Pictured above from left: Urban Venture's Laura Weinstein, Studio PBA's Kathy Parker, UV's Mariel Beaudoin, Cassie Wright and Susan Powers
Thank you to the Urban Ventures team for hosing our PM Kathy Parker at the ULI Impact Awards banquet last night. The projects and stories told were inspirational, as usual!
St. Paddy's Day is a long-standing, celebrated holiday at Studio PBA. This year, we decided to take it a step further and make it an official party. The whole staff pitched-in in to put together a fantastic party at our Gilpin Street office. We brought in The Croc Spot, a food truck, to cater some wonderful Irish fare. Argonaut catered in a truckload of Irish libations and spirits. We invited over 100 of Studio PBA's friends, family members and partners to come help celebrate and we could not have asked for better weather. We spent the afternoon with a bags tournament, lawn games, laughing and enjoying the sunshine. A big thank you to Paul, for allowing us the afternoon and resources to put on such a great party. We look forward to continuing this this tradition for years to come! Below are a few fun pictures from the event. For the full album, check out our Facebook album here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/studioPBA/photos
Big construction update for Modera River North Arts! This large development at 28th and Blake in the ever-popular RiNo District has been moving along very quickly-- we are completed with concrete, so all foundations are completed and slab on grade and both elevated slabs are complete. Wood framing is in full force and Shaw Construction is expected to be topped out with roof framing completed by the end of April or the beginning of May. Substantial completion of this project with developer Mill Creek is is projected to be middle of April 2018.
Construction on Aria Cohousing is coming along in the Chaffee Park neighborhood of Denver, thanks to the warm and mild winter we've been experiencing -- you can see the former Maycrest Convent is starting too look more like more like the final product that will soon house 28 units with a shared community dining areas and meeting space. This transit oriented development is due to be completed in the next few months.
We just completed an awesome rendering of a new project in Salt Lake City with Boulder Ventures called West Jordan Townhomes. The townhomes will consist of 124 affordable, family oriented units located in the West Jordan neighborhood. This project is comprised of 4plexes, 6plexes and 8plexes, a clubhouse and an indoor pool. All units will feature 2-car private garages, rooftop decks and modern aesthetic flat roofs of brick, steel and stucco. This development is part of a transit-oriented development initiative.
DenverInfill had a great write-up on Studio PBA's new project in LoHi: 2680 18th Street. Construction is not yet underway as the existing structure is still standing but make sure to check back for updates as construction begins and this project starts to take shape. http://denverinfill.com/blog/2017/03/2680-18th-street.html
AMLI Riverfront Green has reached the first floor. After working hard through the winter months, the first at grade concrete slab has finally taken shape. March will see the remainder of the building come up to the same level. April will kick off with a bang when our first floor above grade starts to take shape. All concrete work is scheduled to be completed by the end of May, when the metal wall panels for the apartments units will begin. Now that we are above ground, take a moment to stop by and see the building taking shape.
Studio PBA team members spent Friday in the Sheridan neighborhood, helping Habitat for Humanity with a build day for the Sheridan Square housing project. We worked next to construction staff, Habitat homeowners and other volunteer groups and learned about the building process.
Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver is a non-profit that brings people together to build affordable, energy-efficient homes and communities. Sheridan Square is the largest Habitat development in Denver's history where 63 homes will be built over the next five years.
We spent the day installing insulation, painting the exterior of the house, cutting and putting up siding and other various construction tasks. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to get out of the office and get our hands dirty. The team has a new found respect for construction work and the people who do it. If you want to learn more about Habitat or volunteer yourself, check out their website for more information: https://www.habitatmetrodenver.org/
Elevate at Inova in Centennial has made lots of progress since our November update. The clubhouse is nearly completed with interior finishes and trim in-progress, which you can see in the first two images below. Several of the buildings have the roofing, window and wrap installation in-progress as you can see in picture #3. The last two images show an overall view if the various stages of construction among the 10 buildings and club house.
Lots of progress at Mill Creek's Modera Observatory Park the past few months as you can see in the photographs below. The exterior siding in completely installed along with a majority of the exterior veneer painting. You can see inside select units that drywall is being installed and painting is completed. Other units have appliances, trim, flooring and carpet installation finished along with lighting fixtures. You can see the fitness center starting to take shape as well as the drywall and wood ceiling installation in the clubhouse. Be sure to check back for for updates this project's progress as it continues to work toward completion.
PBA staff members spent Friday morning volunteering with one of our favorite organizations, Food for Thought. We packed Power Sacks for Denver-area elementary school students that depend on these food sacks every week to supplement or to provide food for the weekend for the students and their families.
We also have elected Food for Thought Denver as our charitable organization to benefit from in the upcoming Colfax Marathon Relay. Studio PBA will have three teams racing for the top spots of the Architecture Construction Design division as the top teams win prize money to benefit their chosen charity. More updates on the relay to follow. If you or your organization will be participating in the Colfax Marathon, consider Food for Thought Denver as one of your charitable organizations! For more information, click the link here: http://foodforthoughtdenver.org/
Pictured above: Kathy Parker, Chris Fuller, Greg Maldow and students
We were lucky to be contacted by one of Denver Public School's Gifted and Talented program coordinators, Greg Maldow. We arranged for some students to come shadow our team for a day to see what being an architect is like. Two groups of students from different high schools around Denver came in two different sessions and were able to spend time with a few of our Project Managers. The students toured PBA's office and had a sit-down with the respective Project Manager and designers. They went over basic concepts of architecture, reviewed drawings and models for current projects, followed by a site tour of those specific projects with our construction administration team. They were able to ask questions throughout and enjoyed a casual lunch with the team. The students enjoyed themselves and it was a great experience for our team members as well. We look forward to partnering with DPS in the future for other tours and mentorship opportunities.
Holland Parkside or 1880 Little Raven as it will be called moving forward, is making lots of progress on the underground podium garage. These images were taken only a few short weeks ago and with weather permitting, construction will continue pushing forward and it will start going vertical in no time.
Studio PBA held a food, clothing and supply drive this month for our neighbors and friends at The Gathering Place. We found out about The Gathering place last month while helping at ULI's holiday volunteer opportunity. TGP helps women, children and transgendered individuals that are experiencing homelessness and poverty.
During the month of January, the office was able to collect enough supplies that it required the help of several people to carry the donations the two blocks to the center. We collected food to stock their food pantry along with supplies and books for the job readiness program and education center. We also collected clothing and shoes for the boutique they offer. Thank you to everyone who participated and donated items. Keep an eye out for our February's volunteer opportunity. To learn more about The Gathering Place, here is a link to their website: http://tgpdenver.org/
Alta Pinehurst has come a long way in the past few months. This 19+ acre project with Wood Partners, consists of 13 multifamily buildings with private attached garages. Located on South Wadsworth next to Pinehurst Country Club, it features a two-story clubhouse with a cyber cafe, seating & bar area as well as a fitness center. Alta Pinehurst is due to be completed later this fall. Check out the great aerial images we've received from Wood Partners and some more detailed pictures collected by our construction administration team. A lot of progress on this project since our last update in October.
Building Salt Lake's blog has made a list of five projects to watch in 2017. "Utility and groundwork is underway on the Sugarmont Apartments, with building construction expected to start soon. The eight-story apartment building will occupy the southwest corner of the block, directly east of the Fairmont S-Line station. The Sugarmont Apartments will add 352 residential units to the Sugar House Central Business District." Read the whole article here: http://www.buildingsaltlake.com/five-projects-watch-2017/
Modera Observatory Park's construction has been continuing on through the snow and cold, making strides toward completion. Once completed, this project will offer 277 units between two buildings split by Josephine Street and sandwiched between Jewel Ave. and E. Asbury Ave in the DU neighborhood. You can see the aerial image from a time-lapse camera we've covered in previous posts (https://app.oxblue.com/open/multifam/demo17). In the subsequent images you get a closer look at more project details. You can see the balconies and exterior elements forming, the location of the future pool and hot tub, the roof deck access from the townhouses of building one, along with the vibrant exterior colors.
2017 is going to be a big year for Studio PBA. We have several projects under construction around the Denver-metro, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins and Cheyenne. We receive great aerial images from many of our developers and contractors. It is always great to see the progression of the projects we design as they come to fruition.
We've got some updated images from the past few weeks of two big projects, AMLI's Riverfront Green (Above) in Riverfront Park that is going up next to the Glass House. Second, Elevate at Inova (below) in Centennial is a project with The Wolff Company that is expected to be completed in 2017 as you can see the ten different buildings all taking shape.
This morning Paul, Desirae, Derek and myself (Gina) participated in the ULI Holiday Volunteer Opportunity at The Gathering Place. The Gathering place is a drop-in center that provides services to children, women and transgender individuals experiencing poverty or homelessness. They offer three meals a day, children's center, employment assistance, counseling and medical care among many other programs and services aimed at helping these individuals get back on their feet. ULI's Outreach Committee organized the event where we cooked and served breakfast a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs. We also prepped for the lunch meal and packed additional sack lunches that will be distributed throughout the day for anyone who needs one. For more information on The Gathering Place or for volunteer opportunities visit their website at: http://tgpdenver.org/
