Denver International Airport

I am absolutely in love with this design.  I have been a big fan of architect Santiago Calatrava, and this work is signature of his simple, elegant, and honest design.

Well done…

The Colorado Component of The American Institute of Architects (AIA Colorado) has declared April “Colorado Architecture Month.” Colorado Architecture Month provides a series of free events, which are open to the public and are intended to celebrate the importance of architecture in people’s every day lives. Architecture impacts how we live, work, play and even eat.

In addition to AIA Colorado, the four local chapters of AIA in Colorado will host or sponsor events and programs ranging from educational seminars on how to work with an architect, to “Doors Open Denver,” to the ever-popular Box City Event, where children experience the design and construction industry firsthand by requesting permits, ordering materials, designing buildings and constructing those buildings into a cardboard city.

“Colorado has both a rich history of incredibly diverse architecture and some of the most celebrated and talented architects in the country,” said Sonia Riggs, executive director of AIA Colorado. “We decided to utilize those assets to provide free opportunities for people to experience architecture.”

A total of nine events are scheduled across the state, beginning on Tuesday, April 6, and ending on Saturday, April 24.

For more information, visit www.coloradoarchitecturemonth.org

In all seriousness, I am a sucker for structural engineering achievements.  Strange, I know, seeing as how I am an architect.  But, the structural engineer deserves more props than they get in a lot of cases (such as anyone as a sub to Frank Gehry).  This was a huge challenge and the engineer should be proud.

…and because everyone else has thrown out their opinions, I’ll take the opportunity to give mine.  I like this building…yes, its excessive and impractical.  It is a reflection of achievement and ingenuity.  The architecture reflects the building’s soaring height and it appears as though it’s poised to rocket towards the sky to pierce the heavens…

Chapel of the Sky

Honor, Built Architecture

Anderson Mason Dale Architects (Denver) for Chapel of the Sky (Granite, Colo.)

Armstrong Oil and Gas

Honor, Built Architecture

Bothwell Davis George Architects (Denver) and Lake|Flato Architects, Inc. (San Antonio, Texas) for Armstrong Oil and Gas, Inc. (Denver)

DEA

Honor, Built Architecture

Gensler (Denver) for DEA – Centennial Station Office Building (Centennial, Colo.)

Additionally, Brian R. Klipp, FAIA of klipp (Denver) was named Architect of the Year and Studio B Architects (Aspen) was named Firm of the Year.

Redstone Castle

Redstone Castle, or Cleveholm Manor, in Redstone (just south of Carbondale) was once home to the sixth wealthiest man in the world, John Cleveland Osgood.  Mr. Osgood was a coal and steel pioneer in the late 19th century and came to Colorado for the mining.   The home anchored a model company town and served as a retreat for world dignitaries and businessmen.

The English Tudor style structure is constructed of large sandstone blocks which were quarried and hand cut from the cliffs of the Crystal River.  The 24,000 square foot home was built with the finest of craftsmanship inside and out.

Visitors to the manor have stories of the smell of cigar smoke or perfume wafting through the halls.  John Osgood was rarely seen without a cigar in his day.  Osgood’s first wife, Irene, died before the home was completed.  Alma Osgood, the second wife, is rumored to have affairs with artists she commissioned for paintings and sculpture.

After the Osgoods abandon the castle, it sat empty for years.  There have been a series of failed purchases and conversions, including a 1997 default on the motgage.  The property was seized by the IRS in 2003 in connection with an investment scam.  The property was later sold at auction in 2005 and now operates as a hotel and retreat.

Could it be the Osgoods were still watching over their beloved estate until the right owners came along?

Miramont Castle - Manitou Springs

Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs dates back to the 1890′s and was first occupied by Jean Baptiste Francolon, a Catholic priest and son of a wealthy French diplomat.  He intended the structure to be a home for he and his mother Marie Francolon.

Father Francolon incorporated all architectural styles he liked into the Castle.  What stands is a remarkable structure with nine distinct styles: Shingle-style Queen Anne, Romanesque, English Tudor, Flemish stepped gables, domestic Elizabethan, Venetian Ogee, Byzantine, Moorish, and half-timber Chateau are used randomly throughout the four stories.  Father Francolon did not hire an architect, rather he and the builder, Angus Gillis, executed the designs on site.

In the early 20th century, the building was used as a sanatarium by the Sisters of Mercy.  The building was converted to apartments for many years and was ultimately purchased by the Manitou Springs Historical Society in the early 1970′s. It now serves as a museum and Victorian tea room.

There are also many ghost stories told about the castle.  Voices, children playing in different rooms, ghosts wandering the grand staircase.  In these photos, you can see what appears to be an apparition in Lady Francolon’s bed chamber.

After leaving the castle to return to France, Mrs. Francolon passed away.  Perhaps Marie Francolon made her way back to Miramont Castle and she wants her room back?

There are examples the world over of buildings that have not only outlived their creators, but the entire civilizations.

We design buildings that, we hope, will stand the test of time.  Often, clients want a “timeless” building, a “classic” design.  This can be a vague description, but what they ultimately mean is, “I don’t want people to point and say, ‘that building was built in 1978 and it shows, what were they thinking?’.”

We also detail our buildings with care and attention, always to keep the water out.  Knowing, of course, that water from the sky doesn’t always fall straight down.  Details that, when built properly, will last for decades without much maintenance.

What architects don’t necessarily consider is the economic serviceability of a building.  How long will a building live in usefulness?  When will it be torn down to be replaced by something bigger and better?

Consider the photo study of retail properties by photographer Brian Ulrich entitled “Not If, But When.” There are some eerie photos of shopping malls that have died a slow death and are left to decay, unattended.  This was certainly not the intent of the architect.  But, the architect cannot control the economy and what finicky shoppers want.

And, should an architect mourn the death of his progeny?

1111 Tower LLC

The $350 million Four Seasons hotel and condo project under construction in downtown Denver has reached its full 45-story height, and its developers commemorated the milestone with a ceremony Thursday morning.  The 75-foot mast, which tops the structure was lifted into place.

The Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences, located at 14th and Arapahoe Streets, will include 230 hotel rooms and 102 condos priced at $800,000 to $10 million for a penthouse. It is the Denver area’s first Four Seasons property.

Carney Architects, a Jackson, Wyoming based firm, designed the building and HKS, Inc is the architect of record.

Construction on the Four Seasons started in September 2007 and is expected to be completed in early next year.

After 22 years of being an employee of other architects, I have opened my new firm and I am in complete charge of my future.  This is kind of scary…but it is really exciting!  It’s a very liberating feeling to know that success and reward is directly tied to my efforts.

Some people have called me crazy for voluntarily leaving a company to do this during the worst economy in 70 years.  Others think its a brilliant move and timing, and I’ll ride the country’s economic recovery into prosperity.  The client response has been overwhelmingly positive, which, I suppose, bodes well for the bank account.  But there’s more to it…

The underlying fundamental reason for launching my own firm is this: there is a better way.

I certainly have goals to grow my business to a handful or so of employees.  But, one thing I want to hold on to is being involved in every project.  Too often, principals sell a project to a client and then turn it over to junior staff, never to be seen by the client again.  The client is not buying the junior staff, they are buying the principal and his reputation.

Design can be great within the confines of a budget and a jurisdiction zoning ordinance.  I believe there is more challenge in creating worthwhile architecture within boundaries than without.  I believe the most skilled architects are those who truly understand the building process and don’t just create a pretty picture.

Regardless of whether a project is a simple warehouse or an icon in a skyline, the project and client deserve the architect’s full attention and effort.  There are too many projects that tend to float to the back of the drawing board and do not get the proper attention they deserve.

There is a better way for architects to service clients.   There is a better way to produce construction documents.  There is a better way to communicate.  There is a better way to manage projects.

Success lies in these simple beliefs….not on the cover of a magazine.

LEGO Celebrates Wright

I spent many hours of my childhood playing and building with LEGO blocks and I believe they had a direct influence in my chosen profession.  Of course, I will need to purchase these as soon as possible and get to work building them.  I can’t wait to see the “construction documents.”

It looks as though LEGO is going to venture into an Architecture series and provide more buildings to play with.  More on that as it comes from LEGO…

Perhaps the new mark of being a successful, famous architect is having one of your buildings in a LEGO set?