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Thank you to Architectural Digest for including our design in your article on Hawaii’s most luxurious property developments. See the full article here.
Thank you to the Coloradoan for mentioning Confluence in your Sunday, November 17, 2019 issue!
To read the full article go here!
One of our current projects, Mandarin Oriental Honolulu, was highlighted in Travel Weekly! The Mandarin is slated to break ground later this year with a completion in 2021.
The link to the article can be found here: Mandarin Oriental readies return to Hawaii
Be sure to check out our project page!
If you are also interested in purchasing a Residence, please visit Mandarin Honolulu.
We are excited to see one of our current projects make it on to Forbes.com!
The link to the article can be found here: Residences At Mandarin Oriental Honolulu To Begin Construction In Waikiki This Fall
Be sure to check out our project page!
If you are also interested in purchasing a Residence, please visit Mandarin Honolulu.
Confluence was featured prominently Sunday in the Business section of the Coloradoan, in a feature on buildings that are reshaping Fort Collins, alongside other projects that are revitalizing the River District. We've received lots of positive feedback on the article, so thank you! If you haven't read it yet, you can find it at the Coloradoan's website, or if you'd like more information on the project, check out our project page or go straight to the Confluence site.
Presales are going on now, with units going fast!
Confluence has been featured on the cover of the Spring 2017 issue of Colorado Construction & Design. The AIA Colorado North spotlight lists the project alongside the Ginger and Baker rehabilitation of the Feeder Supply building (another River District redevelopment project), the Windsor Mill Redevelopment, and Bohn Farm Cohousing in Longmont.
You can visit their website here or read the full issue here; the article is on page 33. For more information on Confluence, be sure to take a look at our project page and confluencefc.com.
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April is Colorado Architecture Month, an as part of the festivities, we were asked by AIA Colorado to put together something to demonstrate what a day in the life of an architect in Fort Collins is like. After a good deal of head-scratching, Spencer through together a .gif (below) documenting the most important aspects of architecture life: coffee, mouse-clicks, and custom desktop backgrounds.
A day in the life of [au]workshop.
Spencer also provided a few slightly verbose answers to some of AIA Colorado's questions, which they understandably didn't have room for, so we've reproduced them here:
What do you enjoy most about being an architect? An architect in Northern Colorado?
I love lots of aspects of my job (drawing all day, working with great people, a sense of play in the things we do) but I think the thing I enjoy most is the chance to think about and directly affect part of the world that is so important but so hidden in plain sight.
Architecture and the urban environment have a huge impact on where and how we live and work and play and gather and discuss; they form perhaps our largest collective experiences and endeavors. But a big part of their power is that they exist in the background, silently keeping us warm and dry, shaping space and activity while we go on about our days.
I find it really rewarding to be able to help shape that background, and I feel privileged to get a view into a part of the world that goes largely unnoticed.
Northern Colorado is an interesting example of this. As Fort Collins continues to grow, I think the quality of urban space and architectural design is becoming more frequently discussed and more highly valued, both in the form of traditional downtown urbanism and in new architectures unique to our context. This is of course a boon for us as architects, as it allows a greater public investment in and engagement with our work. That said, I think architecture and urban design will always remain somewhere below the surface of the public consciousness, which I think is appropriate.
What has been your favorite project to work on? (It would be great to have a photo to go with this!)
I’ve really enjoyed working on our smaller, more local projects (405 Linden, Confluence, Block One) as it’s incredibly rewarding to see the real-world results of your work.
My favorite project, though, might be 1500 Kapiolani, in Honolulu. Honolulu is a super interesting context for the extremity of the relationship between the ocean, mountains, and city, which is highly pertinent to Northern Colorado as well. I’m also quite infatuated with the mirrored relationship between the two towers, both as a massing and an experience.
The part I’ve really enjoyed about working on it has been the development of the very simple, elegant diagram into this very messy and complicated series of functional requirements and front and back of house relationships; developing a sketch into a working building while keeping the essence of the sketch. To me, that’s what architecture is about, so I’m thrilled to get a chance to put it into practice.
We're thrilled to be able to contribute to Architecture Month again, and we look forward to participating again next year!
[au]workshop is thrilled to announce that the world-renowned Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will be operating the Mana'olana Place Hotel and Residences as the Mandarin Oriental, Honolulu.
A few selections from the Mandarin Oriental and Salem Partners press releases:
“We are delighted with this opportunity to open a hotel in Honolulu and look forward to bringing Mandarin Oriental’s legendary hospitality back to Hawaii,” said James Riley, Group Chief Executive of Mandarin Oriental. “This new development will be a welcome addition to the brand’s expansion around the world,” he added.
“We are proud to bring the award-winning Mandarin Oriental brand to Honolulu,” said James Ratkovich of Salem Partners. “Mandarin Oriental, Honolulu will set a new standard for luxury service in the islands and will offer a preferred choice to travelers and potential homeowners who desire the finest accommodation,” he added. “We look forward to revitalizing this area at the gateway to Waikiki with the first TOD project in the city and bringing jobs, economic benefits, housing and a world-class hotel to Honolulu.”
We are excited to have the privilege to continue to work closely with the Mandarin group as the project continues to develop.
For more information about the project, please see our project page, or the Mandarin Oriental or Salem Partners press releases.
We're excited! EmQuartier and the rest of the Em District have been featured in New Design Retail Thailand, an English-language compendium of "recently-completed high-end shopping mall[s], department store[s], hypermarkets, [...] from Li Zenn Publishing"
The book contains some wonderful photographs and drawings of the projects. Check out a preview on Issuu, or order a copy on the publisher's website here for 1400.00 Baht (about $40). Don't forget to see our own EmQuartier page for more information.
It's always nice to see our work out in the world!
We're proud to be a part of AIA Colorado's Architecture Month 2016! Check out our office tour below and see more at their facebook page or website.
As part of the series, which celebrates architecture and the people who make it, Randy and Jason were also interviewed about their interests and responsibilities:
AIA Colorado: Why did you decided to become an architect?
Randy: As a little kid, I lived in a house and neighborhood in Germany that always had some kind of construction in progress and I liked hanging around the workers while they made places. I started drawing houses and constructing elaborate Lego buildings around the age of eight so I guess I have been on course for about 42 years! I still play with Lego…
Jason: My father and grandfather were constructors; because of this I had a different view of buildings as a child. For me, buildings were about people coming together to create something that didn’t exist before. Architecture is the first step in that process and is where I found my passion.
What is a typical day like for you? Run us through your day-to-day responsibilities and “to-do” lists.
Randy: Make breakfast for my wife and sons, find work, listen to our clients, make sure we do the work the best we can, sketch, erase, sketch, run along the Poudre River, write, call, critique, eat dinner with my family, read, sleep, start over.
How you find inspiration for your projects?
Randy: Place drives everything. I can’t imagine a solution until I understand the site, the climate, the user.
What are the biggest challenges you face throughout a project?
Jason: Communication. Whether it is communicating with colleagues, clients or contractors, Architecture is about communicating ideas.
What do you enjoy most about being an architect?
Randy: Every day brings new challenges and no project is ever the same so there is a constant need to learn and grow.
Jason: It is never boring.
What has been your favorite project to work on?
Randy: The next one that comes in the door.
Jason: We have recently been working on a couple of 400’ tower projects in Hawaii that are quite fun.
What is your favorite building in Fort Collins? In Colorado?
Randy: In Fort Collins, the Ranchway Feeds building—it is all muscle and no pretention built over a hundred years. In Colorado, Balcony House at Mesa Verde: a great view, a water source and a railing.
Jason: Danforth Chapel at CSU.
How do you spend your free time?
Randy: I love introducing my boys to new experiences and places.
Jason: Traveling with family, fly fishing and spending time at the family cabin.
We love to show off the space, so don't be intimidated by the rat-rod exterior and come visit us at 405 Linden Street!
[au]workshop worked closely with The Mall Group and a wide-ranging design team to develop the recently-completed EmQuartier, particularly in regards to space planning, circulation, and interiors. Below is the article from Monocle (click to enlarge). Be sure to check out our Facebook page for a shot of the facade-wrapping projections in action!
[au] is presently working with The Mall Group to design the third pillar of the Em District: Emsphere, so more to come soon!
Randy and Jason, together with Confluence, have been featured in (and on the cover of!) the August 21 issue of BizWest! We won't repeat too much here, but suffice it to say that the article provides a good summary of Randy and Jason's views on the rapidly developing Fort Collins River District. Click on the image below for the full article, or you can check it out over at BizWest.
