Community Engagement
The allure of Denver's 300 days of sunshine is hard to resist. But this cherished sunny climate comes with a tradeoff: increased UV radiation levels in a city lacking robust shade design infrastructure.
Architecture students in the Rocky Mountain Land Library (RMLL) studio spent the semester developing design proposals for Buffalo Peaks Ranch in Park County, Colorado.
As ENVD’s first Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow, Sophie Weston Chien is pioneering an innovative approach to design communication that connects community, ecology and history through the tactile art of tufted textiles.
Last fall, students proposed new schoolyard designs emphasizing learning, creativity, mental health and interactions with nature for six ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ Valley School District (BVSD) schools. In the spring and summer of 2024, two out of the six BVSD schools have worked to successfully advance their projects from planning to planting.
The Restoration, Salvation and Climate Adaptation symposium drew a crowd of over 80 academic researchers, design professionals, city leadership and Environmental Design community members to the Museum of ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ.
In the tenth iteration of the Rome Global Seminar, Environmental Design students embarked on a summer field course, exploring the rich culture and historic urban landscapes of both Rome and Syracuse, Italy.
The Creative Labs Center (CLC), one of ENVD’s specialized workshops and studio spaces, has been a hub of activity, hosting thousands of students and countless projects. This summer, however, the CLC welcomed a unique group of residents — a flock of birds.
Sticky metal playgrounds and hot asphalt. Bare patches of dirt on browning soccer fields. Limited shade with no space for solitude and quiet. A small cluster of trees - sometimes. This is what tends to come to mind when we think about a typical schoolyard. Soon, however, six ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ Valley School District (BVSD) schoolyards may receive a green makeover.
ENVD faculty visited the Denver Botanic Gardens with the goal to reinvigorate the CU-DBG connection and to introduce new faculty and leadership.
Under Ferguson Pyatt’s mentorship, fourth year architecture student Masani Salazar designed and constructed a three-bedroom floorplan prototype model at an 8-inch scale, mirroring the Taos Pueblo’s traditional style of architecture. She hopes that by designing housing that is familiar and comfortable, built out of adobe or similar material and following traditional architectural styles, more people will choose to stay in the community.