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/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / DECEMBER 2014
“When a client or architect hires Stu-
dio NYL, that’s exactly who they get — the
‘A-Team,’” said Lineham. The small team of
highly dedicated and passionate designers
is a boon to clients because it means every-
one is a member of every project team, mak-
ing for better brainstorming and problem
solving. Camaraderie, including after-hours
emails and napkin-scribbling, facilitates the
transition from vision to reality.
Lineham says an important aspect of the
firm’s service is being able to provide a “global
attitude” in the options the team presents to
architects. The team applies techniques and
processes gleaned from projects around the
world, making the possibilities for architects
almost endless. Colorado Springs architect
Friesen likens that gift to that of talented mu-
sicians.
“Anyone can pick up a Stradivarius, but only
certain people can pull from them the true
depth and beauty of their sound,” he said. “A
lot of people have the tools of structural engi-
neering, but these guys use them to pull from
the design and create something even better.”
This global mindset is a product of the
team’s international background and current
work. Lineham and O’Hara have worked on
20 projects in Mexico, including the first four
buildings in phase 1 of an entire campus mas-
ter plan for Tecnológico de Monterrey. They
say working in that country gives them op-
portunities to “push the edge of what’s pos-
sible.”
“They’ve been challenged and taken out of
their comfort zones to create some unique
solutions for complicated projects in which
structure plays a big role,” Salinas said in an
email.
That keeps Studio NYL at the forefront of
design. In its 10 years of existence, Studio NYL
has been a partner in nearly 1,000 projects and
garneredmore than 100 awards. A few of their
most recently completed projects include
Marquez Hall at Colorado School of Mines
(with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson/AndersonMa-
son Dale), the Lory Student Center renovation
at Colorado State University (with Perkins and
Will/Aller-Lingle-Massey), Liverpool Insur-
gentes in Mexico City (with Rojkind Arquitec-
tos) and the Science Pyramid at the Denver
Botanic Gardens (with Burkett Design).
Although O’Hara and Lineham have
worked with such stars as Renzo Piano, Bohlin
Cywinski Jackson and Daniel Libeskind, they
enjoy working with local talent on local proj-
ects most of all. About 70 percent of the firm’s
projects are in Colorado.
“Some of the greatest designers in the world
are right here in Denver,” O’Hara says, when
asked who he most wants to work with in the
world.
The firmhas won awards for its renovations
of complex historical buildings around Colo-
rado. They also design the structure and skins
for residences, both grandiose and humble.
One example of the latter is the dwellings
the firm designed with architectural students
from the University of Colorado Boulder in
association with Pyatt Studio for the Native
American Sustainable Housing Initiative. The
key to success for that project is to create a
place people are proud to call home, while
keeping it affordable.
“Architects sometimes tell us they’re wait-
ing to work with us until they get a ‘special
projects,’” said Lineham. “But we can make
any project special because of how we meet
the challenges, whether it’s a tight budget,
geo-technical issues, or the sculptural aspects
of the design.”
Certainly, bringing Lineham and O’Hara on
to any project makes for a uniquely poetic
play of form and function.
\\
ABOVE LEFT:
Lory Student Center
renovation, a Studio
NYL project at Colora-
do State University.
ABOVE RIGHT:
Cineteca Nacional,
Mexico City
/ The Poets of Structure: Form and Function /
