CCA Wins Interior Design Award for Aspen City Hall

We are proud to announce that Aspen City Hall was awarded an American Society of Interior Designers Colorado Crystal Award. Being such an iconic project in our very own town, City Hall is a project that is near and dear to our hearts. We worked alongside a tremendous team to bring this project to fruition and could not be more proud.

Each area of the building is tailored to its specific program, with the floor plans creating a lively and varied interior architecture. Exterior materiality, detailing and form hark to the mining and light industrial era while the interiors are fresh, crisp and welcoming with undertones of the city’s new green logo. The art-filled interior provides a biophilic environment that enhances productivity and well-being. Views and decks overlooking the surrounding parks provide visual relief and access to the natural environment. North facing daylighting extends into the 135 desks and public interface spaces. Vertical circulation through the building connects all levels, ushering light to the building’s core. Clever use of channel glass fortifies the notion of transparency between people and government, while Council Chamber doors open to the public plaza, furthering the connection. The building has exceeded the City’s expectations and has become a lively city hub.

American Society of Interior Designers Colorado

Team: Charles Cunniffe Architects, Gensler, Shaw Construction.

Photos by Dallas Harris Photography

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Summer with Perspective (Part 1)

As summer quickly moves in (finally!), we took a moment to reflect on a few different project types, focusing on the importance of capturing summer. Designing throughout the US and abroad, we often have the opportunity to work with all four seasons, and must look at each design through the lenses of winter, spring, summer and fall. So much changes from the depths of winter to the peak of summer, and an architect must consider the full pendulum when designing. The light angle and intensity varies, wind can be a factor in certain months, rain and thunderstorms can move in without a moment’s notice, and of course snow – and this year we thankfully had a ton here in Aspen! 

A few projects we look back on, to see how we captured either the outdoor views, utilized the landscape in interesting ways, worked the outdoors in, and designed to foster a true sense of connectivity in the way we live with nature. 

A glass bridge over a stream connects the Elk Peak bedroom wing, with the living area.
Stunning mountain vistas are captured through glass at Aspen Glam.
A perforated, curving steel wall reflects the nearby Roaring Fork river and provides privacy for the Aspen Police Department outdoor dining area.
Varying roof angles and material strength are perfectly executed in the Aspen Park private residence, with views towards the continental divide.
Inspired by the owner’s love of tropical vacations, Desert Oasis in Phoenix, AZ is it’s own private resort in the desert. Deep overhangs, a free-flowing pool with fire pits and multiple areas to lounge create the perfect escape.
A once dated & sunken living room was reimagined and refreshed. Pastoral and mountain views captured through floor to ceiling re-worked glazing at Owl Creek.
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Creating a Legacy Home

Recently, Charles and Rich were interviewed by Western Home Journal magazine, about what it takes to create a family’s legacy home. A home that is designed to house and entertain a family today, and last for multiple generations. From space planning, to durable materials and energy consumption, they dove deep into our process and methodologies.

In addition, the article highlights a few of our recent legacy homes and the variety of design details woven in. Our firm’s culture is touched on, as well as our “why”.

We hope you enjoy this article….click here

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A New Year!

Its a new year, and with each January we reflect on all our successes, challenges overcome, and look forward to all that is ahead of us. 2022 was an incredibly successful year, with much to celebrate! A few highlights:

  • Our Casa Cresta Project won the 2022 Mountain Living Magazine Home of the Year!
  • The Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Station 45 earned an AIA Colorado Award
  • Two of our projects earned Gold Nugget Awards: Whitefish, Ouray County Courthouse, with the Courthouse winning the Gold!
  • Our firm was named on OUTSIDE Magazine’s Best Places to Work for the 7th consecutive year
  • We welcomed three new team members: Alyssa Miller, Sara Schroeder and Courtney Nystrom
  • We were named one of Mountain Living’s Top Architects
  • We had work featured in the Wall Street Journal, Mountain Living, and Outside Magazine
  • We balanced in-office time and remote work, with the aim of allowing our team to work where it was most beneficial to our clients and each individuals’ needs
  • We moved projects from conceptual, to design development, into construction and finally completion. In each phase, we honed our craft, enriched new and old relationships, and explored new materials, technologies and methods

Looking forward, we have a pipeline of incredible projects in the residential, commercial, hospitality, public and pro-bono space. With room for a few more, we’ll be looking for that next new client. We look forward to sharing more of our work in the coming months and appreciate you following along! Happy 2023!

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Art + Architecture

Our team was honored to design and construct the new Aspen City Hall, linking the Rio Grande Park to the civic and downtown core. An all-hands-on-deck dedication by all, and quite the labor of love. This week, we’re excited to see artist Koko Bayer, granddaughter of the beloved Herbert Bayer adding a mural, “In Search of Times Past” to the grand staircase.

Featured in the Aspen Times today, the mural adds to City Hall’s curated exhibition of local artists, in an effort to infuse art in public spaces. “The art on display not only adds to the discourse, but it also visually represents the openness and encouragement to having a multitude of voices and experiences in the governmental process, according to Sarah Roy, director of the Red Brick Center for the Arts,” the article states.

Koko Bayer installs her mural on the staircase beside the new Aspen City Hall building on Thursday, May 19, 2022. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)

Seeing the art installations in public spaces around Aspen, makes us love our little town even more! Thank you to the artists who are filling our town with color and creativity! It inspires us every day!

We look forward to sharing more photos of Aspen City Hall with you….until then…a sneak peak:

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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Chatfield

Colorado Homes & Lifestyles recently featured a really fun project that we completed last year. The project was a culmination of a terrific client, their history in Aspen and wish to transform a heavy and dark home, into a fresh art-filled home.

We wanted to show you the “Before” and “After” shots, not shared in the article, because you have got to see the transormation!

The living area before the renovation, and after. A minimalist palette was utilized to accentuate the views and set the stage for the Owner’s art and furnishings.
The kitchen transformation is out of this world!

To read the entire article, click here. Enjoy!

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First Impressions | the entry experience

Your home’s entry sets the tone for the rest of the space. When designing your entry, we always ask ourselves what kind of feeling we want an owner and guest to experience as they enter, and how best to capture that.

There are virtually millions of different ways to design an entry. Do you use wood, steel or glass, for instance? Is it a vestibule or does it have overhangs? Is it one large door, or two doors, maybe a pivot door? Are there windows flanking the door or a transom window above? What kind of hardware do you want to decorate the door with and how will that feel in your hand? How should the space be lit? Is there a sitting area or built-in planters to add greenery? Is there a space for package delivery?

So many questions that we ask ourselves and you to consider as we dive into the entry experience. We want to know how you live throughout the year, and how your family might be evolving over time, so that we are forward-thinking in our design. This type of thoughtful study happens throughout your home. We tailor each space to how you live, how you want to feel in your home and how to plan for the future.

Need a little inspiration? Here are some entries we’ve designed over the years…. see more on our Spaces page.

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Happy New Year!

Well that was a crazy year! As we roll into 2021 our team has been reflecting on what was, hopefully, the craziest year we’ve seen in our 40-years designing mountain homes and buildings. When we first shut down the office last spring, we were fortunate that our team was equipped with laptops, we had established project teams in place, and we transitioned quite seamlessly to remote work. We made sure to keep the lines of communication wide open, and kept in good touch with each of our teammates — not only on the work front, but also on their personal well-being. Like every office, we have numerous parents of young children; architects living/working solo at home; designers with higher-risk health concerns, and a new employee who we charged with learning our systems and way of working from their home office. It was not easy. That all said, we were fortunate to all stay healthy and productive throughout 2020.

Our work continued at quite a rigorous pace. We’ve been working with some incredible clients to create homes that reflect their personal style, compliment the way they live, embrace the natural surroundings and are smart and sustainable. Healthy homes have always been a focus for CCA, and throughout 2020 we’ve only increased this focal point. For many years, our team has centered on biophilic design and wellness; receiving several design awards acknowledging these efforts. As the world caught on to designing specifically for health, we were proud of our previous efforts to address the wellness of our buildings’ occupants.

As we dive into 2021, we know that there are challenges ahead. We are not out of the weeds yet, but we are hopeful.

We are hopeful for what is to come!

We are grateful. Grateful for all of our wonderful clients – new and old!

We are dedicated. Dedicated to our projects and our community!

We are inspired. Inspired by our beautiful natural surroundings, our wonderful clients and all they do in the world, our families supporting us, and our team.

We are humbled. Humbled by the recognition we’ve received for our work.

Thank you for following our work, supporting our business and entrusting us with designing the next generation of homes and buildings. Bring on the new year, the new decade and what is to be – a very bright future.

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Erica Delak honored in ML ‘Women in Architecture’ Awards

Proud to celebrate Erica Delak – named one of Mountain Living‘s Top Women in Architecture! A much-deserved accolade, Erica has been with CCA for over a decade and is one of the most sought-after project managers.
Story link in profile
Scroll to see a few of Erica’s top projects

Erica was introduced to the precision and symmetry of line drawing in a high school geometry class. During summer breaks from college, she worked on a framing crew, which helped her understand the connection between architectural drawings and actual buildings. Today, as senior project manager at Charles Cunniffe Architects, Delak enjoys meeting contractors and craftspeople on the building sites to address challenges and discuss solutions. “There are many different people on a successful team, and my goal is to understand everyone’s strengths and use them to benefit the project,” she says.

“One of the most important attributes of an architect is the ability to listen … to form a connection and really get to know the people we are designing for.”

In terms of new materials and technology freshly applied to architecture, Delak is very interested in the wellness initiative—going beyond sustainable materials and “looking at the interior environment of each home we design and how they affect our clients’ well-being.” To read the article click here.

A few of Erica’s recent projects:

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Wall Street Journal Features CCA’s Aspen Park

Aspen Park, one of our favorite projects, is featured in the Wall Street Journal today. Carrie Wells, of Coldwell Banker Mason Morse Real Estate listed the home for sale for $49 million — topping the list of most expensive homes currently in the Aspen market.

The challenge began on day one, when the Florida-based owners charged us to responsibly deconstruct much of an existing house, and design a home that fused art-deco and contemporary mountain-modern design. The site provided a very narrow building envelope which necessitated the 15,000 sf of living area, be split between three floors. To access each floor, two steel and glass elevators with cascading wood staircases were seamlessly worked into the design.

The exterior design pays homage to the surrounding mountain vistas, with varying roof angles, and use of stone and wood. Massive floor to ceiling windows capture the unique views of famed Independence Pass and Aspen Mountain.

A glass pivot door opens the home, as views unfold through a window wall and clerestory windows in the great room and dining. A Jean DeMerry mosaic mural sits between two automatic doors with views captured above, with a juxtaposed art-deco fireplace.

Custom designed wood-inlay doors are seen throughout the home, to further infuse the design inspiration. The team was careful to subtly instill the inspiration in parts of the home without overdoing it. As the home cascades down the mountainside, its essence permeates the site and creates a wonderful entertaining home.

We are so proud of this project and humbled to have it featured in the Wall Street Journal. Thank you to the incredible team who dedicated their talents to this stunning home!

To read the article, click here

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