CREJ

DECEMBER 2016 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \

This is bigger than you and I.

Think of the payoff of the

upfront investment in a quality design and construc-

tion team, the knowledge base to supply that team

with the needed information, the equipment needed to

navigate a sometimes complex system of approvals and

permits with ease and to stand by a realistic schedule. By

taking these steps in sequence and not fast-tracking our

professional desires, we can all benefit from the process.

After all, we are in the business – whether we believe it – of

providing the services necessary for our dwelling on this

planet and our impact on the future of this same planet.

People care. Residents care. Occupants care. And in the

end, we must all realize and accept that the pride and per-

sonal dignity we put into our architecture in both urban

and rural environments matters. We must hold ourselves

as architects, developers, potential buyers and even rent-

ers, accountable for the demand of a quality and specific-

ity of place. The equation then reads as one of a lasting

sense of place, indicative of our current climate and time

as well as a sustainable effort to the lasting endurance of

our presence. This takes time.

So as we conclude this brief writing, we hope the dia-

logue continues. We hope the status quo is indeed ques-

tioned – questioned by architects, by developers, by con-

tractors and by the people who call this place home. Only

good can come from this continued dialogue, and in that

good we see an appropriate architecture manifesting it-

self that will be an honest reflection of our place. Denver’s

architecture should exemplify the dignity and pride that

will continue to resonate with time, whether diurnal or

phenomenal, that is systemic of what we love about Colo-

rado. We thusly take the time to find our true intentions

and we find our sense of place, for as author Lewis Carroll

penned: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road

will do.”

Brad Tomecek, Brittany Wheeler co-authored this article

with Martin and Sietmann.

ELEMENTS

Built Environment

“If I had more time, I

would have written

you a shorter letter.”

– Blaise Pascal