Architecture|Built Work

909 Walnut

Arch 11|Boulder, Colorado|2015

2018 AIA Colorado Award of Excellence|2018 AIA Colorado Notable in the North

Within one of downtown Boulder's tightest regulatory envelopes, 909 Walnut uses daylight, layered public space, and a terracotta screen to make constraint productive.

I worked as a designer on the Arch 11 team that designed 909 Walnut and oversaw its construction. The mixed-use building occupies one of the last infill sites in historic downtown Boulder, with a restaurant at street level and two floors of speculative offices above. A tight zoning envelope, required public open space, daylighting goals, and the city's historic review process made constraint central to the design.

The project respects the scale and material character of Walnut Street without copying its masonry buildings. A layered terracotta sunscreen filters southern light and recalls the proportion, color, and texture of brick while remaining visibly contemporary. Structure, glazing, planters, circulation, and shading remain legible as distinct parts, gradually moving from the public sidewalk through shared interior spaces to the offices above.

Daylight extends beyond the perimeter through a tall stair and linear light well. Expanded landings, benches, planting, conference rooms, and exterior terraces turn circulation into places for meeting and pause rather than treating it as leftover space.

Project Facts

Designer on the Arch 11 project team from design through construction. 14,475 SF mixed-use building on a 6,300 SF site. $3.4 million construction cost. 2018 AIA Colorado Award of Excellence and 2018 AIA Colorado Notable in the North. Individual project-team members are not identified in the current source.

Scroll for more → click any image to view full size