CREJ

/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / JUNE 2017

‘What If?’ Exploring Denver’s Future through Collage

ne of my favorite aspects of being an ar-

chitect is being asked to generate solu-

tions of what could be rather than what

is. There is a long history of architects

utilizing drawing and collage to project what the

future might look like. In 1923, the architect LeCor-

busier was spot on in his sketches of “a city of tow-

ers,” comprised of tall buildings and superhighways.

Design collectives in the 1960s and ‘70s such as

Peter Cook and Ron Herron of Archigram imagined

more radical future scenarios. In Cook’s “Plug-In City,”

he created drawings representing modular residen-

tial units that “plug in” to a central infrastructural me-

gamachine. Superstudio, an Italian architecture firm

founded in 1966, proposed a “Continuous Monument,”

a prophetic vision of grid systems that served as a way

to mediate space.

Fast-forward to modern day. Many aspects of these

early architectural provocations have been realized.

Through evolving, sophisticated technology, software

and construction methods, architects continue to move

the needle with solutions both imagined and built that

demonstrate forward-thinking infrastructure, transpor-

tation and building solutions.

But where does Denver fall in the spectrum of past,

present and future? Recently voted No. 1 city on the U.S.

News “Best Places to Live” list and experiencing a five-

year building boom with $2.5 billion in development,

Denver continues to develop at breakneck pace. Amidst

rapid development, it has arguably become difficult to

take a step back and to generate long-term solutions

that might let the city live up to its full potential.

In the spirit of Archigram and Superstudio, here are

a few collage thought-starters that incorporate various

exemplary models of infrastructure, building and the

public realm that might help us reimagine Denver’s

fast-approaching city of the future.

Image 1:

Denver’s Central, Western location has helped

the city be the staple trading post of the West. While

the city is developing an ambitious airport city meant

to drive economic growth and become a strengthened

link in a global network, we are still left with untapped

potential in regards to high-speed rail. A tested technol-

ogy that is prolific in Japan and China, not capitalizing

on high-speed rail seems a continued missed opportu-

nity that would position Denver as a critical link in a

national network that might move people, goods, and

ideas.

Image 2:

On the urban scale, traffic continues to be-

come a byproduct of growth and a continued reliance

on the personal vehicle as a means of primary trans-

port. With an active population and an existing bike

share program, looking at cities such as Copenhagen

and Beijing as precedents, could the city not consider

elevated, all-season bike paths that might seamlessly

connect major residential areas with our downtown

Beth R.

Mosenthal,

AIA, LEED AP

BD+C

Architect,

Anderson

Mason

Dale Ar-

chitects