CREJ

86 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2018 joined the firm in 1982. “We do a lot of work in a collabora- tive way. We don’t work in silos.” Williams points to Gateway Canyons Resort south of Grand Junction as a prime example of this integrated ap- proach. “The design had to respect the landscape above all,” he says of the latter. Mike Hall, Gateway Canyons’ director of operations and development, says another trick was taking a project that had been built as a basic motor inn and re-envisioning it as a luxury resort. “DTJ’s solid,” he says. “I can’t take anything away from them.” They’re not only holistic in their designs, but they’re also good with budgets, Hall adds. “They have the ability to say, ‘Here’s the design and here’s the price tag,’” he explains. And, if the price is too high, “They will bring it down to the number without losing the vision. They’re good about listening to what the owner wants and needs.” At the southern terminus of Broadway, Backcountry in Highlands Ranch is another example of DTJ’s integrated ap- proach. The firmmapped out the residential community’s master plan with an aim to “balance the outdoor environment and active lifestyle” with the development, says Moore. “We’re connecting two open space systems, we’re building on an open space sys- tem, and the homes are designed to take advantage of that.” The stormwater management system became an above-ground / DTJ: Integrating Open Spaces in Development for 50 Years / TOP: Wonderland Hill is a pioneering development in Colorado for its integration with the natural landscape and use of passive and active solar. BOTTOM: The stormwater system at Backcountry became an amenity linking two major open space systems in the master plan. Chris Moore