Monday, December 17, 2012

Housing Colorado: Design By Community

Site Plan
Recently, Paul Brady, helped lead the 2012 Housing Colorado Design by Community Charrette held in October in Vail, Colorado. This annual event, put on by Housing Colorado, is a great opportunity for students and professionals within the industry to get involved and collaborate on real projects that benefit the community.  Each year, the Charrette chooses three projects from across the state of Colorado including an urban, rural and mountain/resort.  With jv DeSousa of Workshop9, Paul led the mountain/resort project focused on designing workforce housing for young professionals in Estes Park, CO.


Planning for the Charrette began in August through a partnership with the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado, Denver where 6 students began preparatory work as part of a class.  Then in September before the conference, the design team held a community meeting where they listened to the concerns, needs and desires of nearby residents and other stakeholders in the Town of Estes Park including:  

  • Build a variety of housing types
  • Design a mountain rustic aesthetic
  • Be sensitive to the wild-life movements
  • Build workforce housing for young professionals
  • Incorporate a child care facility 
  • Focus towards mixed incomes
  • Create community amenities 


Overlook Terrace
Above you can see in the site plan, the project was comprised of both row homes and cluster homes totaling 66 units. The units and buildings in the community have been staggered, allowing residence to have a bit more privacy and greater views from their own private patio. This was especially important in this location because the community wanted to take advantage of the amazing surrounding views. Another way that the community will take advantage of the surrounding landscape is by creating an overlook terrace at the center of the development (shown at right). In addition to allowing open space for the residents, the overlook terraces help maintain the natural migration path of the local wildlife.  The project will cost approximately $11.3 million and will rely on low income housing tax credits, state and local HOME credits, local government fee waivers and a small amount of private donations.

Final Rendering

For more information, visit:

Monday, December 10, 2012

Great News!!!!

Godden|Sudik Architects has been nominated for two National Awards!!! The Nationals℠, which are presented by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), pays tribute to superior sales and marketing achievements by individual professionals, homebuilders and associates, and sales and marketing councils. Godden|Sudik Architects was nominated for Best Architectural Design of a Single Family Home under 2,000 Sq. Ft. for The Rosamond at the Greens with Berkeley Homes and Best Architectural Design of an Attached Home Plan for The Albero at Verona with Verona Building Co., LLC. To view more pictures of these great projects, please visit one of Godden|Sudik's portfolios - Single Family Homes or Townhomes.


The Rosamond at the Greens

The Albero at Verona

To read more about the annual National Awards, please visit there website!

The winners of will be announced at the 2013  International Builders' Show (IBS) January 22-24 in Las Vegas.

Monday, December 3, 2012

HBF Ramp Build


On Friday, a few of us at Godden|Sudik Architects (Don, Lindsay, Kyle, Mike, and Chris) volunteered all day and into the night building a handicap ramp on a trailer home up in Thornton with the Home Builders Foundation (HBf). The ramp was 36' long with an intermediate landing. Although they weren't able to get it completely finished because of the dark, they got it to a usable point minus all of the vertical pickets on the handrail.



Great job team on volunteering and helping out in the community!

To find out how to volunteer with the HBF, please visit www.hbfdenver.org.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Congratulations!

We would like to congratulate Rick Sall, designer at Godden|Sudik Architects, for having one of his wonderful designs featured in the Fall 2012 LUXE Magazine!


The homes design was focused around an open floor plan and around the unique items the owner has collected as an apparel and accessory business specialist. There was a desire to give the home a low profile, so Rick utilized design techniques favored by Frank Lloyd Wright to help blend the home with its surrounding landscape. The home (pictured above) does a wonderful job of accomplishing this!

To read the article featured in the Fall 2012 LUXE Magazine, please click here.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Election Day and the White House



Whether you are voting Democrat or Republican this election, we thought it would be fun to do a little trivia on the White House!

Here are some architectural facts that you might or might not know about the President's House:
Location: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Year Build: 1793 - 1801
Square Feet: 55,000
Architect: James Hoban
Architectural Style: Georgian Neoclassical
First President to Live in the White House: President John Adams (1800)
White House Dimensions: 168 feet long x 85 feet 6 inches wide without porticoes; 152 feet wide with
Height: 70 feet
Number of Rooms: 132; 16 guest rooms, 1 main kitchen, 1 diet kitchen, 1 family kitchen and 35 bathrooms
Number of Doors: 412
Number of Windows: 147
Number of Fireplaces: 28
Staircases: 8
Elevators: 3

Other Fun Facts:
  • The kitchen can serve up to 140 for dinner
  • It takes more than 570 gallons of paint to cover the outside alone
  • The White House has survived two fires
  • Besides the traditional dog, other pets to reside at the White House were; tiger cubs, an alligator, a bear and a hippo, a tobacco-chewing ram and a heard of elephants





We hope that you have enjoyed these fun facts and that you go to the polls and vote!



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Haunted Architecture!

As you walk door to door tonight trick-o-treating we hope you come across some spooky architecture. Check out these great haunted places. Do you recognize any of them?






We hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!



Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Godden|Sudik Architects Receives Four MAME Awards!!!

We are pleased to announce that Godden|Sudik Architects received four awards at this years MAME Awards.

Cedar Ridge at Beacon Point

Best Architectural Design Detached Home 

$450,001 to $500, 000 

with Century Communities

Houndstooth Residence at BackCountry

Best Architectural Design Custom Home 

4,001 to 5,500 Finished Square Feet with
Duet Design Group & Advanced Building Concepts

















Albero at Verona


Best Architectural Design Attached Home 

$400,001 to $500,000
with Verona Building CO. LLC

 

Albero at Verona


Attached Home of the Year with 

Verona Building CO. LLC


Additionally, we would like to congratulate Design Lines, Inc. on taking home the award from Best Interior Design for an Attached home $400,001 to $500,000 for the Albero at Verona.

To view more information about the MAME Awards, please click here!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Chili Cookoff Winners!

Congratulations to the Godden|Sudik Chili Cookoff team for winning second place in the 2012 Colorado Springs Home Builders Associates (HBA) Annual Chili Cookoff! The award-wining recipe comes from Alex Jewett (far right), an associate here at Godden|Sudik Architects, who is pictured left with fellow colleagues (from left) Paul Brady, Kevin Gzym, Kellie Rowan and Chris Walla.

This was a great community event put on by the Colorado Springs HBA at the Freedom Financial Services  Expo Center. The night was all about getting the building community together, having fun and awarding the following categories; best red chili, best green chili, best grilled pork, best grilled beef, best grilled chicken, best dessert and best booth theme.

We were very happy to participate in such a great event that raises money for a great association!

Monday, October 15, 2012

MAME Award Finalist

The Marketing And Merchandising Excellence (MAME) Awards honor the top achievers in the new home industry each year. Awards are comprised of marketing, sales, interior design, architectural and builder awards. These awards are presented to those who set the standard of excellence in the Denver homebuilding industry. 


Godden|Sudik Architects is honored to be a gold sponsor for such a wonderful event and delighted to announce that we have been named finalists in the following categories:

  • Best Interior Design Attached Home $400,000 - $500,000 for the "Albero" at Verona
  • Best Architecture Design Attached Home $400,000 - $500,000 for the "Albero" at Verona
  • Best Architecture Design Detached $450,000 - $500,000 for the "Aberdeen" at Country Club Highlands
  • Best Architecture Design Detached $450,000 - $500,000 for the "Cedar Ridge" at Beacon Point
  • Best Architecture Design Custom Home 4,000 Sq. Ft. - 5,500 Sq. Ft. for the "Houndstooth" Residence
  • Best Architecture Design Custom Home 4,000 Sq. Ft. - 5,500 Sq. Ft. for the "Rainribbon" Residence
  • Active Adult Home of the Year for the "Albero" at Verona
  • Attached Home of the Year  for the "Albero" at Verona
  • Custom Home of the Year for the "Houndstooth" Residence
  • Best Website - Associate

Please join us Saturday, October 27th at 5:30 pm at the Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate these great industry awards.



Please visit the 2012 MAME Awards page for more information!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Existing Home Sales Rose 7.8% in August to an Annual Rate of 4.82 Million Units


Existing home sales rose 7.8% in August to an annual rate of 4.82 million units, coming in way above the consensus expected 4.56 million.  Sales are up 9.3% versus a year ago.

  • Sales in August were up in all major areas of the country. The rise in sales was due to increases in both single-family and multi-family home sales. 


  • The median price of an existing home fell slightly to $187,400 in August (not seasonally adjusted), but is up 9.5% versus a year ago. Average prices are up 4.3% versus last year.   


  • The months’ supply of existing homes (how long it would take to sell the entire inventory at the current sales rate) fell to 6.1 in August from 6.4 in July. The decline in the months’ supply was all due to a faster selling pace.  Inventories rose in August.

Implications: There should be no doubt the housing market is in recovery.  Existing home sales boomed in August rising 7.8%, coming in at the highest levels since mid-2010, when sales were artificially high due to the home buyer tax credit.  Some of the gain in August might be due to seasonal adjustment issues: sales also spiked higher in August 2010 and August 2011.  However, sales are still up 9.3% from a year ago while home prices are up 9.5%.  Higher sales and prices might be luring some sellers back into the market.   The inventory of existing homes rose to 2.47 million in August from 2.40 million in July.  Still, inventories are down 18.2% from a year ago and the months’ supply of homes (how long it would take to sell the entire inventory at the current selling rate) fell to 6.1.  Just a year ago, the months’ supply was 8.2.  A couple of factors explain the rise in existing home prices.  First, the lack of inventory on the market is pushing up prices while demand is picking up for housing.  Second, fewer distressed sales and more sales of larger homes.  In
general, it still remains tough to buy a home.  Despite record low mortgage rates, home buyers face very tight credit conditions. Tight credit conditions would also explain why all-cash transactions accounted for 27 percent of purchases in August versus a traditional share of about 10 percent.  Those with cash are able to take advantage of home prices that are extremely low relative to fundamentals (such as rents and replacement costs); for them, it’s a great time to buy.  With credit conditions remaining tight, we don’t expect a huge increase in home sales any time soon, but the housing market is definitely on the mend.  Other recent economic news has been mixed.  The NAHB index, which measures confidence among home builders  rose to 40 in September from 37 in August, the highest level since 2006.  Meanwhile, the Empire State index, which measures the direction of manufacturing activity in New York, fell to -10.4 in September from -5.9 in August, the lowest level since the recession ended in 2009.    




To view the original article, please click here.




Thursday, September 27, 2012

New Faces at Godden | Sudik Architects


With so much new work this past year Godden|Sudik Architects found ourselves needing to hire enough people to double in size! We are very pleased that we found such great people to join our team and would like to welcome our most recent team members Lindsay Slavin and Tim Williams.

Lindsay recently graduated with a Masters of Architecture from the University of Kansas where, in addition to her stateside studies, she was able to complete a study abroad in Spain and France. In addition to her worldly travels, Lindsay brings many prestigious awards from her collegiate career including: 1st place in the Inaugural Nurture Competition and Honorable Mention 2012 AIAS @ SAGE Renewing Home Student Design Competition. Additionally, Lindsay brings her knowledge in Revit and Adobe Creative Suite to aid in the teams’ construction documentation and graphic design.

After Tim completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Engineering at Colorado State University, he worked for architectural firms in the Lake Tahoe area as a designer and project manager. During his employment in California, Tim managed high-end vacation and estate projects throughout the state of California that implemented heavy timber, mountain vernacular and pier construction. Tim’s experience with these unique construction methods and project management allows Godden|Sudik Architects to continue to offer its custom home clients the best in design and construction documentation. To continue growing as an architect and designer, Tim received his master of Architecture degree at the University of Colorado Denver while also obtaining his LEED AP professional credentials. 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Inspire Littleton

For those of you interested in a great website that helps you get involved in how your community is shaped, InspireLittleton.org is the perfect website for you, especially if you're a resident of Littleton, CO!!! This website is an open forum that serves as a sort of "online town hall meeting" that you can join to view, vote and contribute on topics that will affect the future of Littleton's development. The site discusses issues big and small with people posting about things like why they love Littleton's parks to which area of the city you think new housing should be built.

Before and After of Cafe Terracotta

Being close neighbors to Littleton, Godden|Sudik Architects has helped in some of the cities more recent development. In downtown Littleton, we took an old historic home and carefully rehabilitated it to blend with the surrounding community and transformed it into the beautiful Cafe Terracotta at 5649 S. Curtice Street. Outside of downtown, in an adjacent older neighborhood, Godden|Sudik designed two infill homes to fit within the existing neighborhood. These homes featured all the classical elements of the surrounding neighborhood, but with upgraded interior amenities, such as an energy inefficiency geothermal system. Most recently, we have designed multiple homes in the Brookhaven development that keep with the character and integrity of Littleton's neighborhoods while integrating excellent design that Godden|Sudik Architects is known for as leading residential Colorado architects.



If you are interested in becoming active in Littleton's development, we encourage you to go online at www.inspirelittleton.org or by joining them tonight at the City Council Chambers at Littleton Center (from 6:30 - 8:30.


Monday, August 20, 2012

Godden | Sudik Architects Launches New Website


We at Godden | Sudik Architects are happy to unveil our new website!  The new site features more content, more stunning architectural imagery, and an enhanced page-to-page flow. Please browse our expanded portfolios featuring hundreds of new images, or the new "Our Process" section describing how we work.  We have split the website into two sides, featuring two different galleries, specifically written to for our different client types: homeowners and professionals.

We invite you to take a few moments to go through our new site, and please be sure to let us know what you think. Thank you!




Thursday, August 9, 2012

It's Time For The 58th Annual El Paso County Parade of Homes!



Godden | Sudik Architects is proud to participate in the 2012 El Paso County Parade of Homes with Century Communities. The "Residence 4020" is located at the Meridian Ranch Community in Peyton, CO and  features a two story floor plan with over 4,200 square feet of open living! The kitchen includes a large island, large walk-in pantry and butler pantry. Other unique features of this floor plan are a study, owners entry and informal dining area. For those who love outdoor entertaining, the home offer the option of the "Colorado Room" which is a glorious covered deck with fireplace and BBQ options.



Please come and check out all the amazing homes (details below)!!!


The Parade of Homes is August 3rd through the 19th!
Fall in love with the 24 beautiful new homes located throughout El Paso County.  See eleven homes in three communities – Banning Lewis Ranch, Flying Horse and Meridian Ranch – and thirteen homes throughout Colorado Springs, Monument, and Fountain.  See stunning examples of the latest in construction, technology, design and outdoor living. Wear walking shoes and grab some friends. So much to see, so many experts to lend their advice...but after seventeen days, it’s gone.
Tickets are on sale at all local Safeway Stores, La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries or any of the Parade homes.  Complimentary active duty military tickets are available at Mike Shaw Buick GMC in Motor City.  Admission is $10.00 for adults 18 to 64 and $5.00 for seniors 65 and over; your ticket includes a navigational map or you can log on to www.cshba.com, click on the Parade of Homes logo and then plan your route, courtesy of the Gazette.  One ticket will allow you to tour the Parade of Homes at your leisure during these 17 days.  Homes are open from 10am - 6pm daily.
You can register for a $2,500 shopping spree courtesy of La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries either by completing the information on your Parade ticket or online at cshba.com.
The Parade of Homes is brought to you by the Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs and is sponsored by: Champion Windows of Colorado Springs, Freedom Financial Services, The Gazette, La–Z–Boy Furniture Galleries, Mike Shaw Buick GMC, American Furniture Warehouse, K-Lite and KKTV.  Safeway is the official ticket outlet for the Parade of Homes.
The Parade of Homes is once again collecting non perishable food items at any Parade Home August 3 through the 19 to benefit Care and Share.
For more information about the Parade of Homes, visit www.cshba.com.


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Rental Rates Soaring


The need for apartments is continuing to rise as evidence from the most recent report from the Apartment Association of Metro Denver indicated this week. The rental rates in the Denver Metro area have risen over 7% in the past quarter alone with the average rental price spiking from $915 to $979. In more urban areas, such as Denver and Boulder, the rent increased as much as $87 per month. The Apartment Association of Metro Denver and the Colorado Division of Housing report that this is the greatest increase in 11 years!

Over the past year, we have designed over 500 units with the first resident moving in this week at the Regency at RidgeGate community. Prospects for future multifamily complexes look strong for Godden| Sudik Architects with over 700 units on the drawing board for the upcoming year. This has been wonderful news for Denver's economy and we look forward to continued growth!


To view the second quarter 2012 report click here.


Friday, July 27, 2012

HBF to the Rescue!

The Home Builders Foundations provides accessibility solutions and home modifications for individuals with disabilities and financial need through the collaborated efforts of the home building industry.  Recently, they received a phone call from a recipient/patient being release from the hospital. With the patient being released in only a few days and needing a ramp to enter their home, the HBF went to work! With such a tight turn around, the HBF decided to go with a modular aluminum ramp that they were able to install in a day!!!

The Home Builders Foundation hopes to be able to install a permanent ramp for the recipient during their annual ramp Blitz Build. This event takes place from September 6-8 and you can help by either going to www.givingfirst.org and making a donation or by volunteering your time.

To learn more about the HBF or to learn how to donate your time, please visit http://www.hbfdenver.org/index.html.






Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Pacific Coast Builders Conference

The 2012 Pacific Coast Builders Conference was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, this past June. The conference hosted many great events and presentations including; a bay area architectural design tour, 'Sales Leadership: The Ten Disciplines', 'Value Purity: How to Secure the Sale Without Getting Hosed', and the Gold Nugget Awards.

The Gold Nugget Awards are the oldest and largest program of its kind and is a highly sought after architectural design and land planning award. Entries came from 14 states and projects range from residential to commercial to industrial. Godden | Sudik Architects is honored to have received an award for Best Single Family Detached Home 1,700 - 2,000 Sq. Ft. category for the Rosamond.





Friday, July 20, 2012

Helpful links for Waldo Fire Victims


In a continued effort to get information out to those affected by the Waldo Canyon fire we have listed a few more links below that we thought might be helpful.

The Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs (HBA)  has posted some helpful posts about how to rebuild, how to pick the right contractor, and how to avoid scams in the process.To view this information, please click hereAlthough it may be customary to obtain multiple bids during a typical construction project, the HBA is encouraging homeowners to use their approved member directory as an efficient and reliable method for choosing a reputable contractor/architect/engineer in lieu of a long bidding process.
  Here is a link to the directory of approved companies through the Colorado Springs HBA that can help you with your rebuild. To view this information, please click here.

Additionally, some frequently asked questions with topics about debris removal, disaster recovery centers, fire terms, insurance, etc. can be found here



Monday, July 16, 2012

Welcome Kyle!

Godden | Sudik Architects would like to welcome our newest member, Kyle Conley! Kyle completed his undergraduate degree in architecture at the University of Notre Dame. Kyle came to us from Florida where he gained experience working at a high-end residential architecture firm whose projects are located throughout Florida and the Bahamas. Additionally, he completed an internship with an engineering firm and completed a study abroad program in Rome, Italy. Kyle not only brings his broad knowledge of architecture to the team, but wonderful rendering and artistic techniques as well! We are very glad to have Kyle with us at Godden | Sudik Architects!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Godden | Sudik Architects Receives Gold Nugget Award


Godden | Sudik Architects has won the Gold Nugget Merit Award for the Best Single Family Detached Home 1,700 - 2,000 Sq. Ft. category. The Rosamond, offered by Berkeley Homes, is located in Denver’s hot-selling East Park at Lowry community. “Berkeley Homes gave us a great opportunity to let our design talent shine with the Rosamond,” said Scott Sudik. The Awarded model features a two story, 1,962 S.F. open floor plan that features a gourmet kitchen, well designed flex space, an elegant formal dining room and master bedroom with a spa-like master bathroom.


We are very honored to receive such a prestigious award from the PCBC. If you would like to view all the awards please visit the Gold Nugget Awards Website.




Monday, July 9, 2012

Waldo Fire: Rebuilding or Restoring Your Home

The Waldo fire in Colorado Springs, Colorado was devastating and our hearts go out to all that were affected. Numerous employees at Godden | Sudik were personally affected by this event and we would like to help by providing as much helpful information here on our blog. 

Below you will find the content issued by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department on homeowners' options for rebuilding their homes. Please visit their website for more information http://www.pprbd.org/.



In response to the catastrophic fire in Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Regional Building Department will
use the following scenarios to assist those who lost or suffered damage to their home. Any one of the
following 4 scenarios may be used when applicable. Upon completion of the scope of work defined for
a permit associated with scenario 1; 2 or 3, a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued. No Certificate of
Occupancy will be issued for a permit using scenario 4. Please contact Mindy Stuemke @ 327-2903 or
Bob Croft@ 327-2914 to discuss if these scenarios will not work for your particular situation.

1. Use of existing foundation, same house:
If Regional Building has the original plans, the only document required will be a letter from a
licensed engineer stating that existing foundation is acceptable for rebuild. RBD will issue, at a
minimum fee, a demolition permit for removal of fire debris. This permit is required to monitor
removal activity and be sure fall protection is installed around the open foundation as required
by code(2011 PPRBC). The single family dwelling shell can be constructed according to the plans
on file with the issuance of a new remodel permit (434). The permit cost will be based on the
cost of square footage with attachments for Electrical/Mechanical and Plumbing trades at a
minimum fee. The interior finish portion of the house may not be required to meet all current
structural or design criteria of the 2009 IRC, but will be required to meet all life/ safety
requirements and other design provisions that benefit the owner such as, but not limited to,
State Electrical Code, smoke and CO detectors, energy conservation, etc.

2. Non-use of existing foundation, same house:
If Regional Building has the original plans, the documentation required will be a letter from a
licensed engineer stating that foundation is not safe for rebuild and submittal of a new
foundation plan for review/approval. RBD will issue a wrecking permit at a minimum fee for
total removal of foundation and all fire debris. This permit is required to monitor removal
activity and to be sure the foundation excavation is backfilled or protected according to code
(2011 PPRBC). With this option, a new single family dwelling permit (101) will be issued based
on the cost of square footage and no other trades will need to attach, this will be a universal
permit. The construction of the foundation must comply with all applicable provisions of the
2009 IRC. Inspections may be made by the engineer of record. The remaining portion of the
structure located above the foundation may be constructed as outlined in # 1 above.

3. Building new home (different from original) at existing location:
Process will be the same as any new single family dwelling plan/ permit submittal currently in
place. http://www.pprbd.org/plancheck/PLCK_RESGuide_2012.pdf One set of plans,
including engineered foundation, site plan, all construction docs and duct design components to
comply with 2009 IRC.

4. Repair of existing structure due to fire damage:
Process will be the same as any remodel for an existing residential structure.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Houzz Images

Many of our recent custom home clients have stumbled upon a great resource for current and prospective homeowners, industry professionals and really, just anyone who loves design! Houzz is a website where you can upload photos of your projects and tag them by style, space and location. Much like www.pinterest.com, you can also create idea books/boards and link these to Facebook to share with friends and family or just use them to store ideas for your dream house!

The site is very easy to use, for example, if you were trying to gather ideas for a meeting with your architect for a modern style home, you can go to www.houzz.com, click on the modern category, filter ever further by exterior (or any other space you like) and over 6,500 images instantly appear!

We encourage you to check out this website and view our recently uploaded photos of some of our award winning Parade of Homes. www.houzz.com For additional images of projects completed by Godden | Sudik Architects, please visit our website!

La Grande Cannoli at Reunion

Thursday, May 24, 2012

ACE Mentor Program


For the last 7 years Alex Jewett, our Associate Principal, has been participating as a volunteer with the ACE Mentor Program.  At Godden | Sudik Architects we are always looking for ways to contribute to the community and this is just one of the many programs our employees are involved in.

 The ACE Mentor Program of America, Inc. was founded in 1994 and stands for Architecture, Construction and Engineering. The program focuses on mentoring high school students and inspiring them to pursue careers within design and construction. 

 This year, 15 different high schools participated in the program, include Smokey Hill High School, the school where Alex mentors.  During a 15 week program the students work on a studio project based on an actual site within Denver area.  To help gain a basic understanding of the various fields within Architecture, Construction, and Engineering; mentors, such as Alex, give presentations on different disciplines that pertain to the program and project.  The mentors then help guide the students  while they develop their designs.  Once the designs are complete students give a five minute presentation of their project to actual professional within the industry.  At the end of the program ACE holds a "Dollars for Scholars" dinner for students, parents, mentors, and sponsors.  The dinner is designed to identify those students that excelled in the program and who are graduating high school.  If any of these students are continuing on to college to study one of the various fields they are awarded a scholarship. This year $36,000 in scholarships were awarded to nine students. 

 This great program offers students interested in architecture, construction or engineering an opportunity to gain some knowledge prior to college about the industry and have some very valuable hands-on-experience with industry professionals.





For more information about ACE Mentor Program or to contribute
 to the program, please visit http://www.acementor.org/.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Box City

Denver recently wrapped up their annual Box City day which Godden | Sudik Architects, in past years,has had employees volunteer for. The event is a great example of how the Denver Metro Area is educating kids in a really fun way about historic preservation and urban design. They use items such as boxes, empty paper towel rolls, art supplies, etc. to create buildings and communities based on their own creativity.
This is an annual event that is open to the public and is a really great experience for kids!

Check out AIA Colorado's website for more information and pictures http://aiacolorado.org/events/COArchitectureMonth/BoxCity.aspx.


Friday, May 11, 2012

Verona Active Adult Community

Recently, the Godden | Sudik Architecture team went to our 50+ Active Adult living community, Verona. The 6 unit townhome has been completed for a few months now and the 10 unit condominium building is under construction. Completing frame walks of projects done within the firm is a great way for us to learn more about what our colleagues are working on and different construction methods employed throughout the firm and industry. Below are some pictures taken by people within the office of the frame walk.



Please check www.goddensudik.com for a link to our YouTube page with a video of the frame walk.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Denver's Housing Market

Here at Godden | Sudik Architects we have noticed a trend in the Denver Metro Area. Within our office, it would be easier to say who hasn't recently bought a single family home or is currently looking. It seems homes are moving so quickly, that if you don't schedule a showing for a desirable home within the first 24-hours it is listed AND make an offer, you will miss out on a great opportunity.  A recent article in the Denver Post stated, "Denver is No. 2 in the nation for the shortest length of time that a home is listed before being sold ..." It can be frustrating and stressful, but in the end, it's really a great thing! It means that our economy is really bouncing back and people are feeling safe enough to make large purchases, such as homes! With the economy being down for so long and builders choosing to build more townhomes and apartments the past few years, this has left the Denver Metro Area with a single family housing shortage. 

So, we would like to know, how many of you have recently bought or are looking to buy?

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The High Line - New York City



New York City is made up of numerous high rises, subways and people. It would be an understatement to say that New York City, with a population of 1,585,873 within only 22.96 square miles, is a crowded place to live. When you have 69,464 neighbors within a square mile, you learn to use every inch of space you have. The City of New York City has learned this as well and a prime example of this is the High Line. 


Originally built in the 1930's, it raised freight traffic 30 feet off the ground removing dangerous trains from pedestrian paths. The line was closed in the 1980's and sat untouched for many years. Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, formed in 1999 when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. Friends of the High Line works in partnership with the City of New York to preserve and maintain the structure as an elevated public park. 

The project was approved in 2002 and construction for the rehabilitation of the line began in 2006 and the final stretch of the project opened in spring of 2011. The project is a brilliant example of rehabilitation and attention to detail. When walking down the stretch, layers of the sidewalk seamlessly merge into the landscape, benches grown out of the ground and original train tracks guide the wheels of the lounges.


Along side the High Line, new residential buildings have been erected along side hundred year old buildings, creating an architecturally intriguing backdrop for your journey down the path.  The mixture of the old and new is a constant reminder as you wind down this landscaped trail elevated above all the commotion that everything in this city is used carefully.


Before Construction Began (image
from www.highline.org)
Original Design of the High Line by 
James Corner Field Operations, 
Diller Scofidio + Renfro and 
Piet Oudolf















For more information about the High Line please check out www.thehighline.org.