SO(U)L - SUN VALLEY COMPETITION

SO(U)L SUN VALLEY DESIGN COMPETITION

DENVER, COLORADO

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

STUDIO 646 ARCHITECTURE IN COLLABORATION WITH DENVER HOUSING AUTHORITY

FALL 2020

REVIT | ENSCAPE | PHOTOSHOP

PROJECT NARRATIVE

SO(U)L is a large city block within the Sun Valley neighborhood Master Plan to be redeveloped in collaboration with Denver Housing Authority (DHA). For this competition, we were given two weeks to develop the site layout, exterior building concepts, and create buildings that met their unit count requirements. I was part of a group of colleagues in charge of developing the site layout, community concepts, circulation, building design, and graphic presentation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Worked with colleagues to develop site layout and program, generate visual graphic imagery including rendered plans and perspectives, help create graphic presentation brochure, and refine unit count summary.

MASSING & SITE CONTEXT

SKETCHUP | ILLUSTRATOR

SITE MASSING MODEL & CIRCULATION DIAGRAM

The Sun Valley Master Plan has been an initiative of the City of Denver and Denver Housing Authority for nearly a decade. They have chosen this neighborhood as DHA has older affordable housing that is currently in disrepair. The site is located to the West of the South Platte River, just South of the 1-70 corridor providing excellent access to Downtown Denver. This area is currently family-oriented housing.

The master plan describes the SOL site as the 'Heart of the Neighborhood' - fueling our concept design for this development to allow for connection, gathering, and community. With this concept in mind, we were able to develop our site to allow for access to the elementary school to the North, access to the remainder of the Sun Valley neighborhood, and access and amenities reminiscent of the South Platte River Trail.

SITE CONCEPTS

So (u) l is centrally located within the Sun Valley neighborhood. Acting as the Intersection hub for pedestrian traffic from Fairview School and Mile High Stadium to the north, the food incubator to south east, and River Front park to the east, this site becomes the thoroughfare for pedestrian activity for the entire neighborhood. As the site is analyzed from this perspective, it becomes critical to design the site to act as a connection instead of a roadblock. With 2 major pedestrian pathways connecting through the site, and crossing radially through the site from the north, we have named this pedestrian thoroughfare the “Walk (Ray)". The converging nature of the pathway and angular shapes created remind us of the rays of sun, which breathe life into everything it touches. This site intents to do the same. As SOL translated is SUN, we think this is a perfect concept for the SOL site.

The Walk (Ray) pathway extends into the site under and through the main building along 10th Avenue providing a connection to Fairview School and athletic fields. The Walk (Ray) also provides a connection from new developments south and east of the site. Providing life giving access to the school, and the food incubator. The pathway brings life into the site with many site amenity connections. The community space is directly off the path, toddler park, water play area, seating areas, and designated bicycle express highways and pedestrian express pathways.

Discover our site plan concepts to the right by clicking each image to enlarge and scrolling to see the detailed site amenities.

Rendered Site Plan

Site Plan created using Revit, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Enlarged Rendered Site Plan

Site Plan created using Revit, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Rendered Site Plan

Site Plan created using Revit, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

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SO(U)L SITE PLAN & AMENITIES

Overall Roof Plan

Enlarged Roof Garden

Overall Roof Plan

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SO(U)L ROOF PLANS & AMENITIES

CONCEPTUAL RENDERINGS

ALL RENDERINGS ABOVE GENERATED USING: REVIT | ENSCAPE | PHOTOSHOP

UNIT COUNT & SUMMARY

There were many parameters we needed to meet with our design, including unit count and unit mix defined within the RFP and project parameters. Schematically designing unit layouts and building configurations helped to refine the over site concept and layout. We were able to provide ample 3 and 4 bedroom units, aligning with the family-oriented goals for the site. We also chose to include some live-work units in addition to the for sale units on the Townhouses located to the North of the site. We were able to maintain ample off-street parking throughout the site even with larger unit sizes.

Below, a color diagram of the site plan which coordinates to the specific unit count information. Click on each image to enlarge them for further detail.