The concept for Victorian Square is inspired by a nearby backcountry skiing haunt referred to by locals as “The Pillow Factory”. The highlight of this area is the countless snow-covered rock outcroppings (pillows) that gently step down the slope with skiers playfully bouncing down the terrain from one pillow to the next. We sought to abstract the inherent qualities of a typical pillow where the snow is softly suspended over the mass of the rock, revealing the stratified lines of past snow falls.

Peterson Cover Brick from Denmark represents the stationary mass of the rock outcropping. These handmade bricks are detailed using a lapped siding technique with hidden fasteners, which recalls the many wood sided buildings that once were prevalent throughout downtown Aspen during the early mining years. African Mahogany represents the snow pillow and is detailed with an undulating façade to indicate the stratified lines of past snowstorms and is cantilevered over the masonry façade. This wood pillow also has another layer of significance in that of the old false storefront façades prevalent in mining towns during the turn of the century. However, unlike those historical applications where billboard and signage indicated the use or merchandise of those buildings, the snow pillow’s silent message is that Aspen is now an international destination for skiing and sells dreams of abundant snow fall.

The design by Rowland+Broughton Architecture will speak the architectural language of Aspen for decades to come. It is rich in form and detail that builds on what went on before in Aspen architecture to extend the trajectory of the vocabulary of the town’s streetscapes into the future. – Client, Victorian Square

Located adjacent to Herbert Bayer’s historic Boettcher Seminar Building in Aspen, Colorado, the Bayer Center is designed to house the collection of his works for public view, the only of its kind. The museum is the newest addition to Aspen Institute’s campus, with grounds featuring Bayer’s sculptures and landscape along its pathways. The Center is smaller and lower than the Boettcher Building, paying homage to Bayer’s 1975 work.

The compact design accommodates ample gallery, archival, and support space for works of art that span Herbert Bayer’s illustrious career. Rigorous geometries and alignments were critical to the team and vision of a Bauhaus-inspired aesthetic. These parameters wrap the building and govern the dialog between elements which are repeated, mirrored, and proportioned by a greater set of rules.

To uphold the aesthetic goals, the Bayer Center must be an efficient and well-organized system of logic. This ripples through the infrastructure supporting the building. Structure and utilities must work in concert with the spaces without breaking the design purity or interrupting the open flow of the plan. The steel fascia set to the top of the glazing determines the ceiling space, containing the building mechanical, lighting, and thermal envelope suited to Aspen’s climate extremes. The upper roof is similarly thin, tapering to an 8” tall cantilevered eave where structure and insulation are stretched to the extent of their performance. As the geometries meet, construction sequencing must account for streamline form and tight tolerances.

The museum will be a cultural merger between the Aspen Institute and Aspen’s community. Anchoring the campus corner where it touches the city fabric, it welcomes the public to view Bayer’s works and to explore the paths connecting his sculptures to the landscape. The comprehensive body of this Bauhaus master’s works will be culminated in this museum and throughout the grounds, a true tribute to his contribution to one of the most famous art movements in history.

Advanced building technology elevates the Bayer Center beyond current day performance requirements. To balance interior and exterior conditions, the design team and envelope consultant developed a strategy through meticulous product research and detail strategies to support the design, its durability, and its sustainability. Using vacuum-sealed insulation and an aerogel coating on the steel, the building will reduce HVAC demands for a more passively stable environment. Envelope continuity wraps the exterior cladding and insulation within openings. This seamless design requires careful detailing to tie to structure and maintain thermal quality without breaking plane. The museum’s glazing and glass floors draw natural light into the galleries. The team refined the assembly produced by the same steel glazing manufacturer of the Bauhaus building in Dessau to provide a combination of excellent color rendering, solar protection, thermal retention, and slim detailing.

1973 saw the construction of the final building in Aspen, Colorado by Bauhaus architect and designer Herbert Bayer. This building, known as the Boettcher Seminar Building, drew on an architectural language Bayer had been developing on the Aspen Institute grounds for over two decades, and was a culmination of sorts of the logic and democratic organization of spaces and experiences central to Bauhaus thought. Sadly, four decades of use took its toll on the interior and exterior and the building no longer lived up to its potential as a space to foster and facilitate ideas and relationships that could change the world.

The rehabilitation of the Boettcher Building design goals began with seeking Landmark Designation to the Aspen Modern Inventory of historic structures. With this designation in mind, the team developed the primary design goal: to honor and respect the legacy of Herbert Bayer with a thoughtful restoration of the exterior and creative renovation of the interior to guide the building through the next four decades, with an emphasis on flexibility and innovation. Crucial to the entire work, the existing open-air central courtyard would need to be enclosed to provide greater year-round functionality and comfort.

Beyond the many technical challenges of preserving and rehabilitating the structure for modern use, the Team faced the challenge of honoring the original design. To do this, new elements needed to share the existing building’s underlying principles and concepts but be distinct from them and of their own time. By carefully studying the existing building, the design team identified these features and tailored the new architecture to emphasize, contribute to, and enhance the existing building.

As a case study of this process, to enclose the central courtyard the team first studied the basic layout of the building. Organized on an 3×3 grid, the key spaces are arranged on two axes, oriented north-south and east-west, with the central courtyard at the intersection. The new roof structure, ceiling design, and pyramidal skylight align and emphasis these axes, creating a volumetric space in the center of the building where the visitor is naturally directed for a creative exchange of ideas. Large doors between the rooms along the north-south axis slide aside to unite the spaces into one, with a new “Creative Lab” anchoring the southern end of the axis, and break-out spaces arranged to the east and west, creating a dynamic flow of people and ideas.

Rounding out the renovation, the building received an extensive upgrade to all building systems. Thermal efficiency is increased by 300% through the addition of high-performance continuous insulation and new windows and doors. Mechanical system efficiency is approximately 70% better than the existing HVAC system. All interior light and plumbing fixtures are high efficiency and finishes are low-VOC and recyclable.

It is an honor to participate in the renovation of this important building and to increase its potential for collaboration, creativity and generation of ideas, all concepts that are fundamental to R+B as well. Moving forward, we anticipate a great working relationship with the Aspen Institute team to bring our mutual vision for the Boettcher Building to life. – Principal Sarah Broughton, AIA, NCIDQ

Set within the vibrant Lower Downtown Historic District (LoDo), R+B’s meticulously restored Denver location is a comprehensive, full-service studio.

In fall of 2018, a re-imagining of the storefront involved extreme sensitivity to the original character of the structure, which was built in 1892 and has a storied history as the home of the E.B. Millar Coffee Company. Following the guidelines of the Lower Downtown Historic District, the project included introducing a more contemporary aesthetic and neutral material palette. A new wood and glass storefront replaced non-historic windows and doors, and the entry was relocated to its original location at the center of the storefront. The work improved the building’s accessibility, increased visibility into the interior and lent an improved sense of symmetry to the overall structure.

Spring of 2019 saw a reconfiguration and energy-efficiency upgrade to the interior. Previous non-historic partition walls and restrooms were removed and upgraded with energy-efficient features, such as occupancy- and daylight-sensors and LED lighting, and accessible restrooms and spaces. Consistent with the functional warehouse operation of the building’s original tenant, an open plan was employed and original columns and structure were left exposed.

Continuing the evolution of our Denver studio, our team re-imagined an existing upper level as a multi-purpose salon style space. In addition to building on our functionality as a team and encouraging communal interaction and experimentation, the new space is an expression of the residential quality of our work.

The vision of the thoughtful reincarnation of the wide open, 2,798 square foot salon included creating multiple gathering areas for collaboration, conversation, and meetings among team members, clients, and colleagues. A back-drop of clean white walls allows for the additional usage of the space as an in-house gallery, where the works of emerging national, international, and Colorado-based artists are highlighted.

Within the historic exposed brick shell, which also features the original post and beam construction and re-finished oak flooring, dual seating groups are unified by a 30-foot-long custom designed sofa created by Denver-based Rooster Socks set against a window wall overlooking the bustling streetscape below. Additional furnishings include pieces sourced and imported from designers discovered during visits to Los Angeles and travels to Milan and Mexico City.

Together with the lower storefront level, which features open studio space, private offices, and the Creative Lab, 1830 Blake offers an inspiring contemporary workplace with biophilic and ergonomic features for our team while reflecting, engaging, and supporting the surrounding community.

The 1830 Blake Street restoration continues to strengthen R+B’s presence in Denver as our studio continues to evolve. In addition to accommodating the needs of our team and clients, our newly renovated space will allow us to more easily engage with the surrounding Lower Downtown neighborhood and the Denver community at large. We are proud to have consistently maintained 40+ team members for the last couple of years and are excited to be a part of the exciting possibilities the future holds. – John Rowland, AIA, Principal

The historic Mesa Store, located on Main Street at the entrance to Aspen, is the new home of R+B’s Aspen studio and our national headquarters. Designated and registered with the City of Aspen Historic Preservation Commission, the 1888 Mesa Store has long enjoyed a distinct vantage point at the top of Aspen’s Main Street, the mesa. The street dips down into the commercial core, leaving the building prominent on the site.

Restoration efforts included removing all non-historic proportioned windows and replacing them with replicas as researched in historic photos. The non-historic, covered entry roof fascia was removed and the historic detailing that had been covered up was restored and preserved. The non-historic exterior covered stair and deck was restored per the historic photos. All new plumbing, electrical, data, security, and fire protection prepared the property for the next century, further preserving Aspen’s authenticity and historical heritage. Accessibility was enhanced by adding an elevator that connects all three levels, as well as accessible park and entry. New landscaping and gardens complement the historic patterns of Main Street, while providing a modern aesthetic and accommodating a storm water infrastructure.

The sustainably designed tri-level interior is modern and bright, featuring white painted walls, white oak millwork and character grade oak flooring accented with black hardware and guardrails. In addition, all ceilings are white acoustic fabric by WhisperSpan.

The entry is surrounded by an enormous historic glass storefront that once saw uses as a bakery, general store and retail. This inspired the design team to respectfully place a welcome desk and kitchen that encourages the spirit of the hospitality of the past.

The driving concept was to create highly collaborative work and circulation spaces that are surrounded by individual work zones at the perimeter. Uplift desktops and built-ins were custom designed to maximize comfort and efficiency.

The Mesa Store has been our favorite Main Street building since the day Sarah Broughton and I first came into town, and shepherding it into the future is something we don’t take lightly. Building on the legacy of our firm while acting as the faithful stewards of this important property is humbling. As we embrace the opportunity to control our own destiny, it’s an honor and a privilege to call the Mesa Store our studio and R+B home! – Principal, John Rowland, AIA