Do the west slope...Durango, Telluride...best snow and attitude in Colorado, imho.

the snow is great the architecture blows

that goes for most of colorado in general...Aspen and Vail are no architectural wonderlands...unless you like high end stripmalls clad in stone and gaudy design.

There is some interesting work starting to happen in Telluride as people with money have moved there in waves over the past 20 years.

And, if you are going to Colorado for Architectural inspiration you are not going to be exposed to much anywhere you go in the state.

It is expensive and people w/ money who are building here (I'm currently in Colorado) are typically very conservative. So, you end up with a lot of typical suburban development w/ "colorado style" gingerbread on the front. Colorado is seeing (I work in Chaffee County - About an hour from Summit county) a lot of retirees coming...so a lot of high end custom homes with huge RV garages...that type of thing.

This development designed by Dover Kohl is about an 1 - 1.5 hrs from Aspen, Vail, etc.. . The idea with this one is New urbanism - whether you agree with that or not...but it is an example of some more progressive work going on on - although I understand that many might not agree that this is progressive. That said, I do think there is room for more progressive work. I think Summit County is very set in how they're doing things and you'll be in for the fight of your life if you want to bring about some change. However, if you're willing to branch out into other parts of Colorado I would seriously look at Chaffee County - It's rather unpopulated but it's growing and there is a wealth of outdoor opportunities...arguably more than Summit. I think its definitely a place that w/ the right development, architecture, etc.. . that has a reasonable amount of potential - as long as you come into it with a realistic understanding that it's not going to jump out of the ground overnight.

So they are building further out...great...more sprawl...that is all we need in the west.

And I think you are assuming about Telluride. I visited Vail and Telluride in the last year and found Telluride much more progressive in architecture...mostly due to the fact the houses were second homes to Californians...where is Vail and Aspen are frequented by a more conservative crowd.

O am biased though, I admit it. I love the west slope, the people, the nature...Aspen, Vail, Boulder...could be vaporized off of the map and I would be happy.

one of my coworkers is moving to colorado next week. makes me want to head back out west. i believe the average home price in those areas is way over two million ducats.

New Mexico vado...its hoping, new arch school, #1 city to do business.

this is the albucrackee that i remember...

Its still there and being gentrified at a rapid rate. All those that live in those areas are being enticed to move out to the mesa where they can get 4 times the square footage for the cost.

Vail's prices are about $1000-1500 per sq. ft. Crazy, eh? It's pretty ugly up there, as far as the architecture goes.

I think there is some decent stuff going on in Denver. At least as much as any other city in the US that I know of.

Denver's airport is nice, when the snow loads don't close it. And the city is doing some cool things for sure...although I hate the new DL museum.

while working at predocks there was a client that had glass beams holding up a glass floor for their upstairs master bathroom...I think $1000 sq/ft would be low balling that project.

once i had a love and it was a gas...

if you want to make a decent living, and do interesting work, i'd consider jackson, wy or bozeman, mt.

we aren't currently hiring, but if you shoot me an email i can give you more info and might be able to help you.

I agree, Bozeman is booming and is a great place to live...Mollie Brown and the Cats Paw...and some of the best snow in the world...Jackson is nice too, but a bit more like Aspen and Vail, and becoming more so. I hope they are able to avoid that fate.

i am moving from bozeman soon. be careful since it is becoming bozangles rather quickly, and you won't find a house in bozeman for under $300k. also, since you are coming from LA you will be ridiculed by the locals - especially if you visit the molly brown or cats paw. there is a lot of work going on both in bozeman and big sky. work in big sky is mainly 10,000+ sf 'rustic' vacation homes. the work in bozeman is mainly spec. homes, condos, and light retail. i think the architecture school is a hidden gem - i got my masters there rather than an ivy league. and if we start talking cost per square foot take a look at this
if my calcs. are correct i think that house will run you right at $3000 per square foot, but you get a gondola in your house that gives you access to the only private ski resort in the world.

Jasoncross - I've only visited Telluride once, but I agree with you. The architecture there was a lot more interesting than most of what is going on on Summit County, etc.. . I guess the problem w/ Telluride is that it's incredibly expensive - I think even more so than Aspen (perhaps??) Only a place for the very wealthy - so yes, there is going to be some cool stuff going on because of that, but it's for a very limited audience of super high end customers.

Livingston is where to go now from what I hear.

I used to be the head cook at the Co-op in Bozeman (one of the better co-ops I have been in) before they built the new store.

I lived on main above the True Value downtown in 1993 - 94. I had heard that it really exploded since I left.

jasoncross

you are in albuquerque now and have worked for predock? if you said that you have lived in san francisco and boston i would start to wonder how we have never crossed paths. wierd.

le bossman,

thanks for the info. i'll send an email shortly

i do agree w/ the above posts, being that i live here i deal w/ this all the time. i must say that there are some amazing architects up here, what it comes down to is the architects involvement in the community and the development design review boards. it's sad that the 'hacks' are sitting on these boards and are allowing these sub-par designs to be built. we need more qualified professionals to obtain these leadership positions and thus might help shift the built environment up here. this is an argument for american architecture in general in all states. what are your thoughts on this?

albeit, the skiing is stellar! 2min. to the lift from work...heaven.

so if colorado is still in its infancy with 'good architecture', does the quality of life one has there count for anything? and since the market isnt saturated with 'good architecture' does that not mean that if you were to start your own firm, that you really dont have much competition?

Your competition comes from everywhere. The clients that have that kind of money are building second homes and will hire big name architects such as Antoine Predock or Stephan Holl or others...not to say you couldn't find a niche, witch, a few have done successfully in Telluride, and to a lesser extent in Aspen/Vail...those are already so gaudy there is not much any architects are going to do to change that. It is the land of gold ski coats and big fur hats.

rootseven makes the point well...the controlling interests, not necessarily the public interest - like much of texas and wyoming - have pretty conservative aesthetic tendencies.

check out this firm in Vail - a friend of mine works in the office in The Hamptons, LI


Barnes Coy Architects

i don't know that bozeman is really going to become "bozangeles" anytime soon. of course, there is the whole californication thing, but you'll find this just about anywhere in the west. bozeman only has ~30,000 people. more people run the new york marathon than the entire population of bozeman. the housing is expensive, but you can find places for under 300 pretty easily, and you can find condos for cheaper.

in aspen they have "worker housing" be prepared to stand in line

I'd like to say thank you to everyone that replied to my inquiry. I've gathered that Aspen is way too expensive and Jackson, WY may be some what affordable.

good call. Colorado is awful, I would never move here... er, I mean there!

Seriously though, most people working in Aspen live in Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, etc. and drive to Aspen to 'mine money.' A commuting nightmare if you ask me.

Vail and Avon are unappealing to me as places to live, mainly because they feel like overgrown condo developments lining an interstate, which is essentially what they are.

To answer spyder- for me the quality of life counts for everything. It's all a question of what you are looking for though. I never intended to live in Colorado, but a friend from arch school got me to come visit for a bit, which turned into a winter. This winter was my 10th here.

Architecturally, I think the key is to start your own firm, and network beyond what seems possible. Set up your office wherever in the state you want to live your life and use your network to find like minded clients statewide.

actually, one problem with jackson is that it has become so expensive, people in the service trades can't afford to live there anymore.

so im going up to jackson this weekend to do some due diligence on a few lots a client just bought to develop a couple of projects on.. what are some word of wisdom from fellow archinectors about designing/building modern in jackson?

i don't think its really that hard. since will bruder built some things in jackson, modern arch is more prevalent there than anywhere reasonably close.

check these guys out:

http://www.dynia.com/

there are waaaay cooler places in CO than Aspen, Vail or Avon (unless you want to be some rich dudes bitch)... check out Leadville, Fairplay or Salida.

we are all someones bitch. what matters is what you create with your bitch status. leadville is super fly. has anyone seen that monster going in by Minturn? (battle mountain etc...) i love minturn, now it's going to get trampled by development = sucks.

you can design homes that'll be lived in 2 weeks a year



(i.e. secretly live in them for the rest of the seasons)