R+B Projects ‘Art Barn’ and ‘Victorian Square’ receives 2018 AIA Colorado Design Awards

Art Barn residential project receives a Notable in Denver award

18Victorian Square commercial project receives a Notable in the West award

ASPEN, CO — September 18, 2018 — Rowland+Broughton Architecture / Urban Design / Interior Design is honored to have been recognized with two prestigious awards at the 2018 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Colorado Design & Honor Awards Gala, which took place Friday, September 7, at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Art Barn residential project received a Notable in Denver award, and Victorian Square commercial project received a Notable in the West award. The awards were accepted by Sarah Broughton, AIA, Principal; Bryan May, AIA, Project Architect; Rahul Mohare, Project Architect; Will Otte, Project Architect; Amanda Christianson, AIA, Project Manager; John Rowland, AIA, Principal; and Mark Bever, AIA, Project Architect (pictured left to right above).

“Recipients of the 2018 AIA Colorado Honor Awards are talented architects who care about their colleagues, their clients and the community around them,” notes Cathy Rosset, Executive Vice President & CEO of AIA Colorado. “They are committed to continually growing as professionals, creating a strong firm and fortifying both AIA Colorado and the State at large.” Reviewed by peers and judged by architects in Portland, Oregon, 21 of 120 submitted projects designed by architecture firms across Colorado were recognized for innovative uses of materials, space and design, as well as for fostering “livable communities.”

About receiving the awards, R+B Principal Sarah Broughton shares, “It is an honor to receive these respected AIA awards, which placed us in the company of some amazing projects and firms throughout Colorado. As an active member and awards participant of AIA Colorado over the last 15 years, being continually recognized for our work in both residential and commercial categories is a testament to our professional capabilities and range. Thank you and congratulations to everyone, including our R+B teams, our clients and our project partners, all of which helped bring these very special projects to fruition.”

About Art Barn – Sited at the edge of a steeply sloped mountainside, Art Barn is positioned so that the entry façade addresses a pastoral ranch meadow and the rear façade frames panoramic views of Aspen below. The 6,200 square foot design was predicated upon the vision of allowing the ranch meadow and rural vernacular to feather their way onto the site. The simplicity of the singular gable form, along with the minimalist detailing of the “shou-sugi-ban” wood siding and fenestration pattern, begins to suggest a clarity and rigor, which is carried through to the inside.

A soothing interior palette features natural materials, meticulously detailed with special attention to precision of alignments. With philanthropic purposes in mind, the great room is designed for maximum flexibility so that furniture could be easily removed for large dinner parties, musical receptions, and other philanthropic events. Two gallery spaces are designed for a vast range of video art displays, based on how an artist conceives a piece should be experienced. In addition, the auto court doubles as a pre-function space, where guests can enter through large pocketing windows. Art Barn’s crescendo is the tearoom. Designed as a modern interpretation of an authentic Japanese tearoom, and to accommodate traditional tea ceremonies, the space is located behind hidden doors at the lower level video art gallery and accessed via two entrances, one for the tea master and one for guests. An indoor/outdoor connection with the garden beyond is through a large, corner sliding glass door.

About Victorian Square – Victorian Square is an iconic cornerstone to Aspen’s storied history, community and future. At 12, 275 square feet, the concept is inspired by a nearby backcountry skiing haunt referred to by locals as “The Pillow Factory.” The highlight of this area is a series of snow-covered rock outcroppings, or pillows, that gently step down the slope and allow skiers to playfully bounce down from one to the next. The design team 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 snowfalls.

Petersen 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 were prevalent throughout downtown Aspen during the early mining years. African Mahogany represents the snow pillows, detailed with an undulating façade to indicate the stratified lines of past snowstorms, is cantilevered over the masonry façade. The wood pillows also reference the false storefront façades prevalent in mining towns during the turn of the century.