Masters of Simplicity

LORIS achieves creativity through holistic design and diversity

Peter Loris and his firm have become known for a holistic approach that melds human use with simple, practical designs.

By Chryss Cada

Anyone who thinks “creative” is a word that doesn’t go in front of “engineer” isn’t familiar with the work of Peter Loris.

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Loris, the principal engineer and owner of the Boulder-based LORIS and Associates Inc., considers creativity a crucial tool in every project his company takes on. LORIS is a Lafayette-based structural and civil engineering firm that primarily designs bridges, highways and educational and institutional buildings.

“I’m attracted to the challenging projects that require creative solutions,” he says. “We joke that it would be nice to do the same thing twice—but we’re not wired for that.”

Loris’ approach is reflected in his favorite quote from E. Christopher Zeeman, a Japanese-born British mathematician known for his work in geometric topology: “Technical skill is the mastery of complexity. Creativity is the mastery of simplicity.”

Loris adds that the quote “resonates with me because it is easy to make things more complicated, even though we think we are striving towards simplicity. Our challenge is to be creative and inventive in order to maintain simplicity because the simplest solutions are usually the best.”

Technical Creativity

Since its founding in 1988, LORIS has provided the technical knowledge for some of the state’s most high-profile projects. The Washington Plaza Bridge in Golden, Aspen City Hall, the Ford Park Bridge in Vail and a section of the Boulder Canyon Trail have been among the roughly 100 projects the firm completes each year.

The company of 15 is currently working on the trail design for Glenwood Springs’ Roaring Fork Rivertrail—Atkinson Canal Segment, a project that might require the most creativity yet.

“There are challenges related to topography, proximity to the river’s riparian environment, an abandoned irrigation system and the general fragility of the area,” says Andrew McGregor, Glenwood Springs’ director of community development. “On top of all that, the trail corridor crosses 40 pieces of private property. This is definitely the most complex set of issues we’ve had on any section of our trail system.”

The complexity of the project is one of the factors that led to the selection of LORIS for the project, McGregor said. “We were impressed by the creativity of LORIS’ approach,” McGregor adds. “Given the importance of public outreach in this project, their strong communication style was also important.”

As a good communicator Loris breaks down another stereotype associated with his profession.

“Pete and his colleagues have the ability to communicate technical concepts to the layperson,” McGregor says. “As a client, I feel I have been nurtured during the process by being educated each step of the way.”

With delineated wetlands, invasive plant species that need to be replaced with native plants, wildlife migration trails and prime fish habitat, the Roaring Fork Rivertrail has to be designed with more than just people in mind.

“Sensitivity to the environment is critical with this project,” McGregor says. “LORIS is known for its ability to construct the requisite facility without doing any unreasonable damage to the environment.”

Environmental Sensitivity

Along with creativity, minimizing impact on the environment is a core value for LORIS.

“We always strive to be sensitive to the things in a project’s environment,” Loris says. “Not because we have to be, but because we want to be.”

The firm is currently consulting on a master plan for another trail through an environmentally sensitive area. The Two Rivers Greenway Master Plan will transform the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan Rivers into a gateway to Basalt.

In addition to accommodation for human users, such as a network of trails and a roadway and bicycle lanes, the project will make concessions for big-game migration routes and the many feathered and finned inhabitants of the wetlands and river.

“We want to foster the human interaction with nature,” Loris adds. “We look at things like how to calm traffic so there aren’t cars zooming through an area like this at 50 mph.”

Being sensitive to a project’s environment is an integral part of the firm’s holistic approach.

“All the puzzle pieces have to fit together,” Loris says. “Each piece is a constraint or an opportunity depending on how you look at it. We tweak the corners to make the pieces fit rather than pounding them together with a hammer.”

Fitting In

Another piece of that puzzle is making the new addition to an environment look as if it belongs.

For the Crane Hollow Bridge in Boulder County, Loris worked with landscape architectural firm Design Concepts of Lafayette to integrate natural cobble from the riverbed below into the bridge.

“Pete was on the cutting edge of the consciousness about the aesthetic aspects of a bridge,” says Rob Layton, principal with Design Concepts. “Ten years ago the idea of doing more than just a standard bridge was a new concept. Now nobody is doing just a standard bridge.”

A larger-scale example of a bridge created to reflect its environment is the Washington Plaza Bridge in Golden. The vehicular and pedestrian bridge at the entrance to downtown Golden was designed to respect the city’s mining roots and frame the landmark statue of Buffalo Bill.

The “Miner’s Tower” theme incorporates latticed towers from which stay cables support semicircular-shaped pedestrian plazas. The pedestrian plazas, which vary in width from 10 to 22 ft, straddle the 44-ft vehicular bridge.

Loris says his firm measures success “based on the human experience—that little ‘wow moment’ when someone is on one of our bridges, trails or underpasses and says, ‘This is nice.’”

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