The awards were presented at the AIA Colorado 2012 Design Awards Gala, on Saturday, November 3, as part of the AIA Colorado Design Conference in Keystone, Colo. A panel of jurors was chaired by J. Windom Kimsey, FAIA, in selecting the top Colorado projects for honors. “We were drawn immediately to the bold exterior,” the jury wrote of Arch11’s 2290 residence. “It sits lurking in the landscape, dark walls and clean lines merging into the shadows.”

The 2,000-square-foot 2290 house was built by a Boulder couple as a guesthouse to accommodate both of their mothers as they age. Sited in a park-like setting next to the main home, 2290 includes a central public living space book ended by two master suites, and incorporates age-in-place features like curbless showers and modularized cabinetry to allow wheelchair access while suggesting nothing more to the eye than clean modern design.

“We are honored to receive this design recognition from our AIA peers, especially for the 2290 project, which combines great efficiency and age-in-place features,” says Meade. “No home we’ve ever done has gotten as many comments as this one. We’re getting queries from that leading edge of baby boomers telling us they want to downsize into a home like this one – compact enough that every square inch was thought through and that will be accessible as they age, even if they need care later in life.”

The awards were presented at the 2012 Design Awards Gala, September 7 at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. Honor awards represent the highest achievement followed by merit and then citation awards. A total of eight architectural design awards were selected from among 30 entries submitted by members of AIA Colorado North. The jury was chaired by Stephen Dynia, AIA, of Stephen Dynia Architects (Jackson Hole, Wyo.).

With nearly 300 state and local chapters, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has been the leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals and allied partners since 1857. The AIA Colorado North Chapter is one of four chapters within the AIA Colorado Component and represents members from nine counties in northeastern Colorado, including Boulder, Larimer, Weld, Morgan, Logan, Washington, Yuma, Phillips and Sedgwick.

Other recent awards bestowed to Arch11 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 both the AIA Colorado Chapter and AIA Western Mountain Region.

“John is a good fit for Arch11,” says Meade. “He excels at managing complex projects with a high level of detail.”

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.

With offices in Boulder and Denver, 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.

“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.

“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.

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.

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.