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Fort Carson Honors Installation and Community Leaders in Sustainability

John Olson — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:47:43 +0000

Anneliesa Barta of Sustainable Fort Carson provided the following from the Colorado Sustainability Conference on November 17 and 18 of 2011. Each year, Fort Carson honors Installation personnel and community stakeholders with Sustainability Awards from Fort Carson. I was one of the honored recipients of the award this year. This was a tremendous honor not only to receive the award but to be in the company of so many great "Sustainability Warriors" in the community and on Fort Carson.

Frank Kinder of Colorado Spring Utilities accepting a Sustainability Award from Fort Carson.

The following Fort Carson personnel and community stakeholders received Sustainability awards from Fort Carson at the recent Colorado Sustainability Conference held in Colorado Springs.

Frank Kinder, an alumnus of Sustainable Fort Carson, currently works at Colorado Springs Utilities focusing on Commercial Water Conservation Rebates and Programs, promoting water conservation and sustainability in the Pikes Peak Region. Frank was instrumental in the certification of Colorado's first EPA WaterSense Certified Home which also achieved U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes Gold and EnergyStar certifications.

Landscape Architect and Urban Designer John Olson, who works with the Sustainable Fort Carson Team, is a strong proponent for holistic Sustainability and Smart Growth. He serves on the Colorado Springs Downtown Review Board, as the Vice-Chair of the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority and was recently appointed to the Mayor’s Streetscape Solutions Team.

Bob Mooney integrates the Installation’s sustainability and Net Zero goals in the decisions he makes every day as Project Director at Balfour Beatty Communities. He implemented landscape modifications for future neighborhoods that resulted in 65% decrease in water needs, increased residential recycling from 5 tons per month to 21 tons per month, and diverted thousands of tons of appliances, concrete, asphalt, carpet padding from the landfill.

Ann and Eric Fetsch, both individually and as a team, champion people and the built environment through service to Catamount Institute, USGBC and through mentorship and advocacy in the Pikes Peak region. Recent success include planning and implementing the certification of the first LEED H show home in Colorado, and a Sustainability Bike tour of Colorado Springs that showcased the city’s many sustainable features.

Colonel Jonathan Gibbs and USAG Fort Carson Religious Support Office showed outstanding leadership and support of Fort Carson’s Net Zero goals through their "Green Chapel Initiative." With the theme “Good Stewards of God's Creation” they educate chapel communities about recycling, reducing electricity water consumption and ridesharing.

Donald P. (Phil) Chase achieved an 80 percent waste diversion rate for Peterson Air Force Base where he also oversees a successful green procurement program. His efforts in recycling scrap metal have earned over a million dollars for a Qualified Recycling Program. Chase is currently developing composting methods, to date resulting in a 25 percent reduction of organic waste in Peterson dining facilities.

Greg Willis and the team at the Cheyenne Shadows Golf Club saves more than 20 million gallons of water each year through water conservation innovations. The team continues to show their dedication to preserving natural resources by re-using asphalt from old paths, composting grass clippings and recycling. Jessica Frank, Fort Carson’s Directorate of Public Works stormwater program manager, works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve stormwater drainage designs that will benefit the Post for years to come. Her efforts help reduce pollution runoff from construction sites into the Fountain Creek watershed and protects the community from stormwater pollution.

Carrie McCausland, sustainability coordinator for the City of Colorado Springs, educates about sustainability through inspirational “lunch and learns” events, projects such as the Urban Forest Tree Tour, mural painting along Interstate 25, City Hall garden, and the “Green Greetings” newsletter that reaches 5000 stakeholders. Her passion for recycling lead to the successful implementation of recycling bins in downtown Colorado Springs.

Nick Kittle, manager of Innovation and Sustainability at City of Colorado Springs, is the co-founder of the city’s “Green Team”. Under his direction, the city received $4 million in grant funds to support energy efficiency, and was recognized as having one of the largest municipal biodiesel programs in the nation. Through a combination of initiatives, Nick was instrumental in reducing emissions in the Pikes Peak region by more than 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide, saving hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

Captain Daniel J. Kull, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson, added sustainability awareness training that reaches approximately 9,000 Soldiers each year on topics such as recycling, reduction of energy use, and use of sustainable transportation. He also established a free bike share program that provides mobility and cost savings to Soldiers and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

The Urban Streetscape Process

John Olson — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:34:46 +0000

EVstudio practices with a philosophy of designing the streetscape to compliment the adjacent architecture. We measure the success of the streetscape by the success of the uses alongside the streetscape. The avant-garde streetscape is one that you will not see from EVstudio. The avant-garde, or Peacock Streetscape, is a distraction and can be a potential detriment to the adjacent uses. Context sensitivity is crucial. It is our experience that when the function of the streetscape is the top priority, the constraints of the utilitarian needs often become tremendous opportunities for great design.

The close interaction between the civil engineering and landscape architecture for the streetscape below in Killeen, Texas provides an aesthetically pleasing, yet functional, streetscape.

In order to transform the constraints into opportunities, it is critical to have a great amount of communication and synergy between the landscape architect and civil engineer. EVstudio recently finalized an urban streetscape in Killeen, Texas. The in-house civil engineering and landscape architecture team proved to be a major advantage to the client. A great amount must happen between the area-confined spaces between the building and street, to work in a silo with little communication is not an effective process. The ability to simultaneously blend the utilitarian needs of the civil engineer with aesthetics from the landscape architect is value added for the client.

Photo from the top of the Main Street Garage in Downtown Pueblo of the Main Street Streetscape.

Equally important to the relationship between civil engineering and landscape architecture is the client/ consultant relationship. Perhaps the most pleasurable experience of working with the client for me occurred in the design of the streetscape at the Municipal Complex in Pueblo. The project involved two blocks of moderate level pedestrian traffic; two blocks of low level pedestrian traffic; three blocks of auto-centric streetscape; one and one-half blocks of mid-block pedestrian-way; and one block of peripheral streetscape near the HARP Riverwalk in Downtown Pueblo. The varying frontage types required different levels of pedestrian needs and a strong balance of budget/aesthetic balance. The client representative in this case was Steven Meier, a landscape architect for the City of Pueblo. The interaction during design, construction documentation, and construction observation between Mr. Meier and I resulted in an award-winning project that serves as a model streetscape in Downtown Pueblo today. The Pueblo Main Street Parking Garage won an award from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Organization and the the Justice Center was recognized by the Mountain States Construction Annual Rankings as a top Government/ Public Buildings Project of 2010.

LEED Silver Certification Achieved – Evergreen Terraces is the First LEED Building in Evergreen!

Elicia Ratajczyk — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 05:58:45 +0000

EVstudio is proud to announce that we have just received official confirmation that the Evergreen Terraces Office Building in Evergreen, Colorado is the first building in Evergreen to be awarded a LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)! In addition, Evergreen Terraces is the first project in the foothills/mountain community to be awarded a LEED certification of any kind!

The Evergreen Terraces has now joined a select group of sustainable and innovative high performance buildings in the State of Colorado and around the world that have gone through the LEED Certification process with the USGBC. There are currently 245 certified buildings in Colorado (77 LEED Silver) and just over 7000 that have been certified world-wide. While the majority of the LEED certified buildings in the state are in the Denver Metro area, the Evergreen Terraces is among the first buildings in the Colorado mountain regions (currently 20 total) to undergo the rigorous LEED certification process.

EVstudio lead the project teams for the design and LEED certification of the Evergreen Terraces Office Building. In addition, EVstudio is and has worked on a variety of other LEED certification projects and our staff includes several LEED Accredited Professionals that are valuable assets to any LEED project team. Please look for the upcoming Press Release and Certification Ceremony Announcement to join us in celebrating this achievement in our community!

EVstudio Named Business of the Month for Downtown Evergreen

Dean Dalvit — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:27:53 +0000

EVstudio is honored to receive the Business of the Month award from The Evergreen Downtown Business Association. We have worked with the EDBA on several efforts, the most recent, being the creation of the Evergreen Economic Development Council. We look forward to a long lasting relationship with our community.

AIA Denver 2010 Design Awards Gala

Sean O'Hara — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:00:33 +0000

Join AIA Denver for an evening of socializing, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dessert and a celebration of the Denver design community. The AIA Denver 2010 Design Awards Gala will be held from 6 - 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, at Mile High Station (2027 West Lower Colfax, Denver, Colo. 80204).

The AIA Denver 2010 design award winners are being presented by Design Award Jury Chair David Darling, AIA, of Aidlin Darling Design (San Francisco).

To register, download the registration form or register online. The deadline is Friday, Sept. 17. Contact AIA Colorado Programs Coordinator Jenna Cather at jenna@aiacolorado.org or 303.446.2266, ext. 112, with questions.

This is Sean O'Hara's 5th year as awards committee chair.

Sean O’Hara to speak at AIA Emerging Professionals Forum

evstudio — Sat, 08 May 2010 06:01:33 +0000

Sean O'Hara, AIA has been invited to participate on a panel discussion on the topic of "Lessons Learned: Wisdom Gained from Young Firms". The discussion is hosted by AIA Colorado on Thursday, May 13, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., for the first Emerging Professionals Forum of 2010. The forum will be held at H+L Architecture (1755 Blake St., Ste 400, Denver, 80202).The forum will focus on helping young architects and associates learn more about how to best market themselves, their work and their small firms.

The forum is complimentary for AIA Colorado members, $50 for non-members. Food and drinks will be provided by the AIA Colorado Emerging Professionals Coalition. There will also be door prizes (for members only) including ARE Study Materials, a free AIA Colorado Design Conference Registration (a value of $195), and more.

Sean is the Principal Architect for EVstudio's Denver office. EVstudio has gained a lot of attention and its principals have been invited to speak at a number of forums on business success. While most architecture and engineering companies have been laying off staff, EVstudio has grown and added staff, services and clients.

EVstudio Wins the 2010 AIA Colorado Young Architect People’s Choice Award

Sean O'Hara — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:01:16 +0000

EVstudio was the recipient of the 2010 People's Choice Award handed out by AIA Colorado at the annual Young Architects Awards Gala. This is our third time winning the award.

2010 Colorado Architecture Month

Beth Concha — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 06:01:19 +0000

April is Colorado Architecture Month, an annual event hosted by AIA Colorado. The following are some highlighted events planned for this year.

Delicious Designs is a program in which participating architecture firms work with Colorado restaurants to create a dessert modeled after a unique piece of Colorado Architecture. The desserts will be served at the restaurants during selected dates throughout the month of April.

Another popular event is Denver Box City for Kids, which gives kids a firsthand experience in the design and construction industry. This year’s Box City will be held on Saturday, April 17^th in the Webb Building Atrium.

The 3^rd annual ‘How to Work with an Architect’ workshop will be on Tuesday, April 20^th. This is a great opportunity for those interested in working with an architect and would like some of their questions answered. EVstudio’s Sean O’Hara presented at last year’s workshop which was a success.

EVstudio will also be attending the Young Architects Awards Gala on April 9^th at the Denver Design Center. YAAG is an annual program dedicated to honoring talented, young designers in the architectural community. EVstudio is up for several awards.

One of the biggest attractions during Architecture Month is Doors Open Denver which provides complimentary self-guided and expert tours of buildings throughout the city.

Click here for a full list of 2010 Colorado Architecture Month events.

Douglas County Zoning Front Setback Variance Example Drawing

Beth Concha — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:29:54 +0000

The Santa Fe-style home we designed for Paul & Judy Albers in Roxborough State Park provided us with a challenging site. Due to the deep drainage ditch in the rear portion our building envelope was very shallow and we submitted to Douglas County Zoning for an administrative variance to decrease the front setback.

An administrative variance is allowed when the request is 35% or less. A larger request has to go through the Board of Adjustment.

In this case, a 35% decrease in the front setback gave us 7' of encroachment from Douglas County’s 20’ front setback requirement. Roxborough’s front setback is 25’, and we were able to get a 12’ encroachment from the Roxborough Design Review Committee, putting us at exactly 13’ from the property line. This bought us a lot more room to fit the house on the site and still stay 5’ from the rear ditch.

Douglas County liked our detailed Site Plan so much they requested to use it as an example for their public outreach documents to help guide people through the variance process. We spoke to the client and are very happy that our work is now being used as an example for other owners, architects and engineers.

Lariat Loop Designated National Scenic and Historic Byway

Dean Dalvit — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:00:35 +0000

The US Transportation Secretary announced on October 16, 2009 that the 40-mile Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway connecting Golden, Morrison and Evergreen is now designated as a National Scenic and Historic Byway.

EVstudio had the honor of working on the design and site planning for the plaza and interpretive historical marker in downtown Evergreen. The project, completed in 2008, was an effort spearheaded by Joe Tempel with the Lariat Loop and included the Federal Highway Administration and supporters Jeff and Susan Bradley.

Lariat Loop Plaza in Evergreen Colorado

The project took an area primarily used as little more than a transitional outdoor space between two commercial buildings, and widened it to create four large terraces with wide stairs connecting each. The terraces are bounded with stone retaining walls that were detailed with materials and construction that is historically appropriate for the area. These terraces now link the main street environment with the interpretive marker, the large parking lot above, and more businesses in a pedestrian friendly and pleasing way. In fact, the terraces have since been used to serve as musical stages for downtown events as well as hosting farmer's markets and other outdoor events.

Lariat Loop Plaza Interpretive Historical Plaza

Check out The Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway website to learn more about this great tour. It was our great pleasure to work on a project that has such an important connection with our local community and is now recognized as a national byway. If you're ever passing through Evergreen, come by and see it!