.
New eBook! Maximize Your Facilities Maintenance Contracts: Contract Fundamentals, Special Considerations, and Best Practices
This eBook serves as an introduction to the latest product offerings from AIA Contract Documents focused on building and facility maintenance.
AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index Stable in June
The ABI score of 50.1 for the month indicates that billings at architecture firms remained steady as design activity continues to slowly recover from roiled economic conditions. When asked about AI, few firms reported using it, although 90% expect usage to increase over the next three years.
Some of AIA’s Top Honors & Awards are Open for Submission
AIA Honors & Awards has several awards open for submission—Fellowship, Interior Architecture, Regional & Urban Design, etc. View available submission opportunities and make Colorado proud!
View Submissions Currently Open
Premier Partner Spotlight
We’re proud to highlight one of AIA Colorado’s Premier Partners, The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community.
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), headquartered in Chicago, is a non-partisan, not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry in the United States. AISC’s mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural-steel-related technical and market-building activities, including specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, market development, and advocacy. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry providing timely and reliable information.
Learn More About The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
Looking for Additional Resources?
The State of the Art of Architecture
An exploration of the present and future state of sustainable architecture in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, The State of the Art of Architecture took place Thursday, July 27th, on the roof of the Aspen Art Museum. A collaborative event where members of AIA Colorado, the statewide voice of the architecture profession, rowland+broughton architecture and interior design, and CORE, a nonprofit committed to leading the Roaring Fork Valley towards a carbon-free, net zero energy future, presented an exploration of the present and future state of architecture in Colorado’s mountainous regions.
The event featured three separate panels: residential architecture, commercial architecture, and public architecture. Comprised of panelists from AIA Colorado’s board, and moderated by CORE‘s CEO Dallas Blaney, each 15-minute panel produced insightful commentary and memorable exchanges regarding sustainability in architecture.
Below are just a few quotes in response to questions posed to each panel, providing a brief snapshot from the afternoon’s discussions.
Residential Panel
Dallas Blaney, CEO, CORE: What are some of the emerging trends and technologies in sustainable residential design that get you excited?
Sarah Broughton, FAIA, rowland+broughton: Some of the most exciting things are going back to the core elements of passive design, and that’s the way that we’re really doing our purpose is looking at our siding, looking at natural vegetation, looking at solar orientation and wind, and really using those given elements to work with and make sure that we’re designing with those first and foremost.
Scott Munn, AIA, MA Studios: We’re finding more and more clients and people are willing to take a look at more energy efficient and climate forward techniques.
John Glenn, AIA, Davis Partnership Architects: The adoption of new renewable energy codes and meeting the greater requirements to net zero 2050.
Scott Rodwin, AIA, Rodwin Architecture: We had the biggest wildfire in Colorado history with the Marshall fire and it has turned into an experiment likes of which I’ve never seen. You now see 1,000 homes going up next to each other… once the residents started working with the architects, they found that they could imagine the possibility for their house that was dramatically better, with lower energy bills, more thermally comfortable, and more environmentally responsible across the board than the house that they had.
Dallas Blaney: We’re going to start spending more time thinking about embodied carbon, the kind of carbon that gets captured in the actual construction of the building materials in the construction process. Can you all talk a little bit about that and the role that’s playing in your design process and trying to think through these embodied learning challenges?
John Glenn, AIA: We’re beginning to see the proliferation of cross laminated timber, heavy timber wood projects like this in the mid-rise, high-rise sphere because of the adoption of newer building codes.
Sarah Broughton, FAIA: We are doing a lot with with heavy timber on cross laminated timber, but also we’re looking at our installation and again, these are not very sexy stuff subjects. Your core shell is the number one thing you can do. So, if you’re a homeowner, right now, and you’re wondering “what can I do with my existing home?” Get a blower door test, understand how much air is infiltrating through your current house, and you’d be amazed and that’s the number one thing you can do to reduce the amount of energy that you’re using in your home. And so we’re building very tightly.
Scott Rodwin, AIA: There are things such as the density of housing per capita, so if you can have what would have been one 5,000 square foot house and cut it into a duplex with two 2,500 square foot houses, you’re automatically reducing the amount of carbon per capita… Because the price of land is so expensive. Most developers and most homeowners build the biggest building they’re allowed to on any given parcel. And if you can turn that into two or three houses, or two or three things instead of just one, it automatically instantly reduces the amount of carbon that each person is using.
Scott Munn, AIA: We happen to be working on a project down here in Salida, where we’re experimenting with earth blocks. This is a technique where you take the soil from the actual site that you are working on, but add a little concrete or something in it but not too much and actually structurally make the blocks for the entire project. That’s a very low carbon footprint right there. ..The actual mix of that soil also works as a sort of release of energy and moisture. And we can reduce the size of mechanicals when we use that type of technology.
Commercial Panel
Dallas Blaney, CEO, CORE: If you start a project today, given how long it takes to go from design to actually, you know, implementation, how can you even begin to plan for the day when that project will go under construction and try to forecast or allow for the flexibility to incorporate the most recent technology as the buildings being designed or not designed to build? How do you design for a building to allow it to adopt the most recent technology as its being?
Andy Rockmore, AIA, Shears Adkins Rockmore: We’re always we’re looking out ahead to see not only what the technology is but what the market will want, what the demographic issues are. It’s a real challenge. And I think, what might be a little controversial, but but we find ourselves more and more, looking away from technology, looking towards more passive strategies because not only do things wildly change in the societal changes, certainly just lived through a major one. But technology is changing faster than we can keep up. So, if we looked for the greatest lighting control system in the design phase, and then that building is open two or three years later, it can be a real problem by then there could be a much, much better system. So we’re looking at, as I said, back to sort of time tested solar orientation, building envelope issues, passive strategies, looking at kind of all of the things that used to be really regarded as good design.
Alexander Person, AIA, SmithGroup: I’ve seen a few buildings that we designe have thet dual purpose. So if it’s an office building, you can think about, you know, the future use of something else that would allow more flexibility to incorporate new construction methods.
Dallas Blaney: So we heard earlier about the fire in Denver area that wiped out 1,000 homes in a day. I mean, just unbelievable. And now we’re all living through these incredible heat waves that don’t seem temporary anymore. The Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Florida if y’all caught this, they just recorded what may be the hottest temperature ever recorded in the ocean over 100 degrees and it beat the previous record which was set off the coast of Kuwait. It really makes you pause. So as you all are, I can’t imagine the challenges you all are going through, as you’re building particularly these large buildings and doing these designs. How do you design for a building that’s resilient to climate change?
Alexander Person, AIA: I think it’s our biggest challenge. As designers, as architects, as people that care about the built environment, I don’t think I have the correct answer. But what we’re trying to do in some of our buildings is looking at it in a regional standpoint, for instance, in Colorado, we’ve got fires. So think about the way that you design your house to be more targeted.
Andy Rockmore, AIA: We have to be really careful and really specific, especially about our climate, which is a huge, huge challenge. And we have clients from all over the country who come in and say this is what we love. This is what we do. And it takes a lot of sort of unwinding. To talk to them specifically about how challenging it is to be an architect or to design buildings that last in Colorado… Now I bet all the architects in the room would would agree the way we’re practicing now just seems lightyears ahead of where we were even five years ago, kind of like we were saying about technology. So it’s just getting smarter. And maybe one other point is making sure that our buildings, especially our commercial buildings, are flexible, that they can accommodate a variety of uses.
Public Panel
Dallas Blaney, CEO, CORE: Because public buildings have a lot of stakeholders, it’s very difficult more so maybe than other projects. So what design choices do you help make for them that are climate positive public building?
Julianne Scherer, AIA, HDR: It’s the material choices. That would be embodied carbon in the materials that we select. Concrete, you heard that dirty word, and also steel when there’s a lot more steel manufacturers now. That are looking at the wetlands process in order to reduce the amount of carbon that those products have, and that sort of considering the CLT and other opportunities of materials that we select and put to our clients and show them the benefits. Also, the lifecycle costs because most of our public clients are going to be in their buildings for quite a long time, versus maybe some residential or other commercial projects. And so we want to show them that over the lifetime of their building the value that they’ll get back in real dollars.
Wells Squier, AIA, Anderson Hallas Architects: I think the greatest impact at the initial onset of design really talks about goals, right, and we try it, if there’s not sort of an energy policy that this county or city has adopted, we will often engage in those discussions and ask, how could we establish a goal for this project in terms of performance, or sustainability for the long term?
Marc Swackhamer, Assoc. AIA, University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture & Planning: I’ll talk a little bit about how we foreground decision making in our students and how we really encourage them to think about the circumstance of a project and how it gives all the clues they need on the best materials to use the best strategies, using both both passive and active strategies. And how the kind of critical decision making around sustainable choices happens both from intimately understanding and being empathic with the client and also the site and the materials that are appropriate for a project.
Dallas Blaney: So public buildings, there’s such a rich opportunity there not just to create a space for the public but also to use the building as a catalyst for educating the workforce on new technologies, new strategies for building design and kind of up-skilling the workforce and all of that. Can you talk about your experience in designing public buildings as as kind of an early mover, early adopter and advancing some of these new strategies, design methodologies, etc?
Wells Squier, AIA: The technology is emerging on this incredible curve when you think about our tools and our resources as designers and architects 30 years ago compared to where we are now obviously, this curve is super steep. And in my experience, not explicitly, but generally, I find that the public clients are not risk takers, but at the same time, that comes back to our responsibility and I agree to an end in that. We need to be cautious with new technology. As well especially when we bring this responsibility to a public building that is going to be occupied and used for 50 plus years.
Julianne Scherer, AIA: They are typically not risk takers in that this is the taxpayers money that’s going towards these buildings and you might not be able to get everything you want. But is there something within the dialogue and the discussion of those early goals setting, admission setting of that specific entity that you can at least start with one thing. So, perhaps it is showing how you’re going to use gray water for some of your plumbing systems, or the lighting, how you’ve put daylight harvesting in a building. So maybe there’s some little tweaks that you can make in a building and then make sure that you’re transparent to the community and to those that are actually working in that building as well as the value of those small, incremental pieces that you choose to put into the design.
Marc Swackhamer, Assoc. AIA: We are really passionate with our three grand challenges, global challenges that we try to tackle in all our courses in all of our curriculum: equity in your workplace and equity and in terms of who we serve as architects, the housing crisis we’re facing, and climate change. They’re asked to grapple with these questions that are massive questions. But all three are questions that architects interface with and by the time the students leave, they leave with a set of a set of questions that they’re asking around sustainability, because that’s why we’re here now and the other two grand challenges I mentioned, that drive them forward for their entire career.
Denver Local Advisor Tours
Nothing brings people together in the architecture and design community like… well physically being together. As many of us try to convince our peers that being in the same room from time to time has its merits, the Denver Local Advisors group of AIA Colorado has taken it upon itself to provide multiple tours of recently completed, or under construction, projects around the city.
Colorado Convention Center expansion tour
Most recently, the group visited the active construction site of the Colorado Convention Center expansion. The contractor team led a group of about thirty architects, aspiring architects, engineers, and other industry partners through the building that is nearing completion and spoke to the logistical hurdles that they had to overcome, such as building over an active parking garage while wedged between the Convention Center, which continues to be used on a weekly basis, and a major arterial thoroughfare through downtown Denver. In just about an hour, the group had ventured through multiple exhibit and pre-function areas, the “largest kitchen west of the Mississippi”, and across multiple staging and overlook points. Of course, the only way to round out the afternoon was with a group happy hour at a nearby beverage establishment.
National Western Complex tour
These sorts of gatherings have been gaining momentum here in Denver over the summer. What began on a rainy day in May to tour the recently completed City Heights dormitory on the Auraria Campus was followed by a tour through the National Western Complex in June. These events have provided opportunities for behind the scenes looks at various high-profile projects around Denver, but also allowed people the chance to mingle with their counterparts that they haven’t seen since before the pandemic and given younger aspiring architects the chance to make a dent in their AXP hours.
For the Denver Local Advisors, the focus this year has been on bringing people together and highlighting some of the incredible work being done around this every-changing city. The group has taken steps to provide platforms for people to showcase their work and come together to be inspired by current and future work. The group plans to expand its efforts to include other prominent projects currently under construction and to also highlight larger scale plans that will dramatically alter the landscape of Denver with future events on a (hopefully) monthly basis.
In the meantime, if you or your office would like to have a project featured by this group, please contact AIA Colorado to get on the schedule. Keep an eye on the bi-weekly newsletters for more opportunities to tour these excellent projects and to come together as a Denver architecture community that continues to grow, evolve, and coalesce around this great city and region.
Colorado Architecture News | 07.19.23
News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 07.19.23
THE WEEK IN WORDS
“So much of your career and your life is an accumulation of your experiences.”
— Sarah Broughton, FAIA, Principle at rowland+broughton, 2023 AIA Colorado President.
Sarah was recently highlighted in AIA National’s weekly 60-second “Future Focused” video series. The series features female architects and designers’ favorite work, as well as the leadership, mentorship, and vision they are pursuing for an increasingly diverse and equitable profession. The videos share the stories of women, men, and firm leaders who are elevating women and changing the profession to make it a vocation of choice for anyone interested in the design field.
AIA COLORADO NEWS
Practice + Design Conference Expo Hall Vendor Application Now Open to Premier Partners and Allied Members
Know a company that serves your firm and clients really well? The AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference expo hall and event sponsorship online sign-up page is now open to our Premier Partners and Allied Members as a benefit for their continued support of AIA Colorado. This opportunity to secure a booth, register for a learning lab, or become a conference sponsor is available through August 15th, at which point if there are opportunities still open, we will make them available to a wider industry audience.
If a firm is not currently a Premier Partner or Allied Member, there is still time to sign up as one of our industry partners and secure a booth, submit for a learning lab, or sign up for conference sponsorship.
Lastly, if you’re interested in viewing the 2023 Engage Practice + Design Conference prospectus, you can view it here.
DORA Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors Board Transition
The State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors says a grateful farewell to Stephen Powell, AIA and welcomes Christy Riggs, AIA. Three architect members sit on the Department of Regulatory Affairs board alongside peer professionals in other design disciplines. Stephen is a former South Section AIA President and an active volunteer in his community for groups involved in child advocacy and affordable housing. Thank you, Stephen!
Governor Jared Polis appointed Christy Riggs who steps into the role with continuing architect board members Stephanie Morales Ostasuc, AIA and Nan Anderson, FAIA. For the first time in Colorado history, the three architect seats are held by women. Christy Riggs is a long-time South Section volunteer and previous South board member, who also regularly represents the architecture profession on Colorado Springs area boards and commissions, in addition to running her own practice.
These volunteer jobs are not for the faint of heart—requiring hundreds of pages of material to review and hours-long monthly meetings. The architecture community appreciates the commitment these board members make to maintain the integrity of our practice.
AES Board Home
AIA COLORADO EVENTS
Tour of Colorado Convention Center Expansion
Thursday, July 20th, join the Denver Local Advisors Group for a tour before construction wraps and the space is opened to the public, followed by happy hour at The Corner Office. The Colorado Convention Center has served as a hub for downtown Denver and the Mountain West for over thirty years. In 2015, voters approved an expansion to the facility that hosts over 230 events on an annual basis. Please RSVP in advance.
Academy of Architecture for Health Networking Event
This July 27th, join the Academy of Architecture for Health Knowledge Community for a happy hour networking event hosted at Page’s office. Open to AIA Colorado members. Please RSVP in advance.
On September 19th, join AIA Colorado as we unveil the recipients of the 2023 Design + Honor Awards and celebrate the exemplary work of Colorado architects. We sincerely hope that your whole team, clients, friends, and family can join in the celebration. It will be a fantastic event and we’re looking forward to it!
Event sponsorship is available and we invite you to view the event prospectus.
AIA COLORADO MEMBER NEWS
“Bigger Does Seem Also to be Better for CCY Architects, Winners of Top International Recognition”
Read about CCY Architects recent accolades, international awards, projects, and the firm’s community focus in the Aspen Times.
PARTNER NEWS AND EVENTS
AEF Travel Scholarship – Denmark & Sweden
Each year, the Architectural Education Foundation (AEF) funds Travel Scholarships for AIA members to support educational endeavors and gain more experience.
This past June, utilizing the Fisher Travel Scholarship, Sean Jursnick, AIA, Architect at SAR+, was able to spend two weeks in Denmark and Sweden examining smart cities and carbon-reduction efforts. The trip provided an opportunity to build connections with Danish and Swedish architects, visit innovative projects, and ultimately find ways to contribute to AIA’s efforts to promote carbon reduction.
Habits of the Anthropocene
The ACADIA Board of Directors and the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver are excited to announce the 2023 conference Habits of the Anthropocene: Scarcity and Abundance in a Post-Material Economy which will be held in person in Denver, CO from October 26-28th, 2023.
NEWS AT NATIONAL
AIA Updates the Framework for Design Excellence
A major update for 2023 includes the explicit labeling of “high impact” action items into each principle. This provides architects with an overview of recommendations, understanding that they are not necessarily able to adopt every single best practice. These high-impact items are categorized in a way that centers the four outcomes of the Framework: if architects can only do one thing, here are brief suggestions to design zero-carbon, resilient, equitable, and healthy projects.
For more information, read the Press Release and view The Framework for Design Excellence
AIA Selects Ten Projects for Healthcare Design Awards
The year’s best healing spaces, presented by the AIA’s Academy of Architecture for Health
View Winners
Some of AIA’s Top Honors & Awards are Open for Submission
View available submission opportunities and make Colorado proud!
View Submissions Currently Open
NCARB Releases Annual Data Report on State of Architectural Licensure
The findings in NCARB by the Numbers are pulled from NCARB’s database of over 128,000 licensure candidates and architects, making this annual report the most comprehensive source for licensure statistics. Explore data on the number of licensed architects, gender and racial diversity, and attrition along the path to licensure.
Student Loan Forgiveness, Repayment Programs are Critical
Korey White, AIA, reacts to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on student loan relief and shares how the burden of college debt has impacted her career.
Read More
New Survey Results Highlight Evolving Trends in Home and Property Design
Home sizes are stabilizing, and clients are looking for value in upgrades.
For more infomation, read the Press Release and view the Latest Survey Results
Women’s Leadership Summit
Registration is open for Women’s Leadership Summit 2023! This premier event is designed for ambitious women who want to unlock their full potential, make a lasting impact on their careers, and lead change in architecture and the allied professions.
Join AIA members in Boston September 12–14, 2023, to meet, network with, and learn from an extraordinary lineup of renowned speakers, trailblazing leaders, and industry experts—and earn up to 45 AIA LUs.
Premier Partner Spotlight
We’re proud to highlight one of AIA Colorado’s Premier Partners, JVA, Incorporated, and look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community.
JVA, Incorporated is a consulting engineering firm with offices in Boulder, Fort Collins, Winter Park, Glenwood Springs, and Denver, Colorado. Since 1956, JVA has provided engineering services to architects, owners, building departments, and general contractors in Colorado and nationwide. Our Structural, Civil, and Environmental engineering departments offer highly skilled engineers who complement your experience to fully meet your design and construction needs. We take pride in our commitment to provide excellent service.
Learn More About JVA, Incorporated
Looking for Additional Resources?
AEF Travel Scholarship – Denmark & Sweden
Each year, the Architectural Education Foundation (AEF) funds Travel Scholarships for AIA members to support professional development and broaden Colorado’s design discourse.
This past June, utilizing the Fisher Travel Scholarship, I was able to spend two weeks in Denmark and Sweden examining smart cities and carbon-reduction efforts. The trip was an important opportunity to build connections with Danish and Swedish architects, visit innovative projects, and ultimately find ways to contribute to AIA’s efforts to promote carbon reduction.
The most visible part of AIA’s carbon-reduction effort being the AIA 2030 Commitment, which includes over 60 signatory firms in the state who are committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2030, including Shears Adkins Rockmore Architects, in Denver, where I am a project architect.
Unexpectedly capturing the spirit of the travel scholarship, the trip also led to a viral tweet about a Stockholm mass timber high-rise, broadcasting photos of the project and my trip to a wider audience than I ever expected. Viewers and commenters included Swedish architects and a Swedish life safety expert. Through the social media connection, the life safety expert and I have engaged in ongoing conversations about the details of Swedish building code that are different than approaches to the code in the U.S.
I was able to visit three cities during my trip to Denmark and Sweden: Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Stockholm. Each city maintains strong environmental attitudes, committed to becoming carbon-neutral in the near future.
Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Stockholm are unique because they were each recently selected to participate in the EU Mission Cities effort. As part of the Mission Cities program, designated cities will accelerate the transition to climate-neutrality by 2030 and serve as inspiration for all European cities to become climate-neutral by 2050. The EU Mission Cities effort is an important precedent for Colorado since the state has similar aggressive climate goal and the state’s Climate Action Pan pledges a 90% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Leadership by architects will be key to achieving success in reducing Colorado’s emissions goals for the built environment and the three cities I visited offered many lessons to learn about carbon reduction efforts.
Copenhagen was named the 2023 World Capitol of Architecture by UNESCO and the designation highlights how architecture, city planning, and culture can work together to shape urban development.
DAC tour guide at BLOX
Through Copenhagen’s Danish Architectural Center (DAC), I was able to attend an architect-led walking tour to learn first-hand about Copenhagen’s attitudes on development and sustainability. Copenhagen was recently ranked #1 on the list of most livable cities and the tour offered details on how much of the city’s success is the result of an effort to bring people back to the city after an economic recession and loss of residents in the 1980’s.
Copenhagen Harbor Bath – BIG and JDS
Copenhagen was the first capitol city to make a carbon neutrality pledge, however their efforts towards a more sustainable city began decades ago. Leadership in the city recognized that the key to bring people back to the city was to make a more livable urban environment by cleaning up their harbor and reducing automobile traffic. Copenhagen in the early 1980’s was a place where wastewater was pumped directly into the harbor, historic plazas were used as parking lots, and hundreds of cyclists were killed in accidents on the streets of the city. Thanks to successful community, transportation, and infrastructure efforts, the city underwent a massive environmental cleanup while focusing on development of transportation infrastructure. In 2002, two milestones were achieved on the city’s path to resurgence when Copenhagen opened both its first underground Metro line and its first public harbor bath, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). These projects marked an evolution in Copenhagen’s attitude toward a livable city.
City Loop – Kongen Nytorv Station – ARUP
Copenhagen has continued to focus on transportation infrastructure. In 2020, after a new City Circle Metro line opened with 17 new stations, resulting in 85% of city residents now live within 600 meters of a rail station. ARUP designed the 17 new metro stations using minimalist inspiration. The firm used a gigantic ‘kit-of-parts’ to find efficiencies and achieve cost savings to create a series of light-filled station with distinctive facades.
Smart Bike Lane – Superkilen Park – BIG
Showing how Copenhagen has prioritized transportation options, bicycle and public transportation are the top 2 preferred commuting options in the city. Copenhagen has the highest percentage of cycle commuters in the world (62%) and the city’s cycling infrastructure is extensive. One of the most innovative pieces of the city’s cycling infrastructure is used along ‘bicycle superhighways’ where smart bicycle traffic lights detect cyclists and their speed and adapt the timing of stoplights so that the cyclists never hit a red light
The Bicycle Street Model – JAJA Architects
My favorite example of Copenhagen’s attitude toward transportation is a DAC exhibition by JAJA Architect featuring the interactive Bicycle Street model showing how we can make greater neighborhoods, streets, and cities if we prioritize walking and biking. The one-of-a-kind model is part bike and part architectural model and includes both a street designed for cars and a street designed to prioritize pedestrians and bikes. The version of street visible to the user is controlled by pedaling the bicycle to flip the model to the preferred side.
Copenhill waste-to-power plant and recreation attraction – BIG
Also contributing to Copenhagen’s carbon reduction efforts is the Denmark’s tallest ski hill, the one-of-a-kind “waste to energy” power plant called Copenhill. The Copenhill project was designed by BIG and it not only serves as a recreation opportunity with a ski slope, hiking trail, and rooftop café that has views of Copenhagen and across the Oresund Strait to Sweden but it also provides affordable energy for 150,000 residents. The design speaks to Bjarke Ingle’s goal of a sustainable city that is not only better for the environment but is also more enjoyable for the lives of its citizens.
The highpoint of my trip may have been Copenhill but the highlight of my trip was touring BIG’s Copenhagen headquarters, home to 300 employees. The tour was an opportunity to see the last days of BIG’s location in a former Carlsberg brewery factory before moving next month to a new waterfront location.
The office featured ample daylight and a vast collection of models with live feeds of other BIG locations in London and NYC in the lobby so guests could give a friendly-wave to visitors in offices in other time zones. The office is involved in projects around the globe and also designing 3D printed housing for NASA on the moon. In the U.S., BIG is using similar 3D printing technology to build hotels and homes in Texas as a way to reduce waste in the construction process along with making homes that are resilient, sustainable, and energy efficient.
DOKK1, Aarhus – World’s Best Library – Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, is located by the sea and it has a large industrial harbor area that for many years sat vacant and unused. On my visit, I was able to view the active redevelopment of waterfront and swim in another harbor bath designed by BIG.
Previously, the waterfront was abandoned and isolated from the nearby city center and recent development has sought to breathe life into the harbor area by adding density to the city and making the waterfront accessible to the public by activating the area with active uses. A new harbor promenade connects ‘the world’s best library, ’ named DOKK1 with Aarhus Ø (Aarhus Island), a rapidy growing mixed-use area planning to add 7,000 residents to the city center. DOKK1 transformed a formerly vacant waterfront into an active community space, easily accessed by multiple modes of transit. The Danish designers, Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, note that DOKK1 reactivation of the waterfront and city center was due to an inviting design with 360 degree views of the city and sea that has become a vibrant space for all generations, interests, and cultures.
Aarhus Ø Waterfront – BIG
Aarhus Island features an award-winning masterplan by BIG that uses carefully programmed areas to encourage social interaction and activity along a waterfront promenade. Among the recently completed BIG projects contained in the master plan are a harbor bath that is open year-round, a theatre, residential building, and a waterfront village of small activity houses. To promote activity along the promenade, owners of the small activity houses are required to host social events a minimum of 10 times a year that are open to the public and have included activities like pop-up shops, musical events, and art classes.
Cederhusen, Stockholm – General Architecture
In Stockholm, I was able to see innovative uses of low-carbon mass timber. Cedarhusen is Sweden’s first mass timber high rise and contains 245 units which are primarily dual aspect. At 13 stories tall, the building would be illegal to build anywhere in the US due to the use of single-stair egress, also known as the point access block typology.
While building code in the U.S. caps the use of single-stair egress for multifamily projects at 3-stories, almost all of the rest of the world allows for taller point access block apartment, which allows for denser development and high-quality living for the residents. Designed by General Architecture from Stockholm, the Swedish building code allows single-stair egress up to 16-stories with performance based fire modeling that demonstrates a high level of safety by that including safety features like a fire sprinklers and pressurized stair and elevator cores.
Because mass timber is relatively light, innovative Swedish architects have also used mass timber to add onto existing structures to add density and expand sustainability. An Stockholm’s Trikåfabriken building, architects at Tengbom used mass timber to build a five-story extension transforming a historic factory building to a modern and sustainable office complex and at the Glitne apartment complex, BIG used mass timber to place apartments on the roof of an existing mall.
Looking to the future, Stockholm plans to expand the use of mass timber for large scale high-rise projects with the construction of Stockholm Wood City beginning in 2025.
As Colorado continues to grow in the coming decades while striving for important climate goals, it will be important for architects to not only be innovative with design solutions, but to serve as educators and advocates for the community. Understanding global climate efforts will need to be part of that effort and Denmark and Sweden offer great set examples of not just innovative architecture but building codes, transportation, infrastructure, and urban development attitudes.
My hope is that my viral tweet and sharing of these precedents will contribute to conversations about how forward-looking solutions are needed to reach Colorado’s climate goals.
Colorado Architecture News | 07.05.23
News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 07.05.23
THE WEEK IN WORDS
“We are blessed to have places like Civic Center – a beautiful, architectural campus that is Denver’s first National Historic Landmark. But what truly makes Civic Center special – and the heart of our city – is that it is a place where we come together as a community, where we build the social fabric that ties us together. It is the place where we celebrate, where we participate, where we pause and where we play.
This is the place where we gather with our neighbors– where we learn to support and take care of one another – where we participate in democracy – this is the place where we practice tolerance and learn to co-exist. This is the place where as a community we should strive to put our best foot forward.
This is the power of public space. This is the purpose of public space.”
— Eric Lazzari, Executive Director of the Civic Center Conservancy
DESIGN + HONOR AWARDS CELEBRATION
On September 19th, join AIA Colorado as we unveil the recipients of the 2023 Design + Honor Awards and celebrate the exemplary work of Colorado architects.
Taking place at Mile High Station, we look forward to welcoming you at 5:30pm to enjoy the music of Spinphony, delicious food and drink, and an event program beginning right at 7pm. This year’s jury enjoyed the incredible selection of work that our member architects submitted, and we’re thrilled to present both the Design Award winners as well as the Honor Award recipients.
AIA COLORADO NEWS
Practice + Design Conference Call for Presentations Closes July 7th
The Practice + Design Conference brings together the community of architects in Colorado for inspiring insights from global design leaders, advanced practice management methods, and practical innovations from industry partners. We’re interested in hearing from those in our community who are ready to contribute and lead a session at Keystone.
If you have a presentation in mind, visit the link below and start your submission today. Or, if you know someone who would be a great fit, encourage them to create a submission. The submission window closes Friday, July 7th at 5pm.
Expo hall booth and sponsorships will open soon, with preference given to Premier Partners and Allied Members first. If you’re interesting in viewing the Engage Practice + Design Conference prospectus, you can view it here.
AIA COLORADO EVENTS
Code Class: 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code (2021 IBC update)
This July 19th, review changes from the last edition to the current edition of the International Building Code as recently adopted by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department and go into effect June 30th. The background behind many of the changes will be discussed to provide participants with an understanding of the intent of the changes and how to apply it to their everyday work. Subjects covered in the class will include the code change process, mixed occupancies, atriums, accessible means of egress, and more. This full-day program includes lunch and will be submitted for approval for 6.0 AIA CES Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) learning unit hours. Early registration rates expire July 12th!
The State of the Art of Architecture
Thursday July 27th at the Aspen Art Museum, join AIA Colorado, CORE, and rowland+broughton for an exploration of the present and future state of sustainable architecture in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. Space is limited, please RSVP in advance.
PARTNER NEWS AND EVENTS
Mud Futures Installation at History Colorado
With roots in Colorado’s Conejos County and as a professor of architecture at UC Berkeley, Ronald Rael challenges us to think differently about materials, space, borders, and linear time. In his upcoming installation at History Colorado, Rael uses modern-day 3D printing to reimagine the 7,000-year-old technology of adobe, and will be creating a large structure out of an adobe mixture of clay, straw, and sand on the front porch of the History Colorado Center! Visitors are invited to witness his work in progress July 7–9, or plan a visit soon after its completion. View video of the process.
Learn more about the upcoming pop-up exhibition.
Telluride Art + Architecture Week
Taking place the week of July 10 – 16, Telluride Art + Architecture Week is an immersive art experience showcasing the architectural, landscape, interior design, and creative talent of Telluride. Join fellow architects Friday, July 14th, for Design Industry Day, presented by Altitude Control Technology, CCY Architects, Dornbracht, Henry Built and Delta Millworks. Continuing Education courses are followed by a social networking event.
Todd Kennedy, AIA, and Jenny Trumble, AIA, from CCY Architects will also be giving a presentation on DNA Alpine at Telluride Art & Architecture week, July 12th.
The Madeline Hotel hosts the event and offers preferred rates to design industry participants. View more information
DEN’s Business Development Training Academy – Concourse 100 program
DEN’s Business Development Training Academy is now accepting applications for its Concourse 100 program. This is an entry level 9-week program for small businesses in the A/E/C industry who are interested in learning how to work at DEN. Please share this with your small business network. Deadline to apply is July 16th.
Habits of the Anthropocene
The ACADIA Board of Directors and the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver are excited to announce the 2023 conference Habits of the Anthropocene: Scarcity and Abundance in a Post-Material Economy which will be held in person in Denver, CO from October 26-28th, 2023.
NEWS AT NATIONAL
Women’s Leadership Summit
Registration is open for Women’s Leadership Summit 2023! This premier event is designed for ambitious women who want to unlock their full potential, make a lasting impact on their careers, and lead change in architecture and the allied professions.
Join AIA members in Boston September 12–14, 2023, to meet, network with, and learn from an extraordinary lineup of renowned speakers, trailblazing leaders, and industry experts—and earn up to 45 AIA LUs.
Pride by Design is Building a Community for LGBTQIA+ Architects
The new initiative founded by Sarah Nelson-Woynicz, AIA, aims to build connection and community among LGBTQIA+ architects.
Read more
AIAU: Achieving Zero Energy Building Design
Improve your skills in high-efficiency building design with this highly interactive learning program based on the Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings.
Learn more
When Is Modular Construction Best Employed on Projects?
Modular construction can be an attractive delivery model for many projects. Consider these factors when determining whether modular construction is appropriate for your project.
Read more
Construction Risk Brief
Consider subscribing to AIA Contract Documents’ Official Newsletter: Construction Risk Brief. AIA Contract Documents is excited to launch a monthly newsletter so you can stay up-to-date on all things risk management in the construction industry. From articles to webinars to videos, hear from the industry’s leading experts on how to expect and handle risk at every point of your project.
Sign up
ABI May 2023: Architecture Firm Billings Bounce Back
The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for the month was 51.0, the highest it has been since last September.
Read more
Colorado Architecture News | 06.21.23
News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 06.21.23
THE WEEK IN WORDS
“It’s been incredibly inspiring to see the breadth and depth of the work that you all have shared with us. It’s all encompassing, it is broad, and I loved how you embraced the design measures of excellence.”
— Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, Jury Chair, AIA Design Awards, addressing the 2023 Design Award Submissions.
In addition to our 2023 Design Awards Jury meeting in San Francisco to deliberate on this years’ entrants, AIA Colorado members and staff took in the many keynotes, lectures, learning labs, social meetups, and strolled the expo hall floors at A’23. Catch up on some of the events that took place as well as keynotes from the main stage here.
Call For Presentations
Practice + Design Conference Call for Presentations Now Open
The Practice + Design Conference brings together the community of architects in Colorado for inspiring insights from global design leaders, advanced practice management methods, and practical innovations from industry partners. We’re interested in hearing from those in our community who are ready to contribute and lead a session at Keystone.
This year’s theme, ENGAGE, is focused on the big topics and discussions that face our industry, our practices, and our communities. We’re interested in conversations where the stakes are great and the opportunities are real, creating chances for us to propel our profession forward, right here in Colorado.
If you have a presentation in mind, visit the link below and start your submission today. Or, if you know someone who would be a great fit, encourage them to create a submission. The submission window closes Friday, July 7th at 5pm.
Expo hall booth and sponsorships will open soon, with preference given to Premier Partners and Allied Members first. If you’re interesting in viewing the Engage Practice + Design Conference prospectus, you can view it here.
AIA COLORADO NEWS
2023 Legislative Session Recap
Advocacy Engagement Director Nikolaus Remus, AIA, covers the top bills affecting the architecture profession from the 2023 legislative session. This part 1 will go into detail on the bills AIA Colorado took action on. A future part 2 will give a broad overview of other bills that may be of interest to members.
Colorado’s New Statewide Energy Code Means Lower Costs, Better Air Quality
As the standards better accommodate solar panels and electric vehicles, Colorado just finalized its new statewide energy code, but what does that mean for new construction? Learn more in Colorado Newsline from AIA Colorado’s Advocacy Engagement Director, Nikolaus Remus, and Executive Director of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado, Heidi M. Gordon, as they break down the implications of the new energy code.
AIA COLORADO EVENTS
Code Class: 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code (2021 IBC update)
This July 19th, review changes from the last edition to the current edition of the International Building Code as recently adopted by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department and go into effect June 30th. The background behind many of the changes will be discussed to provide participants with an understanding of the intent of the changes and how to apply it to their everyday work. Subjects covered in the class will include the code change process, mixed occupancies, atriums, accessible means of egress, and more. This full-day program includes lunch and will be submitted for approval for 6.0 AIA CES Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) learning unit hours. Early registration rates expire July 12th!
The State of the Art of Architecture
Thursday July 27th at the Aspen Art Museum, join AIA Colorado, CORE, and rowland+broughton for an exploration of the present and future state of sustainable architecture in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. Space is limited, please RSVP in advance.
AIA Colorado Member News
Under a Denver Highway, Artists Find Space for the Surreal
The art collective Meow Wolf worked with local architects to create a trippy “Convergence Station” on a wedge-shaped site beneath a busy interstate. Hear from Dan Craig, architect and principal for Shears Adkins Rockmore, in Bloomberg.
Read more
PARTNER NEWS AND EVENTS
2022 Denver Energy Code Training Series
Want to learn more about what is changing for commercial/multifamily and residential buildings when the 2022 Denver Energy Code goes into effect? Join City of Denver for a comprehensive training series that will teach you about key changes in the new code. Feel free to join for specific topics or the entire series, which includes content for both commercial and residential project teams. ICC and AIA/HSW continuing education credit will be provided.
Telluride Art + Architecture Week
Taking place the week of July 10 – 16, Telluride Art + Architecture Week is an immersive art experience showcasing the architectural, landscape, interior design, and creative talent of Telluride. Join fellow architects Friday, July 14th, for Design Industry Day, presented by Altitude Control Technology, CCY Architects, Dornbracht, Henry Built and Delta Millworks. Continuing Education courses are followed by a social networking event.
Todd Kennedy, AIA, and Jenny Trumble, AIA, from CCY Architects will also be giving a presentation on DNA Alpine at Telluride Art & Architecture week, July 12th.
The Madeline Hotel hosts the event and offers preferred rates to design industry participants. View more information
DEN’s Business Development Training Academy – Concourse 100 program
DEN’s Business Development Training Academy is now accepting applications for its Concourse 100 program. This is an entry level 9-week program for small businesses in the A/E/C industry who are interested in learning how to work at DEN. Please share this with your small business network. Deadline to apply is July 16th.
Temple Hoyne Buell Endowed Ambassadorial Scholarship
The Temple Hoyne Buell Endowed Ambassadorial Scholar Program provides $30,000 scholarship awards for undergraduate or graduate studies outside the USA. Scholars must commence studies between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 and expend the scholarship funds within 12 months of starting studies. Study must be in the field of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning or related subjects.
Habits of the Anthropocene
The ACADIA Board of Directors and the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver are excited to announce the 2023 conference Habits of the Anthropocene: Scarcity and Abundance in a Post-Material Economy which will be held in person in Denver, CO from October 26-28th, 2023.
NEWS AT NATIONAL
AIA Elects Evelyn Lee as its 2025 President
Evelyn Lee, FAIA, has been elected the 2025 president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Lee will first serve as the 2024 AIA First Vice President/2025 President-elect, before beginning her one year term as president in 2025.
Read more
In addition to Evelyn Lee, 2 new leaders have been elected to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Board of Directors.
Webinar: Artificial Intelligence – Rhetoric and Reality
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword that companies across all industries are using in a variety of ways to imply innovation. It has become, by all generally accepted definitions, a market bubble. Contract document management is no exception. Sign up in advance for the free webinar taking place July 12th, 12 – 1 pm MT | 1 LU.
Register here
AIA23: Global Insights on Tech for Architects
BIM 2.0, AI (artificial intelligence), and talk of the Apple Vision Pro were highlighted points in multiple discussions with technology vendors at A’23.
Read more at Architosh
CCY named a finalist in Architizer A+ Awards
DNA Apline home was named in the Best Residential Firm category for this year’s Architizer A+ Awards and also received an Honor Award from Residential Design Magazine.
Read more
Tryba’s GoSpotCheck Headquarters in Architect Magazine
See more at Architect Magazine
How A.I. Is Helping Architects Change Workplace Design
With more hybrid workers and new office needs, firms like Zaha Hadid Architects are turning to artificial intelligence for solutions.
Read more at NY Times
The 8 Best New Design, Architecture, and Urbanism Books Out This Summer
Looking for some Summer reading? Check out these suggestions from Curbed.
Read more at Curbed
2023 Legislative Session Recap – Part 1
With the 2023 Colorado legislative session behind us, let’s take a look at the bills that will most impact the architecture profession.
Thank you to our Government Affairs Committee members and especially the legislative subcommittee members who collectively reviewed all 610 bills introduced.
2023 Legislative Subcommittee Roster
- TJ Carvis, AIA (GAC Chair)
- John Glenn, AIA (Board Liaison)
- Scott Shea, AIA
- Caleb Tobin, AIA
- David Needleman, AIA
- Brittany Goldsmith, Assoc. AIA
- Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, AIA
- Tana Lane, AIA
- Paul Hutton, FAIA
And, as always, a special thanks to our lobbyist, Jerry Johnson, Hon. AIA CO. Jerry continues to work tirelessly on our behalf at the state capitol to help us succeed when we need to act.
The 2023 Legislative Session by the Numbers
This year, there were 610 bills introduced:
- 311 bills introduced in the House
- 43 bills flagged as having potential interest to our members
- 3 bills that AIA Colorado took formal action on.
- 299 bills introduced in the Senate
- 36 bills flagged as having potential interest to our members
- 2 bills that AIA Colorado took formal action on.
In this article, we’re going to focus on the five bills where AIA Colorado took action:
- PASSED: HB23-1005 New Energy Improvement Program Changes
- AIA Colorado position: Support
- PASSED: HB23-1233 Electric Vehicle Charging and Parking Requirements
- AIA Colorado position: Support as amended
- FAILED: HB23-1302 Housing Accessibility
- AIA Colorado position: Oppose
- PASSED: SB23-016 Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Measures
- AIA Colorado position: Support
- PASSED: SB23-166 Establishment of a Wildfire Resiliency Code Board
- AIA Colorado position: Support as amended
House Bills
HB23-1005 New Energy Improvement Program Changes
AIA Colorado position: Support
Bill Status: PASSED
Colorado’s existing Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (C-PACE) allows building owners to finance energy improvement projects through local property tax special assessment payments, instead of, or in addition to, a traditional bank loan. Local governments must opt into this program, but when available, effective rates are often more favorable than other loan types.
As a result of this new update, qualifying project types have been expanded into resiliency and water efficiency improvements. The program also no longer requires certain public notifications and meetings that were found to be a strictly bureaucratic step that didn’t have a meaningful effect on the application process.
Members affected: architecture firms with clients who want to go above and beyond minimum energy/water efficiency and resiliency requirements, but may not have the up-front funding for such improvements.
HB23-1233 Electric Vehicle Charging and Parking Requirements
AIA Colorado position: Support as amended
Bill Status: PASSED
Governor Polis vetoed last year’s attempt to require more commercial and multi-family residential buildings statewide to install or pre-wire for electric vehicle chargers. HB23-1233 scaled back the scope to focus on just 10,000SF and larger multi-family residential buildings already covered by the statewide energy code bill passed last year. New electric vehicle infrastructure/charger requirements will now go into effect statewide on covered projects submitting for building permits after March 1, 2024. More compliance details will be forthcoming when the state adopts the newest National Electric Code later this year.
Members affected: architecture firms that do multi-family residential projects above 10,000SF. Be sure to understand the applicable new Model Colorado Electric and Solar Ready Code requirements just finalized by the Colorado Energy Office. The electric vehicle charging provisions will go into effect even if a local building department hasn’t adopted the full package.
HB23-1302 Housing Accessibility
AIA Colorado position: Oppose
Bill Status: FAILED – voluntarily pulled by legislator who introduced the bill.
Existing Colorado law has a unique formula to determine how many Type A/B accessible units must be included in multi-family residential buildings. This bill would have changed the formula to increase these unit type counts and apply them to more residential building types, including a percentage of single family homes in a multi-home development. It also introduced certain clarifications to grey areas the current version of ICC/ANSI A117.1 for items such as smoke alarm and mailbox operable parts. If this were the extent of the scope, it’s unlikely AIA Colorado would have taken a position on the bill.
In addition, this bill also would have created a new category of discrimination lawsuit for buildings not constructed to required accessibility standards. Such a lawsuit could be filed against any “construction professional” who “participated” in the project, which in Colorado includes architects and professional engineers. This language was written with no requirement to determine fault before targeting every possible construction professional. This would have been a huge liability risk for architects even when our designs and construction documents were in compliance. We also could have been sued twice for accessibility-related construction defects. Once for the defect itself and again for discrimination. AIA Colorado testified in opposition to this bill in its first committee hearing, where its sponsor realized that it would be impossible to find a solution to the bill’s liability language so late in this year’s session.
SB23-016 Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Measures
AIA Colorado position: Support
Bill Status: PASSED
This far-reaching bill, introduced by AIA Colorado legislative champion, Senator Chris Hansen, covered 14 (eventually 25) different efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado. Many of these were focused on utility infrastructure and oil/gas extraction, which are issues we don’t take positions on as they’re a step (or more) removed from the architecture profession. The important part of this bill is that it updated Colorado’s emission reduction goals to a full 100% reduction from 2005 level by 2050 instead of the existing 90% goal. It also added more interim steps along the way to better guide ongoing efforts. While these goals aren’t enforceable law on their own, they inform legislation and state policies and align with AIA’s own carbon emission reduction goals for the profession.
Members affected: in addition to air quality and climate improvements for everyone living in Colorado, we expect to see future statewide energy code updates in particular affected by this bill.
SB23-166 Establishment of a Wildfire Resiliency Code Board
AIA Colorado position: Support as amended
Bill Status: PASSED
In the aftermath of numerous recent wildfires throughout Colorado, legislators have recognized the value in better identifying at-risk areas and setting resiliency standards for buildings in these areas. This bill creates a state wildfire resiliency code board that will formalize a wildland-urban interface map and what code (such as the ICC IWUIC) the buildings in those areas will be designed to. While these codes will be used directly by architects, we didn’t have a seat on this board alongside local government representatives fire safety professionals.
AIA Colorado is proud to say we successfully lobbied to change one of the “building code professionals” on the board to specifically be a Colorado-licensed architect. We’ll have updates on this effort when the state puts out the request for nominations to this board.
If you have questions about any of the details in this report, please contact me at nikolaus@aiacolorado.org or call 303-228-3914.
AIA Colorado at A’23
This year’s AIA National Conference, A’23, took place from June 7th-10th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The architecture and design event of the year is truly epic in scale with thousands of attendees, including members from AIA Colorado. Below are a series of snapshots and quick thoughts from a few of the events that AIA Colorado members and staff participated in.
Save the date and join us for A’24, in Washington, D.C., June 5–8, 2024!
AEC Cares Build Day
The AEC Cares service project has made a positive impact in national conference host cities since 2011. Bringing together AIA participants, a pro-bono design team, and donations from industry partners, a local non-profit receives a comprehensive makeover. This year, youth services non-profit The Lark Inn transformed their shelter in the Tenderloin District. AIA Colorado staff members Nikolaus Remus and Mike Waldinger were among the 140 volunteers on hand. AEC Cares was co-founded by Mike who continues to serve as a board member.
A’23 Day 1 Keynote
Barbara Bouza, FAIA: Making the impossible possible
A’23’s Day One keynote speaker shares a window into the world of Disney Imagineering.
Women at the Helm
I was honored to represent the members of AIA Colorado at A’23 two weeks ago in San Francisco. It was the largest gathering of architects since 2019 and the energy was infectious! I spent Wednesday in the annual business meeting, voting on overall organization policy changes and listening to the national board candidates speak about how they will lead the future of AIA and its members. The voting on Thursday resulted in the election of two powerful and insightful leaders. Evelyn Lee, FAIA, won President-elect and Latoya Kamdang, AIA, as At Large Director. Evelyn is well known to AIA Colorado having spoken previously to our Business of Architecture and CKLDP groups. The days were filled with keynote speakers, presentations, panels, and a wealth of information on the expo floor. It was great to see members of AIA Colorado at the happy hour on Thursday, thank you for coming!
My overall take aways from this importation national gathering of colleagues, is the immense opportunity and obligation we have to lead our communities, clients, and each other into the future that is balanced with nature and all humans. The nature of our work as architects at any level or role is leadership. We must continue to knowledge share with each other and coalesce to rise to today’s challenges.
Sitting on a “Women At The Helm” panel with colleagues, Kerry Nolan, AIA, Elizabeth Leber, AIA, Angela O’Byrne, FAIA, reinforced the power of togetherness and the importance of continuing to take steps forward daily.
— Sarah Broughton, FAIA, President AIA Colorado
College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony
Three outstanding architects from Colorado have been newly elevated to the College of Fellows, one of the highest honors bestowed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and were celebrated at the College of Fellows Investiture Ceremony.
Ron Abo, FAIA, Principal at The Abo Group, Victor Olgyay, FAIA, Principal at Rocky Mountain Institute, and Brad Tomecek, FAIA, Principal at Tomecek Studio Architecture, were recognized for their contributions to the architecture profession, and their dedication to advancing the built environment. Only 3 percent of AIA’s 95,000 members hold this distinction and only 76 new fellows were inducted this year, a historically small number. Even in a historically small group of inductees, Colorado had the largest class of new Fellows in five years!
AIA Colorado at A23
Thursday evening, A’23 attendees from all across Colorado met and enjoying charcuterie and conversation. It was great to see familiar faces, including our friends at CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning, while at A’23 and a huge thanks to HDR San Francisco for hosting us!
A’23 Day 2 Keynote
GSA announces investment in Green Proving Ground; industry experts tout sustainability and client benefits of design-build integration
Integration is the future. How can architects do it effectively?
Administrator Robin Carnahan specifically mentioned the Denver Federal Center as a case study for the work they want see more frequently.
2023 Design Award Jury
“It’s been incredibly inspiring to see the breadth and depth of the work that you all have shared with us. It’s all encompassing, it is broad, and I loved how you embraced the design measures of excellence.”
— Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, Jury Chair, AIA Design Awards, addressing the 2023 Design Award Submissions.
After months of anticipation and 118 projects submitted, our 2023 Design Awards Jury was finally able to meet in San Francisco and deliberate on this years’ entrants. The jury was immensely impressed with the quality of the work taking place in Colorado and thoughtfully engaged with their decisions for the whole day. While you’ll have to wait until September 19th’s Awards Celebration at Mile High Station to find out which projects won (tickets on sale soon!), we can confidently say that a lot of care and thought went into this phase of the process by a jury dedicated to the task. Thank you CRI & Canoa for hosting our jury deliberations!
A’23 Keynote Day 3
The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern
Former New Zealand Prime Minister the Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern headlined the final day of AIA’s 2023 Conference on Architecture. In a conversation with AIA’s President Emily Grandstaff-Rice, Ardern discussed the climate crisis, how to ensure diversity as a leader, notable building projects completed during her tenure, and much more.