Tag Archives: University of Colorado Denver

Place Matters: Tradition in the American West

Next week, I am honored to be presenting a lecture at the Seminario Internacional Arquitectura y Humanismo being held at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in conjunction with the Premio Rafael Manzano Martos. I will be presenting the rationale and work of our new center, CARTA, and my thoughts on the role of place, particularly in the American West. An excerpt from the catalog accompanying the symposium follows the break below, the full text of which may be downloaded by clicking HERE.

Denver's Larimer Square.

Denver’s Larimer Square.

As America rebounds from the Great Recession of 2008, cities such as Denver, Seattle, and Portland are experiencing rapid growth, in both city-center infill projects and expanding suburban development. This building boom, driven as much by demand for new housing and commercial space as it is by capitalism, is unfortunately characterized by buildings that all too often lack durability, sustainability, and beauty. Many of the buildings being built, especially in historic neighborhoods, have nothing in common with their contexts.

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Robert Adam speaks: On the Nature of Tradition and Innovation

Dean Mark Gelernter, architect Robert Adam and Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives director Christine G. H. Franck.

Dean Mark Gelernter, architect Robert Adam and Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives director Christine G. H. Franck.

I was so pleased to have the great British architect Robert Adam come to Denver to deliver a lecture for the Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives at the University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning this past spring. Many thanks to the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art Rocky Mountain Chapter for their generous support!

Watch the video here:

Léon Krier on The Architecture of Community

ICAA Rocky Mountain Chapter President Don Ruggles, Irene Stillman, Leon Krier, Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives director Christine Franck, ICAA Rocky Mountain Chapter secretary Tom Matthews on Leon Krier's visit to Denver.

ICAA Rocky Mountain Chapter President Don Ruggles, Irene Stillman, Leon Krier, Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives director Christine Franck, ICAA Rocky Mountain Chapter secretary Tom Matthews on Leon Krier’s visit to Denver.

This spring, the Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives at the University of Colorado Denver hosted Léon Krier for our inaugural lecture at the University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning, Many thanks to the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art Rocky Mountain Chapter for their generous support in making this lecture possible. A standing room only crowd attended the lecture!

Watch the video here: 

New Initiative on Traditional Architecture Offered at University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning

Christine G. H. Franck is appointed the first Director of Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives

Christine G. H. Franck

Denver (Sept. 26, 2013) – The University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning is proud to announce the college’s first-ever director of Contemporary Traditional Architecture Initiatives. Award-winning designer, author and educator Christine G. H. Franck has been appointed the first Director.

Dean Mark Gelernter says “this new position will help pull together a number of programs and initiatives in our college around the theme of Enduring Places. This means designing buildings and places that can last longer by adapting to changes over time, rather than wastefully replacing them when functions or tastes change.” Enduring Places partners sustainability with historic preservation, and focuses renewed attention on how buildings in the past adapted more gracefully to change than many of our more recent buildings. This initiative will help today’s practitioners learn important lessons from our traditional settlement patterns, design languages and building practices. Continue reading