Spring Studios

Instructor: Brandon Anderson
ARCH 2100-010 LEC | F | 12:20 - 1:10 p.m.
ARCH 2100-011 LAB | MWF 9:05 - 11:55 a.m.

6 credits

There has been a housing crisis in major American cities for over a decade. Currently, young professionals are less inclined to stay in one location or one career in the long-term than previous generations. They’re waiting longer to settle down, so they’re living alone longer. They want to live, work, and play in the heart of the city. For many, the best-case scenario is to find a studio apartment in a vibrant neighborhood that’s convenient to work and allows them to spend their free time how they choose. This studio is focused on current housing and sustainable issues related to architecture with a continued coalescence of interdisciplinary techniques. Furthermore, the studio aims to mature the designer’s skills related to building technology and systems communicated through architectural drawings and models.

Instructor: 
ARCH 2100-012 LAB | MWF | 9:05 - 11:55 a.m.

6 credits

Instructor: 
ARCH 2100-013 LAB | MWF | 9:05 - 11:55 a.m.

6 credits

Instructor: 
ARCH 2100-021 LAB | MWF | 1:25 - 4:15 p.m.

6 credits

Instructor: Gage Duran
ARCH 2100-022 LAB | MWF | 1:25 - 4:15 p.m.

6 credits

Instructor: Jade Polizzi
ARCH 4100-010 LEC | MWF | 9:05 - 9:55 a.m.
ARCH 4100-011 LAB | MWF 10:10 a.m - 12 p.m.

6 credits

CU Environmental Design Students will partner with the Lama Foundation in Questa, New Mexico to assist in the design and construction of a small four-season residence. Design will first begin with a residential master plan for the community and the development of a resident dormitory project. From there, students will spend much of the semester focusing on the design of one residence focusing on form, space, materials, and constructability. In late March, one project from the studio will be chosen to be built and the studio will conclude with the development of construction documents, scheduling, cost estimation and fabrication. Students will experience working with a client, designing

Instructor: Susan Atkinson
ARCH 4100-020 LEC | MWF | 9:05 - 9:55 a.m.
ARCH 4100-021 LAB | MWF 10:10 a.m - 12 p.m.

6 credits

Located in the heart of Denver, the Ecosophical Library will bring together artists, architects, scientists, writers, historians, indigenous knowledge holders, and community members to engage in ecological design thinking for regenerative futures within climate change. Stemming from the belief that ecology and philosophy can be part of cultivating social change, the library will be a collaborative space for generating transdisciplinary concepts. It will house resources including objects, books, stories, digital files, a sound archive, and a large immersive VR/ER space in four distinct library sections: the Commons, Ethics and The Biosphere, Ecotopian Archives, and Ecological Systems. The sustainable library design sets the stage for students to examine a “continuum of sustainability” that lies somewhere between the geographic scales of planet/population and the demands of site/users. Students will respond to a series of investigative projects including a team-based urban design proposal and a two-week community space charrette leading up to the design of this civic building in Denver.

This studio builds on a very unique collaboration between ENVD architecture students and the ecological artist, Mary Mattingly, for a 2020 exhibition at the CU Art Museum. Standards for production and self-motivated effort and inquiry will be high and students are expected to work fluidly across many mediums. With this project, students will have the option to participate in the 2022 ACSA Steel Design Student Competition.

Instructor: Rick Epstein
ARCH 4100-030 LEC | TTH | 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
ARCH 4100-031 LAB | MWF 10:10 a.m - 12 p.m.

6 credits

This studio will explore the rapidly evolving issues of life in the city. Given recent events including the pandemic, calls for racial justice, the climate crisis, and the growing inequality of our world, the city is at a unique crossroads. This studio will explore ways that architecture and urban design can address these issues using a dynamic 2.4-acre infill site in Uptown in central Denver. The site is on Colfax Ave, near the Capital, next to the Fillmore Auditorium, and in an area of rapid change. It is owned by the City and County of Denver and is poised for redevelopment. The students will begin this investigation with research on the site and area as well as precedent projects that demonstrate innovation in sustainability, equity, and community in an urban context. In the first 3 weeks, teams of 3 or 4 students will develop their own urban design VISION for the site.  The teams will develop concepts that include three-dimensional building massing, an open space network, parking, and suggests uses for the various buildings. This plan should also address local zoning constraints as well as other city goals for the area. In the remaining 12 weeks, each student will then design in detail, a specific building from their urban design plan. These buildings may be mixed-use, housing or other uses proposed in each team’s Urban Design plan. On most of the sites, 10-story buildings are allowable thus giving students the opportunity to design a significant urban building in an important and prominent location. Work will be done in a physical model, sketches, diagrams, and using typical design tools such as Revit and Rhino. The projects shall explore concepts of authenticity and innovation to arrive at a deeper meaning of PLACE.

Instructors: Harvey Hine & Kristin Nothwehr
ARCH 4100-040 LEC | MWF | 1:25 - 2:15 p.m.
ARCH 4100-041 LAB | MWF 2:30 - 4:20 p.m.

6 credits

The shortage of housing for service workers has long been a concern for mountain towns throughout Colorado, but it has reached crisis levels during the pandemic as more and more white-collar workers have relocated to these idyllic locales and priced out the very workers that facilitate the experiences they seek. This studio will take the town of Nederland, CO, as a case study for the development of a higher-density model of housing for resort towns. In order to attract top-quality candidates, the resort must provide first-class housing. Students will design a building to serve as a communal living space for fifty international workers at the Eldora Ski area. The building should provide for all elements of living and entertainment, with students determining the boundaries between private and shared spaces. The studio will begin with an introductory exercise focused on the individual dwelling unit, however that may be defined, before moving on to the larger building composition. The current location of the International Lodge in Nederland, CO will serve as our site. While context is important, the studio will discourage preconceived ideas of mountain vernacular architecture, and instead, approach the building’s form as a response to programmatic and environmental considerations. We hope that this studio will offer an opportunity for playful exploration. Students are encouraged to think critically in developing the program – with the primary user base being young, college-age workers, we consider this an opportunity for students to inhabit the role of the client and provide amenities that would attract someone like you to live and work in Nederland. Throughout the studio, there will be an emphasis on the communication of ideas through drawing and image-making.

Instructor: Ping Xu
ARCH 4100-040 LEC | MWF | 1:25 - 2:15 p.m.
ARCH 4100-041 LAB | MWF 2:30 - 4:20 p.m.

6 credits

This senior studio (ENVD 4100) emphasizes essential architectural design skills, including enhancing creativity, reasonable functions, spatial composition, sequence of space, conceptual structure system, and ability to handle the design process independently. This studio explores adaptation to climate challenges in site selection and spatial design, particularly in dealing with the issues of winds, flooding, and solar applications. Through lectures, field trips, investigations of existing buildings, and practice in design projects, this studio explores a synthesis approach to environmental design to integrate architecture with cultural values and surrounding landscape. To help students enhance spatial imagination, creativity, and professional training, physical models and correct digital drafts of plans and sections are required in the studio projects. This studio includes the following projects: 1. Charrette (two weeks): House for healthy living in a mountain area of Boulder. 2. Community Cultural Center at Boulder.