CREJ

/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / MARCH 2017

and Colorado development will encompass some 26 acres

spread over 12 blocks with a combination of restaurants, re-

tail, office, residential, hospitality and parking. 4240 has so

far been tasked with designing three blocks of pedestri-

an-friendly infill on the site including the adaptive reuse

of the iconic Research Building spanning Ninth Avenue.

McRae leads the design team on the Ninth and Colorado

properties and acknowledges that a primary challenge on

any master-planned, multibuilding community is to sup-

port an overall sense of continuity in places that may not

yet be well defined while shaping future context and uses.

“In any great community of buildings, like a campus, all

four sides of the building should be articulated without

an exclusive front or back to the design,” shares McRae.

“While helping to develop each owner’s long-range vision,

we design porous buildings that encourage community

engagement by activating the ground floor.” These sen-

timents are not only reflected in 4240’s work for develop-

ments like Ninth and Colorado, the Saint Paul Collection

and Riverfront Park, but also for higher education oppor-

tunities in which the firm an equally strong portfolio.

On the Colorado State University campus, for example,

4240 has authored more than a dozen different commis-

sions over the last decade ranging from student centers to

academic buildings, and dining halls to graduate housing.

4240’s focus on an engaging and inviting user experience,

born from its deep roots in hospitality, has helped the CSU

keep pace with the changing needs of tomorrow’s student

body.

“4240 has always been about pushing our designers to

reject complacency and explore new ground,” finishes

Bieker. “We haven’t tried to become experts in a single

building type or be the biggest firm in town, but 4240 will

continue to build a density of experience and apply it to

creating buildings that connect to an emotional core in

owners and their users.” If the past and present make any

predictions about the future, design will remain in good

hands at 4240.

The Pavilion at Laurel Village on the CSU campus is a new student center that reflects 4240’s interest in creating buildings

that engage users and anticipate future needs.

Photo copyright Raul Garcia/ Astula Inc.

Photo courtesy of 4240 Architecture

/ 4240, Quietly Confident /