CREJ

90 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / September 2019 / Measurable Results / commitment to an elevated inquiry often leads to a design envelope that addresses connections to surrounding con- texts beyond the project’s boundaries. The nexus of Cherry Creek North, for example, is a 16-block commercial district that has earned the distinction of being Colorado’s pre- mier outdoor shopping experience. The impact of those 16 blocks, however, is much broader. Mendenhall points to the reconfiguration of Filmore Plaza as a particularly interesting challenge within the district’s overall reconsideration. As the central pedestrian passage to the contending, yet also complementary, Cherry Creek Mall across First Avenue, Filmore Plaza was an open courtyard surrounded by high-rent retailers. Despite the prominent placement, unless a specific event was in prog- ress, the plaza was generally inactive. “Plaza-facing retail- ers weren’t seeing an equitable volume of business due to the lack of vehicular traffic passing by,” says Mendenhall. “The challenge was to create a hybrid plaza by reopening a two-way street without diminishing the plaza’s value as an occasional community gathering space.” Helping to develop and define the road map that leads the firm’s 115 professionals from client engagement and design concept to delivered project and measurable result has been an important part of Mendenhall’s work for more than a decade. Starting with the widest funnel, the DW Legacy Design process explores opportunities across each of the four fundamentals at the beginning of the proj- ect. Continuous feedback is central to success. Teams are compelled to think critically about the equitable balance of objectives through structured processes that permeate