Current News
David Barrett Honored as American Institute of Architects Fellow
David Barrett has been named as an American Institute of Architects Fellow, one of the highest honors bestowed in the profession. An AIA Fellow, or FAIA, is nominated and supported by peers, and voted on by a professional jury. Elevation to Fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of the architect as an individual but also elevates before the public and the profession those architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society. Less than 4% of the AIA membership has achieved this status.
Congratulations, David, on an illustrious career of designing places where people live, learn, work, play, and pray!
Barrett Studio & Wildfire Rebuild
Barrett Studio architects continues to be inspired and educated through our work with wildfire victims. We’ve completed five homes for those who lost their previous homes or land in Colorado wildfires. One of these homes, Casa M, was for the Four Mile Fire first responder. In the process, we’ve learned many lessons, both technical and poetic, while finding unique solutions for each client we meet.
We look forward to sharing these lessons and projects in a public webinar in April. In the meantime, check out David’s blog article series, “Loss & Opportunity: Four Homes Rise from the Ashes.”
view the project: Casa M
learn more: barrettstudio.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/loss-and-opportunity-four-homes-rise-from-the-ashes-part-iii/
Fourmile Fire: Forums, Education, and Sustainability
As part of the Four Mile Fire community, we’d like to express compassion & concern for those directly affected. We’ve had clients who have lost their homes, and clients who have lost their sites. One of these clients said to us that she sees fire as an element that offers regenerative opportunities - a positive outlook on disaster. Everyone involved has an incredible story, and now the community is adding to that story with their support and involvement.
We invite you to join us September 23 and October 3 at the Four Mile Rebuild Forum to visit with local architects & builders and learn about fires resistant design, technology & materials, as well as sustainability.
And, please read our blog posting on Wildfire Resistant by Design - lessons we’ve learned over the years on designing with wildfire mitigation in mind, and check out Casa M, a home we’re currently building using an innovative building material with incredible wildfire resistance potential.
learn more: barrettstudio.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/wildfire-resistance-by-design/
BSA’s Living Architecture Book Available for Online Purchase!
Barrett Studio architects’ portfolio book - Living Architecture - is now available for purchase online! The book explores our thirty years of green design through 26 projects representing homes, education, spiritual and community. We hope that you enjoy! Please click here to purchase a copy from Amazon.
News
Archived News
- March 1, 2011
Twin Buttes Published in Architect Colorado - July 2010
David to Speak at Conversations with Extraordinary People - June 2010
Maggie to Speak at TEDx on Conscious Growth - May 2010
Nicole to speak at BGBG Brownbag on AAC - April 2010
Nicole, Amy & Laura lead “Listening to the Land” workshop for Environmental Educators - February 2010
wee ski Chalet is Greensource “Best Green House” - May 2009
Dushanbe Center wins Innovation: Sustainability Award - April 2009
Leaf Home Features in Missoulian Go Green - April 2009
David speaks on Sustainability & the Art of Planning at APA - January 2009
BSa partners with Watershed School for AFH Competition - June 2008
BSa Declared Winners of Business Challenge: Bike/Bus to Work - January 1, 2008
BSa donates $10,000 to local non-profits - October 2007
Sam braves International Travel to visit site of Dushanbe Cyber-Cafe - Now in Construction! - September 2005
Natural Home & Garden profiles Publisher’s Home - August 2005
The Garden House is “Boulder’s Coolest Home”! - 5280 Magazine - June 8, 2005
Jonathan Zimmerman Remembered - January 24, 2005
Sam Nishek, Principal, gains LEED accreditation! - December 18, 2004
The Strawbale Home has been profiled in the Rocky Mountain News!
Twin Buttes Published in Architect Colorado
Barrett Studio’s visionary work masterplanning the Twin Buttes Ecovillage was recently recognized in the Architect Colorado magazine, Winter 2010-2011 issue. The article, titled “Seeing with their Mind’s Eye,” profiled the innovative approach to Master Planning that Barrett employed at Twin Buttes. Before planning began, an “EcoVision” gave the project a holistic benchmark to refer back to as the planning process evolved. To quote the article, Greg Hoch, Durango’s Planning Director, remarks, “This project…will raise the bar for new development not only for Durango, but across the country. Developers can follow this model to take the concept of green and sustainable to a whole new level.”
view the project: Twin Buttes Ecovillage
David to Speak at Conversations with Extraordinary People
David has been selected to speak at Boulder’s Conversations with Extraordinary People series. According to the Boulder History Museum, in honor of Boulder’s 150th anniversary this series at the Chautauqua Community House features wine & cheese, and extraordinary people sharing their remarkable personal stories. David’s conversation will take place in February of 2011. More details coming soon!
Maggie to Speak at TEDx on Conscious Growth
Maggie was honored to be selected among an incredible group of people to speak at the upcoming TEDx Boulder event August 7th at Chautauqua Field House. She will be discussing the “business as unusual” approach to land planning that Barrett Studio - and a multidisciplinary team - undertook with the innovative Twin Buttes Ecovillage. Her 6-minute whirlwind chat is titled, “Conscious Growth: Land Development with Values.”
view the project: Twin Buttes Ecovillage
learn more: www.tedxboulder.com
Nicole to speak at BGBG Brownbag on AAC
Nicole has been accepted to speak at the Boulder Green Building Guild monthly Residential Brownbag forum on July 13th, on the topic of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. We’ve designed a home using this innovative green material, and, along with the project’s structural engineer & manufacturer, will be discussing its attributes and merits.
Nicole, Amy & Laura lead “Listening to the Land” workshop for Environmental Educators
Nicole, Amy, & Laura have been selected again to present at The Teaching Outside the Box Conference, held by the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education. Their two-hour workshop titled “Listening to the Land: Understanding the Relationship between Natural & Built Learning Environments” was so popular last year that they were invited back! A hands-on site analysis session follows a lecture on the interrelationship between site & building. We are currently seeking other relevant venues at which to present this engaging workshop.
wee ski Chalet is Greensource “Best Green House”
The wee ski Chalet was recently featured in Greensource magazine as one of their “Best Green Houses.” A narrative & slideshow by David Sokol can be viewed on Greensource’s website, along with a lively discussion in the commentary section.
view the project: wee Ski Chalet
Dushanbe Center wins Innovation: Sustainability Award
As reported in the Daily Camera, the recently completed Dushanbe Cyber-Cafe & Cultural Exchange Center was the recipient of the Sister Cities International 2009 Award for Innovation: Sustainable Development. The award, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, was accompanied by a letter from the SCI President, which stated, “This award is a tribute to the work, contribution and dedication of your volunteers and community to help foster international cooperation and understanding.” We are proud to have played such an integral role in the realization of this incredible project!
view the project: Dushanbe Friendship Center
Leaf Home Features in Missoulian Go Green
The Leaf Home was recently featured under the Organic Architecture heading in the Missoulian’s Go Green Special Report. The article, which describes many of the house’s sustainable systems & materials, also delves into the biomimetic response that often drives the poetic seeds of our home design. The full article can be found on the Missoulian’s website.
view the project: Leaf Home
David speaks on Sustainability & the Art of Planning at APA
The American Planning Association National Conference was held in Minneapolis this year, and David Barrett presented on “Sustainability and the Art of Planning.” His lecture explored the Master Planning process of the Holiday Neighborhood, which has been recognized as a Model for Sustainable Development by the Urban Land Institute. BIG Ideas! such as Connectivity, Complexity, Variety, and Affordability founded the basis for this successful new gateway community in Boulder, Colorado, and BSa’s Design Guidelines ensured that the vision was realized with integrity by the various developer architect teams who built out the neighborhood.
BSa partners with Watershed School for AFH Competition
Barrett Studio Architects is partnering with the Watershed School in a competition hosted by Architecture for Humanity’s Open Architecture Challenge. This year’s challenge is to design the classroom of the future that provides a healthy learning environment for multiple cultures and economic groups. Working with student groups at Watershed, our team - led by Amy Kirtland - is exploring education in the western United States environment through a portable learning structure. The winning submission will receive $50,000 to construct their design.
BSa Declared Winners of Business Challenge: Bike/Bus to Work
As our trusty bike rack at the front of the studio can attest, we’re dedicated to enjoying & preserving our beautiful Colorado by biking to work! Some of us bike to the bus in Denver, load their bikes onto the bus, and then bike from the station in Boulder to the studio, some bike from our homes in North & East Boulder, and sometimes we even have an intrepid biker from Louisville in the mix! By providing RTD passes to our employees and having a little competitive spirit, we cut our carbon footprint significantly. We are pleased to have been recognized by the Denver Regional Council of Governments and by RTD as the Business Challenge Winner for alternative commuting.
BSa donates $10,000 to local non-profits
It has long been our desire to give back tangibly to the local community that gives so much to us, and in 2007 we were proud to share a portion of our profits with Boulder organizations that contribute to our communities vibrancy. While there are many deserving organizations, we chose to support the Carriage House, the Emergency Family Assistance Association, and the Wild Bear Center for Nature & Discovery. These particular non-profits align with our principles by bring housing solutions to the less fortunate and also educating our youth to bring about a sustainable future for our global home - Earth!
Sam braves International Travel to visit site of Dushanbe Cyber-Cafe - Now in Construction!
Sam Nishek is currently travelling in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in order to have a few shots of vodka and administer the construction of the Dushanbe Cyber-Cafe. Having worked on the project for several years, it is such a pleasure to see it tangibly taking shape! If you have interest in donating to this important venture, please visit www.boulder-dushanbe.org.
view the project: Dushanbe Friendship Center
Natural Home & Garden profiles Publisher’s Home
The Ligon Residence was profiled in the article “Coming Home”, published in the September / October issue of the Natural Home & Garden magazine. This home’s massing, conscious material selection, and livable scale take advantage of a unique site to truly provide a sense of comfortable, high performance dwelling for the owners.
The Garden House is “Boulder’s Coolest Home”! - 5280 Magazine
5280 Magazine profiled David Barrett, Principal of Barrett Studio architects, in their August issue. The Barrett’s Garden Home was touted as an example of earth conscious design, and David’s attention to nature’s forms and forces, scale & livability were outlined as a key to the his design philosophy and the design process at BSA.
view the project: Garden Home
Jonathan Zimmerman Remembered
Our good friend and colleague Jonathan Zimmerman passed away. As an architect, Jon specialized in the design of air formed thin shell concrete structures. Many of his designs can be found by searching the internet. His love and passion for dome architecture led to a lifelong study, which has advanced the development of this building process. In an effort to keep his dream alive, we are happy to respond to your inquiries.
Take Care Jon: you will be greatly missed.
Sam Nishek, Principal, gains LEED accreditation!
The United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recognizes design professionals who display an expertise in green building techniques and systems. We are proud to formalize our dedication to environmentally sustainable building practices with Sam’s achievement.
Congratulations, Sam!
The Strawbale Home has been profiled in the Rocky Mountain News!
This award winning sustainable home in Salida, Colorado is constructed of straw-bales, and uses careful site planning to maximize the spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
view the project: Home of Straw