Ken Andrews, partner and architect at Arch 11 and instructor at the University of Colorado’s College of Architecture received the AIA Western Mountain Region (WMR) Young Architect Award at a ceremony in Las Vegas.

“We are impressed with quality of design work for someone near the beginning of their career,” says Randy Levine, AIA, WMR Executive Director. “Ken’s ability to engage and create a chemistry with his students is very evident. And even better, he is practicing the same techniques he is educating. Students cheer for him.  Clients thank him.  Contractors respect him.”

The WMR Young Architect Award recognizes those individuals, who, at an early stage of their architectural career, have shown exceptional leadership in design, education and service to the profession.

Andrews came to architecture with a decade of experience in the construction industry, working extensively in residential and commercial markets as a carpenter and project manager. Upon completion of his Bachelor of Environmental Design at the University of Colorado he received his Master of Architecture from Rice University in Houston, Texas. His graduate research focused on developing innovative building systems and project delivery methods.  At Rice, he had the opportunity to work as a project designer with Interloop Architecture, whose projects include the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas Texas, for several years before returning to Colorado.

Ken Andrews is a registered architect in the State of Colorado, a certificate holder with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and an active member of the American Institute of Architects.

Two Boulder homes designed by Arch11 and built by Hammerwell, Inc., both Boulder-based firms, are featured in the August 2011 issues of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Mountain Living magazines. Though distinctly different, the homes, a sleek indoor-outdoor foothills residence and a modern in-town Craftsman makeover, illustrate the sophisticated aesthetic and green-build savvy the design-build team is known for.

“We are excited to have two of our Boulder residences – both done in conjunction with Hammerwell—in print at the same time,” says E.J. Meade, an Arch11 principal. “It is rewarding to see popular regional shelter publications like Mountain Living and Colorado Homes & Lifestyles embracing the type of sustainable and site-sensitive modern Colorado design projects we love to do.”

Arch11 overcame a variety of challenges including an odd-shaped lot, strict height and solar shadow restrictions and a wetlands buffer zone in designing the Syncline residence, which appears in the August 2011 Mountain Living feature “Open House.” The award-winning residence received its LEED Gold certification for numerous green attributes including a green roof planted with native grasses and wildflowers atop the garage; renewable-based Icynene spray-foam insulation throughout the home; windows glazed with the highest-performing glass coatings on the market; and a ground-loop heat-exchange system with seven 300-foot wells.

Colorado Homes & Lifestyles story “Art and Craft” features the transformation of a 1914 bungalow with a newly streamlined interior. The owner hired architect-builder team Arch11 and Hammerwell to “create a dialogue between modern living and historic roots” in the vintage Craftsman home. “A blend of clean lines and comfortable materials,” the redo includes a second-floor addition that replaces a small attic, creating a treehouse effect that captures panoramic views of the Flatirons and Boulder.

Founded in 1993, Arch11 has gained recognition for projects ranging from exceptional residences to institutional planning, mixed-use development and product design. Recent awards include 2009 Firm of the Year Award from the Colorado AIA and four 2011 Builder’s Magazine Watermark Awards, including Project of the Year. Arch 11’s Ken Andrews also was named 2011 Young Architect of the Year by Colorado AIA. Based in Boulder, Colo., Arch11 has 30 combined years of green building technology leadership. The staff’s unusual level of hands-on experience ranges from boat building to furniture making, contributing to its reputation for commitment to craft, detailing and design integrity. For additional information visit www.arch11.com.

First featured on the Contemporist.com, Arch11’s Syncline house has gone viral on the internet and featured in print publications on three continents:

April 2011 Issue of Architecture256,  a Ugandan Journal (link to article)
May 2011 Issue of deZine, an Athenian Journal
Luxurious Villas, by Shenzhen publisher CCDC.

We are honored that we have received such praise for the project.  Have some fun, perform a Google search for “Syncline House” and see how many websites have it posted; truly amazing to read the posts as they have been passed around the world and translated to numerous languages and back to English.

The April 2011 issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles features the master bathroom of the Syncline House.  The special issue is dedicated to CHL’s selection of the 2011 Baths of the Year.

The fish lights fabricated for Jax Fish House were some of Arch11′s first lighting experiments and after 15 years are still garnering interest.  Check out the article on here on Materialicious.com.

Boulder-based Arch11 has won four 2011 Watermark Awards in Builder Magazine’s annual competition. The Colorado architecture firm won the competition’s overall Project of the Year for its Syncline House, built with construction partner Hammerwell, Inc., also of Boulder. Additional awards for the Syncline project included Grand Prize, Kitchen in a Custom Home—3,000 to 5,000 square feet; an Award of Merit for Powder Room in a Custom Home; and an Award of Merit for Master Bath in a Custom Home. The 2011 Watermark Awards winners are showcased in Builder Magazine’s May issue and the story runs online with slideshows of the winning projects.

Sustainability arose as an unintentional overall theme for the 2011 awards, according to Builder Magazine Senior Design Editor Jenny Sullivan, who used Arch11’s winning design for the Syncline residence as an example: “The 2011 Project of the Year—a house that took the top spot for its kitchen, but also garnered additional awards for two of its baths—actually applied for LEED certification as an afterthought,” she wrote, “and came away with the organization’s gold award.”

Describing the Arch11-designed and Hammerwell-built Syncline residence as a “serene home” that “sits on the line where the Great Plains and the city of Boulder converge with the foothills of the Rockies,” the awards coverage goes on to praise the design’s connection to its setting, including its use of earthy materials such as limestone, Pennsylvania bluestone, soapstone and Australian jarrah wood, to “evoke the colors and textures of the natural landscape.”

Entries for the 2011 Watermark Awards were judged by a panel recognized for their expertise in the home building industry and considering criteria including innovation in architecture, floor plan efficiency and creative use of materials and interior design.

Founded in 1993, Arch11 has gained recognition for projects ranging from exceptional residences to institutional planning, mixed-use development and product design, including a 2009 Firm of the Year Award from the Colorado AIA North chapter. Based in Boulder, Colo., Arch11 has 30 combined years of green building technology leadership. The staff’s unusual level of hands-on experience ranges from boat building to furniture making, contributing to its reputation for commitment to craft, detailing and design integrity. For additional information visit www.arch11.com.

Ken Andrews, partner at Arch11, and Instructor at the University of Colorado’s College of Architecture and Planning has been named Young Architect of the Year and Instructor of the Year for 2011 by the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

“Pushing the limits of  style, image, material, purpose and performance, today’s designers, especially those at the leading edge, are highly engaged with society’s most pressing challenges,” says Andrews.  “I am honored to receive these awards that recognize my passion for architecture and my unwavering commitment to the profession of architecture, our community of young aspiring architects, and a continued dedication to cultivating a design ethic that is of great value to my partners, our practice, and our community.”

The Young Architect of the Year award recognizes the individual achievements of a young architect—licensed for 10 years or less—whose contribution to the profession of architecture in Colorado has been outstanding as demonstrated by community involvement, design skills and dedication to the profession.

The Instructor of the Year award honors outstanding mentorship provided by a Colorado instructor or faculty member to architectural students, interns, young architects and the profession.

Ken Andrews, partner and architect at Arch 11 and instructor at the University of Colorado’s College of Architecture was named Young Architect of the Year and also Instructor of the Year by the Colorado Chapter of AIA.

“Pushing the limits of purpose, style, image, material and performance, today’s designers, especially those at the leading edge, are highly engaged with society’s most pressing challenges,” says Andrews. “I am honored to receive this award that recognizes my passion for architecture and my unwavering commitment to the profession of architecture, our community of young aspiring architects, and a continued dedication to cultivating a design ethic that is of great value to my partners, our practice, and our community.”

The Young Architect of the Year award recognizes exceptional dedication to the profession of architecture through achievements in design, commitment to the profession and community service.

The Instructor of the Year honors outstanding mentorship provided by a Colorado instructor or faculty member to architectural students, interns, young architects and the profession. Nominations for the award were submitted by students in the College of Architecture and Planning. Over the past eight years Ken Andrews has been in contact with over 600 students, teaching more than 30 courses.

Andrews’s teaching and research have been focused on museum facilities, civic oriented developments, and innovative models of housing. His academic investigations have allowed him to critically develop specific expertise in building systems and prefabrication techniques that optimize the building delivery process in inventive ways.

Andrews came to architecture with a decade of experience in the construction industry, working extensively in residential and commercial markets as a carpenter and project manager. Upon completion of his Bachelor of Environmental Design at the University of Colorado he received his Master of Architecture from Rice University in Houston, Texas. His graduate research focused on developing innovative building systems and project delivery methods.  At Rice, he had the opportunity to work as a project designer with Interloop Architecture, whose projects include the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas, for several years before returning to Colorado.

Ken Andrews is a registered architect in the State of Colorado, a certificate holder with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and an active member of the American Institute of Architects.

The Geneva  House, a recently completed addition and remodel to an historic Boulder home that fosters a dialogue between old and new is featured on Archzine.com.  Our client was inspired by an article he encountered at an Urban Land Institute conference about “parabuilding” a term coined to describe the hybrid development of modern design and historic structures.  We’ve completed such work for years without a term for it.  The Urban Land Institute’s article is an interesting read and gives credence to our belief that a contrast between old and new is the most authentic approach to work on historic structures, keeping within the US Secretary of the Interior’s standards for working on landmark buildings.

Here’s a copy of the Urban Land Institute’s article: Merging Old and New and our project as Featured on Archzine.com.

Arch11 received four architecture design awards, including the top honor award, from the Colorado AIA North Chapter on Friday, September 10. The awards banquet at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park featured juror Randy Brown.

The Walnut Loft received a Citation for Interior Design. The jury comments included, “great control of design,” “detailing is exceptional” and “a creative material palette.”

In the Unbuilt category the Alpine House in Boulder, CO garnered a Merit Award for its, “perfect proportions and clarity.”

The Syncline House was recognized with a Merit Award for Residential projects. Jury comments, “ Wonderful exterior spaces,” “clean, simple details,” “connects to the landscape,” “architect had great control of the design.”

The Honor Award was given to the Orchard Street House for Interiors. The jury spoke clearest about the project, “This project rose up and stood out. Very impressive spatial organization. Clarity in plan. Wonderful moments of color. Total design, space, light, volume, furniture, details—every element is impeccable and we can’t find a flaw. This is a very deserving project.”

We are grateful to our clients for believing in our work and to each and every crafts-person who executed it with care and precision.  Arch11 continues to provide modern, environmentally responsible architecture and interior design.