ARCHITECTS + URBANISTS

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A Confluence of Art - The Exterior
A Confluence of Art - The Exterior

EXTERIOR MURALS, GRAPHIC DESIGN, AND SCULPTURES

In the last of our three posts on local artwork within and surrounding the project, we are examining the murals and sculptures on the exterior of the project. See parts one and two for more information on Willow Street Plaza and the building interior.

For residential and commercial unit availability, please see confluencefc.com. All of the works below are freely accessible during the day, so please be sure to come visit in person!

Untitled, Tony Zellaha, Color Pusher: Making Art + murals + paintings + illustrations + chalkart in Denver, Colorado

  • Paint on concrete

  • This one-hundred-foot-long mural stretches along the Poudre Street garage wall, brightening an otherwise blank area with imagined plants, fish and animals that inhabit the confluence of two rivers.

  • Contracted through Nine Dot Arts

“Zellaha’s signature fine lines of gradually shifting colors give an otherworldly depth to each element, while the texture of the concrete is allowed to shine through.”

Untitled, Allie Ogg, Illustrator, Designer & Maker

  • Paint on concrete

  • A confluence of colorful leaves and moths provide a long-axis focal point and a splash of color to the courtyard, while preserving the raw texture of the bare concrete.

  • [au]workshop worked directly with Allie to choose from several concepts relating to the nearby river, and to explore how the work would engage with the concrete surface of the second level courtyard wall.

  • See additional process images and a time-lapse video of the painting in the gallery below.

“The overlapping colors produce multiple layers of depth ala Rowe and Slutzky’s ‘phenomenal’ transparency, with literally transparent portions allowing the texture of the raw concrete to shine through.”

Confluence Ghost Sign and project directional signage, [au]workshop architects + urbanists, painted by Daniel Crosier

  • Paint wash on cedar siding, paint on steel

  • The “weathered” project name sign in the Confluence Entry Court echoes the historic “ghost signs” of downtown that have faded with time, with the hope that age will bring additional patina and character to the piece. After a series of experiments to determine the appropriate technique and final location, Daniel Crosier executed the final piece.

  • The entry is also highlighted by brightly colored address and directional signs designed by [au]workshop.

““Signs are social. They identify, direct, and decorate.
In a world full of uniform and unimaginative
advertising, ‘ghost signs’ contain the originality and
history that others lack. “”
— City of Fort Collins Historic Preservation

Untitled, [au]workshop architects + urbanists (to be installed Fall, 2020)

  • Waterjet-cut weathering steel sculpture with integrated downlighting. [au]workshop went through many iterations of the design to arrive at the final piece.

  • The text describes the impressions one of the Poudre River Valley’s early anglo-european visitors. Ansel Watrous’ (a local historian) 1911 book, “History of Larimer County, Colorado” includes excerpts of a letter sent in 1852 by one J.R. Todd, who was moving west from Iowa. Ansel Watrous’ own writing tends to be somewhat dry and pragmatic, but Todd is expansive on the beauty of the Cache la Poudre river basin:

  • Speaking directly to the beauty of the river banks, as well as to its relationship with ongoing human development, this passage invites visitors to ponder their place in our shared history.

  • Fabrication by Hueber Industries

  • Additional funding by the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority; the sculpture is sited within a public easement in the Confluence Entry Court.

““Its waters were full of trout of the speckled or mountain variety. The undulating bluffs sloped gently to the valley which was carpeted with the most luxuriant grasses. It was in June, the mildest and most beautiful part of the summer in the western country, when the days were pleasant, the nights cool and mornings crisp and bracing. The sky was scarcely ever obscured by clouds, and its vaulted blue, golden tinted in the morning and evening, was like a dream of beauty. Not an ax had marred the symmetry of the groves of trees that lined the banks. Not a plow, or spade, or hoe had ever broken its virgin soil. Wild flowers of the richest hue beautified the landscape, while above all towered the majestic Rocky Mountains to the westward of the valley, like the grim sentinels they are, ever watching, watching and noting this advancing vanguard of civilization.””
— -J.R. Todd, From Ansel Watrous' 'History of Larimer County, Colorado'
Mixed Use, Residential, Workplacespencer lindstrom[au]workshopconfluence, art, fort collins, colorado
A Confluence of Art - The Interior
A Confluence of Art - The Interior

INTERIOR MURALS, PRINTS, AND WALLCOVERINGS

In part two of our three-post series on local artwork within and surrounding the project, we are examining the interior. The building offers three unique art and graphic experiments that differentiate the levels and offer unique perspectives on our place.

For residential and commercial unit availability, please see confluencefc.com. While these works are on the interior and not accessible to the public, please get in touch with the residential sales team at The Group to schedule a tour, or you can currently visit the sales office on the ground floor of the project, facing Linden Street.

Find part one of the series here.

Confluence, Daniel Crosier, Visual Artist

  • Paint on drywall in the building’s shared mail room and elevator lobby, at the courtyard level.

  • [au]workshop worked directly with Dan to arrive at a concept that took advantage of the wall’s unique shape and spoke to the beauty of the river habitat. The final concept explores an imaginary boundary between the river and its bank and the flora and fauna that inhabit it.

  • This space is on the property line, and as such is not permitted to have any unprotected openings, but glass block here provides a welcome natural light that adds additional dimension to the piece.

“Rendered in vivid blue paint, Dan’s signature linework breathes movement and depth into each subject in the mural. ”

Various, Steve Keating, Fine Art Photographer

  • In searching for a cohesive art program for the Building 1 corridors and the entry lobby, we landed on aerial fine-art photographs from local artist Steve Keating. We selected images together from his collection, each featuring a kind of ‘confluence;’ literally a meeting of two rivers in one image, but a merging of roads and shadows in others.

  • Steve’s images are taken from a kite, with no knowledge about what he is capturing, which introduces a lovely sense serendipity to these ‘confluences.’ You can read more about the process on his website.

  • The prints are archival pigment photographic print under lamination on metallic paper on board. The metallic paper, in particular, adds light and sheen to contrast the slate wall of the elevator lobby, while remaining highly visible and preventing glare. The lamination can be wiped clean (ideal for a shared corridor) and also adds UV protection.

  • The frameless mounting with white edge banding is a very clean look and we feel fits well with the architecture.

“​I lift the camera with a kite and walk it around with absolutely no idea as to what the camera is seeing and have no control over what is being captured. This is by intention as I don’t need to know what’s going on. It is a demonstration of letting go of control, or having faith. The only guidance I give the kite is to adjust the height, position it by walking around and keep it from blowing away. That’s all that needs to be done. ”
— Steve Keating

N/A, Erik Cox, Wise Ape Design Agency

  • Large scale selective reproductions of engravings by ornithologist John James Audubon depict birds and the environments they inhabit. As the project, and the River District in general, straddle the line between the developed and more natural worlds, it seemed appropriate to bring some human observations of nature to the project.

  • The highly magnified scale of the prints brings the incredible detail of Audubon’s engravings to the fore. Prints were selected to work with the carpet and paint colors chosen for the space.

  • A different print on each floor is visible immediately as the elevator opens, giving each level a unique identity.

    Heavy-duty 3M vinyl, printed and applied by Action Signs, should keep these prints in perfect condition for years to come.

“As I grew up I was fervently desirous of becoming acquainted with Nature.”
— John James Audubon
Mixed Use, Residential, Workplacespencer lindstrom[au]workshopconfluence, art, fort collins, colorado
A Confluence of Art - The Plaza
A Confluence of Art - The Plaza

As part of its engagement with its place, Confluence and the adjacent plaza feature works by a number of noted Colorado artists. [au]workshop was thrilled to be able to collaborate directly with a number of the the artists, and in other cases we learned a great deal from being on the stakeholder side in discussions with local arts agencies.

Below is part one our three-post series on these works, focused on the plaza. In the coming weeks we will examine the works within and on the building itself.

For residential and commercial unit availability, please see confluencefc.com, and please be sure to come visit Oak Street Plaza in person!

River-focused works IN WILLOW STREET PLAZA

Although it feels like a part of Confluence, with expansive storefronts opening directly onto the plaza, and Tivoli lighting that ties directly to the building, the Willow Street Plaza is a City of Fort Collins project, designed by local landscape architecture firm BHA Design. The space houses two intertwined works with links to the Poudre River habitat and the historic Mill Race:

In Praise of the Poudre, Andy Dufford, Chevo Studios

  • A series of four granite sculptures, ranging from 8’-15’ tall, with aluminum mesh panels that house internal lighting. There are three distinct finishes to each monolith: bush-hammered (rough), flamed (medium), and polished (smooth and glossy). The polished surfaces feature relief carvings of local flora and fauna.

  • From City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places: “Artist Andrew Dufford and Chevo Studios worked with the City of Fort Collins Engineering and Utilities Departments as part of the Art in Public Places Program to develop a series of sculptures that enliven the plaza and educate visitors about water quality and natural water systems in Fort Collins.”

  • See more on the very challenging carving and placement process (granite is heavy!) at City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places’ website.

“Four undulating granite columns feature relief carvings of the plants, animals, insects and landforms found around, within, and below the Cache la Poudre River – celebrating the elements of a healthy river ecosystem.”
— City of Fort Collins Art In Public Places

Life-Source; With Intention, BHA Design

  • LED computer controlled lighting in custom ceramic and glass raceways.

  • From BHA Design: “Lights underfoot evoke mingling waters along the area’s original millrace that once fed a mill waterwheel east of Confluence (now known as Ranch-Way Feeds). This art is a broad look at our relationship with the river over time and how it has changed from the driving source of our settlement to now a resource we shape for our needs. In this interpretation, it’s hard to tell if the lights influenced the planters, or the other way around, much like our built edge adjacent the river.”

“[...] it’s hard to tell if the lights influenced the planters, or the other way around, much like our built edge adjacent the river.”
— BHA Design
Mixed Use, Residential, Workplacespencer lindstrom[au]workshopconfluence, art, fort collins, colorado