Denver Affordable Housing Challenge Webinar Series
WEBINAR SERIES
Architects Worldwide Invited to Reimagine Affordable Housing in Denver’s Design Challenge
International architecture ideas competition explores how affordability and design excellence can be harmonized to create innovative, high-quality housing solutions tailored to Denver’s specific context.
The competition began April 9th with early bird registration and closes September 18th. Winners will be announced December 10that a media event open to the public, in Denver, the first week of December.
Competition link: architecturecompetitions.com/denverhousing
Buildner, in partnership with AIA Colorado, is hosting a two-part webinar series to support participants of the Denver Affordable Housing Challenge. These sessions feature local experts sharing real-world insights on housing, permitting, and design — helping you better understand the context and challenges shaping development in Denver.
Susan Powers
Designing for Affordability in Denver
Susan Powers, founder and president of Urban Ventures LLC, shares her experience working at the intersection of design, affordability, and community development. She discusses key strategies for delivering housing that meets real needs, while addressing the economic and social challenges unique to Denver.
Jill Jennings Golich
Designing Denver: Framing Our Public Realm
Jill Jennings Golich, Director of Denver’s Permitting Office, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the city is working to make affordable housing easier to build. She talks through initiatives like the Affordable Housing Review Team and Proposition 123 — focused on streamlining approvals while encouraging inclusive, well-designed spaces.
The City of Denver, The Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Buildner, a leading global design competition platform, have launched an international call for ideas to address Denver’s housing needs with a focus on the role of design excellence. The competition anticipates over one hundred entries to be submitted by a local and global audience of architects engaged in addressing affordable housing, providing Denver with a platform of ideas to consider as the region addresses future affordable housing needs.
Through a jury of respected architects, City of Denver representatives and Councilmembers, and affordable housing developers, submissions will be reviewed and selected based on creatively addressing design excellence, sustainability, demonstrating how affordability and design can coexist.
Building Community
Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD) is responsible for visionary city planning and ensuring safe, responsible, sustainable building. CPD regulates planning, zoning, development and maintenance of private property in Denver. We’re working hard to make Denver a great place to live, work and play!
DenverGov.org/CPD
About AIA Colorado
AIA Colorado is a membership association working to advance the architecture profession in Colorado. Through advocacy, leadership development, education, and resources, the organization supports architecture professionals throughout the state in designing a better world. Our 2,500 members include architects, those working toward licensure, and allied industry professionals.
aiacolorado.org
Interviewees available upon request
AIA Colorado Media Contact:
Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA
CEO, AIA Colorado
303.228.3915
mike@aiacolorado.org
City and County of Denver Media Contact:
Ryan Huff
Communications Director
Community Planning and Development
City and County of Denver
720.913.1608
ryan.huff@denvergov.org
Virtual Connect: City of Denver’s New Permitting Process
Virtual Connect
City of Denver’s New Permitting Process
This past April 2025, the City of Denver announced the creation of the Denver Permitting Office, aimed at overhauling the City’s permitting and development approval processes to make building easier, fast, and more predictable. Utilizing 280 employees across seven different departments, this office intends to complete all permits within 180 days of city review. As architects, we’re encouraged by the creation of this new office and hope this marks a turning point in the permitting process with faster review times and a more streamlined experience.
Jill Jennings Golich was appointed to the role of Director of the newly created Denver Permitting Office as of April 14, 2025. Previously she served as deputy director for Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department overseeing the areas of policy, regulation and development. From June 2019 – April 2021 she served as Director for Community and Economic Development for Adams County. Prior to that she was at Community Planning and Development with the City of Denver, the Auraria Higher Education Center leading their planning efforts, and began her work as a consultant in the private sector.
Robert Peek is the Director of Development System Performance with the newly established Denver Permitting Office. He previously held the same role within Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department, where his work was sponsored by the Mayor’s Office. Before that, Robert served as a Process Improvement Specialist with the City’s Peak Academy, focusing on streamlining city operations. Earlier in his career, he worked in advocacy and clean energy. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Meet Jill and Robert and hear from them about the changes that have taken place and how we as architects can support the new streamlined arrangements.
Conversation facilitated by AIA Colorado’s CEO Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA.
Presentation on Denver’s Affordable Housing Fast Track Process
Join city development review staff to learn how Denver is proposing to meet Proposition 123 Fast Track requirements and how this will affect future housing projects.
August 20th, 10:30 – 11:10am
Formal Site Development Plans and Plan Amendments
SDP Submittal Requirements
The Denver Site Development Plan Manual is a customer guide to assembling a site development plan for city review. The manual helps customers provide a comprehensive, standardized, flexible, and clear presentation of the development proposal. Review submittal requirements on this page or click the button link below to download the full manual.
July 23 Event Slides
View the slides from July 23rd’s Virtual Connect event here.
Denver Affordable Housing Challenge Announces Jury
JURY ANNOUNCEMENT
Architects Worldwide Invited to Reimagine Affordable Housing in Denver’s Design Challenge
International architecture ideas competition explores how affordability and design excellence can be harmonized to create innovative, high-quality housing solutions tailored to Denver’s specific context.
June 16, 2025 (DENVER) — The City of Denver, The Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Buildner, a leading global design competition platform, have launched an international call for ideas to address Denver’s housing needs with a focus on the role of design excellence. The competition anticipates over one hundred entries to be submitted by a local and global audience of architects engaged in addressing affordable housing, providing Denver with a platform of ideas to consider as the region addresses future affordable housing needs.
Through a jury of respected architects, City of Denver representatives and Councilmembers, and affordable housing developers, submissions will be reviewed and selected based on creatively addressing design excellence, sustainability, demonstrating how affordability and design can coexist.
MEET THE JURY
Lucy Begg, AIA
Thoughtbarn
Austin, TX
Troy Fosler, AIA
Koning Eizenberg Architecture
Santa Monica, CA
Dean Maltz, AIA
Shigeru Ban Architects
New York City
Katie Swenson, Assoc. AIA
MASS Design Group
Boston
Julien De Smedt
JDS Architects
Denmark
Rozana Montiel
Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura
Mexico
Andrew Maynard
Austin Maynard Architects
Australia
Kendra Garrett
City and County of Denver
Caeli Hill
City and County of Denver
Gosia Kung
Denver Housing Authority
Susan Powers
Urban Ventures, LLC
Denver
The competition began April 9th with early bird registration and closes September 11th. Winners will be announced December 10that a media event open to the public, in Denver, the first week of December.
Competition link: architecturecompetitions.com/denverhousing
Building Community
Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD) is responsible for visionary city planning and ensuring safe, responsible, sustainable building. CPD regulates planning, zoning, development and maintenance of private property in Denver. We’re working hard to make Denver a great place to live, work and play!
DenverGov.org/CPD
About AIA Colorado
AIA Colorado is a membership association working to advance the architecture profession in Colorado. Through advocacy, leadership development, education, and resources, the organization supports architecture professionals throughout the state in designing a better world. Our 2,500 members include architects, those working toward licensure, and allied industry professionals.
aiacolorado.org
Interviewees available upon request
AIA Colorado Media Contact:
Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA
CEO, AIA Colorado
303.228.3915
mike@aiacolorado.org
City and County of Denver Media Contact:
Ryan Huff
Communications Director
Community Planning and Development
City and County of Denver
720.913.1608
ryan.huff@denvergov.org
Architects Worldwide Invited to Reimagine Affordable Housing in Denver’s Design Challenge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Architects Worldwide Invited to Reimagine Affordable Housing in Denver’s Design Challenge
International architecture ideas competition explores how affordability and design excellence can be harmonized to create innovative, high-quality housing solutions tailored to Denver’s specific context.
April 10, 2025 (DENVER) — The City of Denver, The Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Buildner, a leading global design competition platform, are launching an international call for ideas to address Denver’s housing needs with a focus on the role of design excellence. The competition anticipates over one hundred entries to be submitted by a local and global audience of architects engaged in addressing affordable housing, providing Denver with a platform of ideas to consider as the region addresses future affordable housing needs.
“This competition aligns with Denver’s focus on building an affordable and climate resilient community, and we look forward to building on the momentum of quality design and sustainability that is surfacing across Denver’s affordable housing landscape. Affordable housing and climate resiliency intersect with design excellence, and we’re excited to bring the best and brightest ideas forward.”
– Jamie Rife, Executive Director, Denver’s Department of Housing Stability
Through a jury of respected architects, City of Denver representatives and Councilmembers, and affordable housing developers, submissions will be reviewed and selected based on creatively addressing design excellence, sustainability, demonstrating how affordability and design can coexist.
“Colorado has always been a place known for design leadership and architectural innovation. There is no bigger issue to apply our skills to than affordable housing and no larger stage than an international design competition. We’re looking forward to contributions from the 101,000 members of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) as we all seek to build the affordable, resilient future this great city needs.”
– Mike Waldinger, CEO, AIA Colorado
Buildner is a worldwide platform targeting established architects and engineers as well as students. As seen by the recent Denver Single-Stair Challenge hosted by Buildner, 200 applications were received from around the world with the winning entry coming from Lebanon.
Winning entries will be rewarded from a pool of $20,000 comprised of contributions from The City of Denver, AIA Colorado, and Buildner and include prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd as well as Student Award and Sustainability Award, plus 6 honorable mentions.
The competition begins April 9th with early bird registration and closes September 11th. Winners will be announced December 10that a media event open to the public, in Denver, the first week of December.
Building Community
Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD) is responsible for visionary city planning and ensuring safe, responsible, sustainable building. CPD regulates planning, zoning, development and maintenance of private property in Denver. We’re working hard to make Denver a great place to live, work and play!
DenverGov.org/CPD
About AIA Colorado
AIA Colorado is a membership association working to advance the architecture profession in Colorado. Through advocacy, leadership development, education, and resources, the organization supports architecture professionals throughout the state in designing a better world. Our 2,500 members include architects, those working toward licensure, and allied industry professionals.
aiacolorado.org
Competition link: architecturecompetitions.com/denverhousing
Interviewees available upon request
AIA Colorado Media Contact:
Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA
CEO, AIA Colorado
303.228.3915
mike@aiacolorado.org
City and County of Denver Media Contact:
Ryan Huff
Communications Director
Community Planning and Development
City and County of Denver
720.913.1608
ryan.huff@denvergov.org
Seats Available on 2 Denver Commissions
Denver Landmark Preservation Commission opening
Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission is seeking a new commissioner to fill an upcoming vacancy this spring. Commissioners shall attend twice-monthly meetings and periodic special meetings to hear and decide requests for:
- Alterations, additions, signage, site work, zone lot amendments, and new construction within local historic districts and individual landmark sites
- Demolition within historic districts and individual landmark sites
- Historic preservation tax credit certification
- Individual landmark or historic district
If you’re interested in this position, please review the full list of duties and qualifications, then submit a resume or professional biography to Nikolaus Remus. Nominations will be accepted by AIA Colorado through noon on Friday, February 9, 2024. AIA Colorado will send a list of interested members in good standing to Landmark Preservation staff but does not internally evaluate nominations.
Learn more
Denver Lower Downtown Design Review Commission
Denver’s Lower Downtown Design Review Commission is seeking new commissioners to fill the following vacancies this spring:
- Resident of the Lower Downtown Historic District
- General contractor or builder
If you’re interested in this position, please review the full list of duties and qualifications, then submit a resume or professional biography to Nikolaus Remus. Nominations will be accepted by AIA Colorado through noon on Friday, February 9, 2024. AIA Colorado will send a list of interested members in good standing to the commission but staff does not internally evaluate nominations.
Learn more
Design Elevated: Sustainable Urbanism From Colorado
This past April 27, 2023, AIA Colorado was honored to showcase several of Colorado’s leading designers at Design Elevated: Sustainable Urbanism From Colorado. The event was organized in conjunction with the Cities Summit of the Americas, a convergence of Mayors and Civic Leaders from across the Western Hemisphere, hosted by the US State Department. With day two of the Summit drawing to a close, attendees were cordially invited to the History Colorado Center and immerse themselves in an evening of inspiration, as they delved into the minds of the brilliant architects, city planners, and cultural thinkers behind some of the most innovative state projects and programs in our region.
After an introduction from AIA National President Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, explaining the critical roles of architects as partners for progress, each speaker presented their work in 20 slides set to an automatic timer of 20 seconds per slide. Delivered in this “PechaKucha” style, the format provided a fun and quick environment.
As AIA Colorado CEO Mike Waldinger stated in his opening remarks, there is “no act more optimistic than to build.” These presentations highlight just a few of the inspiring and transformational projects underway or recently completed in the Denver Metro Area.
Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, AIA, with RTD, kicked off the evening with his presentation, “Transit and Mobility.” Correa-Ortiz traced the history of public transit in the Denver area, beginning with the sustainability of the First Peoples. The shift to private cars in the post-war era eroded the social fabric and air quality of cities across America, including Denver. Today, RTD and other local urban planners are working on solutions to reinvent a more sustainable and equitable transit network. Denver’s recent investment in Union Station is a model for the future, because “we can only build the future that we can imagine.”
Kathleen Fogler, AIA, and John McIntyre, AIA, from Tryba Architects, presented “Rethinking Urban Renewal.” Urban Renewal has historically represented a process that severs the built environment from its cultural and ecological history. Now, urban projects must be thought of as “akin to gardening – strengthening existing conditions, grafting in new elements, acknowledging the importance of pruning – demolition and removal, but at a scale appropriate to context.” Due to changing technologies, front range cities such as Denver have many opportunities to refresh underutilized industrial spaces with desirable proximity to the urban core. Adapting these buildings rather than tearing them down allows for opportunities of scale not typically seen in ground-up construction. The result is projects that contribute to a more authentic mixed-used urban fabric. In addition to acknowledging built history, “Rethinking Urban Renewal,” also means recognizing natural history, and our role as part of the natural world rather than separated from it.
Chris Shears, FAIA, of SAR+, presented “River Evolution,” which traced Denver’s relationship the Platte River. During Denver’s early history as an industrial frontier town, the Platte was hemmed in by railyards and factories, remaining ignored and polluted for years. In 1975, community leaders turned their attention to restoring the river and its ecology to create a public amenity. This led to the development of the Confluence and Cuernavaca Park, which have become beloved public amenities in the heart of the city. Today, planning efforts are underway to redevelop “The River Mile,” 200 acres of underutilized post-industrial land along the river. Redevelopments include a new typology of public housing from Denver Housing Authority (DHA) called Sun Valley, and rethinking pedestrian connections between Ball Arena and Coors Field.
Cathy Bellem, AIA, of Anderson Mason Dale Architects, presented “Serving the Whole Person,” telling the story of two projects designed in collaboration with Dr. Lydia Prado, currently the executive director of Lifespan Local and formerly Vice President of Child & Family Services at the Mental Health Center of Denver. While in this role, Dr. Prado spearheaded the effort to develop the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being in the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood. Following Dr. Prado’s philosophy that “communities themselves best understand how to improve their own well-being,” Anderson Mason Dale assisted in leading community workshops to gain insight into community needs. Today, the campus is inclusive across all ages, and serves as a community hub alleviating food and health insecurity as well as a mental health resource. The design team has recently broken ground on a similar project in the Westwood neighborhood, where their goal was not build the same building but follow the same process of listening and learning from the community.
Chad Holtzinger, AIA, from Shopworks Architecture, presented “Housing that Heals,” with a focus on projects that emphasize the health and safety of children. He began by presenting research on how childhood trauma manifests into poverty and systematic homelessness. Architects are good at dealing with physiological needs (creating a comfortable built environment) and safety needs (creating a safe physical environment), but how can our profession take it farther by promoting self-actualization, esteem, love, and belonging? With this framework in mind, Shopworks designed calming and safe environments that eliminated typical areas of stress for traumatized individuals, such as secluded corridors or dingy laundry rooms. They used natural materials such as cedar shakes to create intriguing textures and aromatics. Their design process focused on working with experts and local activists to promote a connection to ethnicity and sense of place as a “way to systematically change the way the built environment yields health in our community.”
Alex Garrison, AIA, from Gensler, presented “Adaptive Reuse,” emphasizing that “the most sustainable building is the one you don’t have to build.” Like other presenters, he touched on the idea of breaking the cycle of urban renewal and connecting the past to the future. As his first case study, he presented recent research efforts by Gensler into the many potentials of transforming old office buildings into mixed-use residential. As vacancy rates continue to rise in the Central Business District, Gensler has been contracted by Denver to study potential sites using the algorithm they have developed. They have coined the phrase “Bad Office Makes Good Residential,” realizing that many features of outdated office buildings (smaller floor plates, smaller windows, etc) is exactly what makes them attractive for apartment conversions. Gensler also used their adaptive reuse philosophies on a strategic intervention for Denver Beer Co, transforming an old gas station into a community hub and taproom.
The final presentation of the night was from Terra Mazzeo, AIA, of Stantec, called “High Performing Civic Resources”. Her first case study covered the redevelopment of the Denver Water Operation Complex. The campus’s administration building is one of the highest performing built works in the region, showcasing Net-Zero Energy, LEED platinum certification, and, most significantly, Net-Zero Water. The campus was conceptualized to showcase the conservation of water as a critical natural resource. It achieved Net-Zero Water through natural water detention, extensive rainwater harvesting, expansive areas of natural ecology, and a water recycling system that is on display in the main lobby. Denver Water’s commitment to use their campus as a model for water conservation mirrored their efforts to increase sustainability across the regional water system. They “used architecture to help change policy, and in so doing has illuminated a path towards regional water security.” Mazzeo also presented on the MacGregor Square project, a redevelopment of an entire city block funded by the Rockies Baseball team. Public open spaces, “designed not only for game day, but every day,” form the heart of the project.
AIA Colorado would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all presenters and Summit Attendees who joined us for a evening celebrating our professions collaborative role shaping the future of our cities. Architects and Planners in Colorado and around the world are engaged citizens who look forward to working with city officials on transformational projects that will increase sustainability and equity across all our urban cores.
The Case for Union Station Event Recap
On July 14th, the AIA Colorado Regional and Urban Design Knowledge Community hosted a panel event in reaction to the recent negative public discourse surrounding one of Denver’s most trafficked and iconic public spaces, Union Station. The event, called “The Effect of Public Policy Surrounding Design in Contested Public Space: The Case of Denver’s Union Station,” was engaging, insightful, and provided a valuable opportunity for design professionals to hear directly from stakeholders in Downtown Denver’s planning and transit communities.
Union Station is a sprawling entity, comprising the historic Great Hall, home to the Terminal Bar and Crawford Hotel, a train shed which serves as a hub for RTD light rail services, and an underground bus terminal, servicing both local and regional bus lines. The underground terminal in particular has been the subject of criticism in recent months, citing issues of safety and public drug use. RTD had to close the public restrooms in this section due to fears of Fentanyl contamination and has considered proposals to close the bus terminal to the public, only allowing ticket holders access.
The purpose of the panel discussion was to bring together public design and transit experts to help examine this issue through the lens of design. Can we as architects and designers propose a better solution for a more equitable transit-oriented public space?
Our panelists were four prominent Denver professionals with a passion for public transit. Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, chair of the R+UDKC and a senior architect and urban designer for RTD, opened the discussion with an overview of the history of Union Station and a summary of current design solutions proposed for the bus terminal. Debra A. Johnson, CEO of RTD-Denver, which owns Union Station, provided valuable insight into the day-to-day operations of public transit in Denver and RTD’s relationship with the communities it serves. Ken Schroeppel, Director of Urban Design at CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning, provided important context on the history of Urban Planning in Denver and the development of the modern Union Station. Andrew Iltis, Director of the Planning and Community Impact department at the Downtown Denver Partnership, expanded on the relationship between Denver tourism, the Business Improvement District, and Union Station.
The conversation began with a reflection on how the relationship between society and public space has been affected by the pandemic. Many news articles have cited the pandemic as the genesis of concerns over increasing levels of public drug use in the underground bus terminal, leading to fears that that the terminal is not safe for the average commuter. It is true that the during the pandemic, with stay-at-home orders in place, a void was created in our public spaces that was often filled by persons on the fringes of society. As Ignacio pointed out during the discussion, the spaces haven’t changed – the users of the space have. How do we diversify the users of public space while still providing an opportunity for prosperity to everyone?
Andrew was able to provide valuable data on how transit ridership dropped sharply in the wake of the pandemic and that the daily commuter traffic numbers have been picking up but not quite to pre-pandemic levels. However, tourism numbers in downtown are certainly back to pre-pandemic levels or higher as more and more people opt to engage in the various entertainments offered downtown. As Debra pointed out, “There is no such thing as a rush hour any longer.” Since so many people continue to work from home, we may not see the same peak hours that we have in the past, but that does not make the role of public transportation less critical. Transit isn’t dead, it just looks different.
As the discussion turned to solutions for the “problem,” panelists emphasized the balancing act RTD must navigate. Although their primary role is a provider of public transportation, Debra acknowledged that transportation is interwoven in the communities they serve, and they have a responsibility to engage the public when planning for the future. In Andrew’s experience, Denver is one of the most collaborative of cities between the public and private sector. One creative solution proposes the formation of a dedicated organization similar to the Times Square Alliance in NYC, which is a non-profit dedicated to maintaining Times Square as an engaging public space.
Of course, the question of who gets to use our public spaces will not be answered in a single panel discussion. It will require immense collaboration across organizations and disciplines. As designers, we must continue to engage in these discussions to provide our unique insight on how public space can be designed for equitable, enjoyable, and safe experiences for all members of society. Thank you again to all the panelists and AIA Colorado members who participated in our discussion!