Nearly 15 years before Colorado achieved statehood, architect Thomas McLaren was born on a farm in the south of Scotland. He eventually immigrated to Colorado, designing at least 80 buildings throughout the state that still stand today, including Boulder’s Carnegie Library and the First Congregational Church. When he died in 1928, his estate donated his drawings and funding for the university’s fledgling architecture program, created only two years earlier.

One hundred years later, the Department of Environmental Design is celebrating the rich history of architecture education in Colorado, with a gallery exhibit at its annual alumni awards event.

ENVD students over the years.
Photos courtesy of ENVD Exhibits Committee.

Architecture—both as a career and field of study—has evolved dramatically over the years. At CU alone, the program that started in Boulder was once housed within the College of Engineering, has been its own college, and changed campuses between Boulder and Denver; in the 1970s, architecture classes at Boulder began to be taught under the designation of environmental design.

“Historically, architecture was primarily about aesthetic objects,” said Jade Polizzi, a teaching professor of architecture. “Design education has shifted to realizing that architecture is a social and ecological system. We recognize the importance of studying the cities buildings are placed in, and the policies behind the ecology of the landscape. In class, we often focus on sustainability and adaptive reuse, encouraging students to think about how their designs could be adapted and remodeled in the future.”

That’s something Azza Kamal, associate teaching professor of environmental design, pointed to as a point of distinction for how the architecture discipline at Boulder has evolved. 

“We’re not just natural resources, we’re not policy only, we’re not buildings only, products or objects only. We're all of the above,” Kamal said. “We have the ability as the only major or set of majors that address the built environment from an interdisciplinary perspective.”

In 2020, the environmental design department celebrated 50 years of its current iteration—which, in addition to architecture, allows students to study landscape architecture, urban planning and environmental products of design. That inspired Polizzi (EnvDes’99), a licensed architect who’s taught at CU Boulder since 2002, to dig through historic accounts and files. Much of her research will be part of an exhibit going up this month ahead of the centennial.

“It was interesting to see the social and academic changes over time,” she said. “Students are here for such a short period of time, and when things change, it can feel sudden. But we’re always changing our curriculum. I’m excited for students to be able to see the full scope of history and take pride in the evolution of our department.”

In addition to the displays about architecture education history, there will be information about other important moments in broader design history—both globally and locally, like the Art Deco movement and the 50th anniversary of the Pearl Street Mall. Visitors can also see the tools designers have used over the years, as well as drawings by McLaren from the early 1900s.

“His art is beautiful and it will be interesting for students to see the evolution of architecture as both a field and as a practice,” Polizzi said. “An architecture education really emphasises design thinking and complex problem solving all while having a very tactile experience. And we’ve seen how that education inspires students to pursue careers both within and beyond design.”

Polizzi said some graduates, like Sara Taketatsu (EnvDes’19), have gone onto law school to study public policy. Others, like Isra Chaker (EnvDes’12) credit their design education with helping them develop the problem solving skills to work in fields like humanitarian advocacy. But many use their education to shape the design industry, like Carole Wedge (EnvDes’81), chief executive officer of the American Institute of Architects. In November, she will be honored as the department’s distinguished alumna at its annual award ceremony.

As the environmental design department looks to the next 100 years, its unique history and evolution will ensure graduates continue to be positioned to create impact in Colorado and beyond.

“The last one hundred years have seen incredible shifts in the delivery of design education but our commitment to creating a more just and sustainable world through the built environment has remained constant,” said Stacey Schulte, chair of the environmental design department and a teaching professor. “Environmental design grew out of architecture education to become a unique interdisciplinary education. Our students, faculty and graduates thrive in all areas of design of the built environment.”

Hannah Stewart graduated in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news at the college.