HONOR AWARD - MODERN HOUSE IDEAS COMPETITION

FRAMEWORK FOR LIVING
Living Framework House is programmed to be a highly efficient, full-time dwelling for a couple with the flexibility to comfortably house their two grown children on vacations. Located at the end of a “T” intersection, traffic headlights and noise directed at the site are alleviated by siting the house up one half level from the street frontage. Indoor/outdoor connection is established through the use of the living green volume that runs the full height of the house. The living green volume is one of two organizing elements, or framework, in the home. The living wall is a major design element for providing evaporative cooling in the summer months. On each floor, the stairs visually open onto the green wall creating a physical and psychological connection with nature as the inhabitants move throughout their home. Much of the 3300 sq. ft. building lot remains landscape, allowing ground filtration of precipitation and maximizing usable outdoor space for gatherings.

This neighborhood development sits on a former runway for the Stapleton Municipal Airport. Narrow and tall, the house holds dialogue with the form of the original Stapleton flight control tower which can be viewed from the home’s decks. The alley entrance to the home incorporates aluminum sheeting recycled from aircraft bodies, providing another connection to local history. Winter sun penetrates the entire space, allowing the radiant floors to serve as thermal mass, and providing natural daylight in the home year-round. During the summer months, the large green living wall works with the louvers and roof overhangs to provide ample shade. Portions of the facade are made up of photovoltaic glass and louver systems to control solar gain. The underground parking volume collects cool air and utilizes the stack effect through the north stairwell. Rainwater is directed to the green wall, where it filters down to cistern in the underground garage, aiding the irrigation of landscaping and the green wall. The design was completed for the Denver Architectural League's Modern House Ideas Competition, sponsored by AIA Colorado, Modern In Denver Magazine, and Room & Board. This design won the Honor Award.

MODERN IN DENVER INTERVIEW

THIRD PLACE - COLORADO BIZ MAGAZINE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AWARDS

FRAMEWORK FOR LIVING
This project also won third place in the Colorado Biz Magazine's Colorado Sustainable Design Awards (CSDA) for Residential Design in 2011.

JUDGES CHOICE AWARD - DESIGN AFTER DARK 2011

TRANS(IENT) GRAVITY
Weight is the product of an object’s mass and the gravitational force of the Earth pulling the mass downward. To make the sculpture appear lightweight, the designers attempted to visually counteract gravity’s force and make the sculpture appear weightless. Twenty acrylic panels define the space occupied by each cube, without completely enclosing them. The play of light as it is refracted and reflected off the glass imbues the cubes with an open, indefinable edge. As parts of the whole, the cubes subtly support each other, climbing vertically on the delicate horizontal supports. These supports sequentially transfer the weight of the cubes downward adding to the illusion of defying gravity. Adding to it’s buoyancy and lightness, the sculpture has a density of cubes at it’s outer edges, with a void diffusing the components at the center. Gravity has been interrupted temporarily to let the cubes hover as they climb upward on the delicate structure. It is a composition of luminous and light weight elements called Trans(ient) Gravity.

Winner of Judges Choice Award for the Design After Dark 2011 competition put on by the Denver Art Museum and Modern In Denver magazine.

PUBLICATIONS

Charter Focus – Fall 2013 – “Nature as a Guide for Sustainable Design”

Architect Colorado (On the Boards) – Summer 2013 – Zhongyou Hotel Complex

Architect Colorado (On the Boards) – Spring 2013 – Destination Santa Fe

Denver Post – March 07, 2012 – “Architects Push to Make Santa Fe Arts District Pedestrian Friendly”

Colorado Biz – November 2011 – Sustainable Design Awards

Modern in Denver – September 17,  2011 - Interview