2004 AIA Denver Design Awards

The Denver Chapter of the American Institute of Architects held its 2004 design awards on October 8 at The Sherman Street Events Complex in Denver. The jury, led by Jim Olson, FAIA, principal of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects in Seattle, judged 80 submittals and awarded eight projects.

Honor Awards

Highland District Housing
Architect: AR7 Hoover Desmond Architects
Owner/Developer: University of Arizona
Engineers: Holben Martin & White, Morad Engineering, SMU Mechanical Engineering
General Contractor: Sundt Construction Inc.
Construction Manager: Sundt Construction Inc.

The University of Arizona complex is composed of three residential houses and an administration building. Each house accommodates 238 to 300 students in double-occupancy rooms. Two apartments are included in each house for staff and visiting faculty.

Jury Comments: "Beautiful resolution of the elevations to the plan." "Fits with the Southwest without being clichéd." "The colorful insertions and tower give it a freshness without being overworked, trendy or hip."

100 Dexter
Architect: Semple Brown Design PC
Owner/Developer: Jim Theye & Dee Chirafisi
Engineers: The McGlamery Structural Group, Picucci Electric, Rogers & Sons
General Contractor: Spectrum General Contractors

The remodel of this Denver residence included bringing the house back to its 1920's Modernist architecture, finding ways to display the owners' extensive art collection, enhancing the flow of space, improving lighting and upgrading the landscaping.

Jury Comments: "Consistency goes from one end to the other." "Wonderful variety of volumes and spaces." "Good background for art…The art is the punch within. The architecture frames the art very appropriately."

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Merit Awards

Arnold Loft
Architect: Semple Brown Design PC
Owner/Developer: Andy Arnold
General Contractor: Cherry Hills Home Improvement

Design of this urban get-away home was intended to provide its owners with a high degree of flexibility for entertaining and daily life. It features custom furniture, a bold color palette and efficient space planning to maximize the living area.

Jury Comments: "Denver has become a great loft city and doing a great loft has become something to aspire to." "The long, deep space was deftly addressed by the insertion of the smooth light elements, no more and no less than was necessary to define the space."

Chicago Green House
Architect: Sean Garrett Architecture LLC
Owner/Developer: Chicago Dept. of Environment & Housing
Engineers: Bob Miller, Robert L. Miller; Lorry M. Tenenbaum
General Contractor: Roman Woutas, Metro Builders Inc.

This house presents the visitor with the contrasting orders of the manmade and natural world. It incorporates green, sustainable and energy-efficient building technologies into an affordable single-family residence.

Jury Comments: "For a house with a modest budget, it is surprisingly sophisticated." "There are many small details and colors that add to the design without costing much." "The stair provides a nice volumetric break in the space, provides daylight and celebrates movement" "It's a very intelligent house. We wish every little house could be as nice."

St Mary Catholic School
Architect: Faleide Architects PC
Owner/Developer: Archdiocese Denver, St. Mary's Catholic Church
Engineers: RNF Consultants, ABS Consultants
General contractor: Sinnett Builders Inc.
Construction Manager: Jerry Sanders

This Catholic elementary school in Greeley is a two-track, K-8 school that is the final structure in a campus arranged on a central axis. The design creates an optimal environment for teaching and learning, using colors in and around the classrooms to help articulate spaces for educational activities.

Jury Comments: "Tightly done and elegantly proportioned." "Strong correlation of plan to elevation…expressing service, circulation, teaching…" "A very sophisticated color palette. Vibrant without being shocking."

Citation Awards

Stapleton's East 29th Avenue Town Center
Architect: 42|40 Architecture Inc.
Owner/Developer: Forest City Stapleton Inc.
Engineers: S.A. Miro Inc., RG Engineering Consultants Inc., J.J. Blank Engineering Co. General Contractor: Blackinton & Decker Inc. & Saunders Construction

This 15-acre pedestrian-oriented retail district contains 75,000 sq ft of residential space in the form of 66 one- and two-bedroom apartments and two office buildings totalling 40,000 sq ft. The project is rounded out by nearly 75,000 sq ft of retail space.

Jury Comments: "It's modern, not fake historic. The beaux arts/new urbanist/modern combination is refreshing." "As it matures, it'll get stronger and will function as a town center."

Glenarm Tower
Architect: Semple Brown Design PC
Owner/Developer: Red Peak Properties

1600 Glenarm in downtown Denver, originally known as the Security Life Tower, was one of the city's original high-rise buildings. The tower's penthouse once housed the famed Top of the Rockies dinner club. The remodel of the long-vacant office building into residential apartments involves the creation of an extended curtain wall that reinforces the strengths of the existing building and updates its exterior image.

Jury Comments: "Remodeling allows the original building to be there." "It treads as lightly as possible and makes the original building much more elegant and sophisticated." "It shows how far a nice hand and sense of proportion with a few simple moves can transform a building."

+ gallery
Architect: Humphries Poli PC
Owner/Developer: Gallery/Ivar Zeile
Engineers: RNF Consultants, Given & Associates
General Contractor: Saunders Construction

A single-story masonry building formerly used for automotive repair is the site for a small, flexible and distinctive gallery space for exhibiting contemporary art. The building had to be stabilized and made habitable, then transformed into a gallery with flexible lighting, movable partitions and updated restrooms and kitchen space.

Jury Comments: "The flexibility is infinite; with very little material, it allows the building to be used in a whole new way." "The light touch and simple detailing create a synergy between the new and the old."

More Staories:

AIA Colorado Award winners

AIA West Chapter Award winners

AIA North Chapter Award winners

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