A day we should celebrate every day! We are proud to have designed numerous earth-loving structures over our 4 decades in the Rocky Mountains.
Several projects have followed the USGBC’s LEED program and earned full LEED credits, including the award-winning Elk Peak Ranch and Aspen Police Department. Others have quietly weaved sustainable design methodologies and features within them, just by nature of client desires and given site opportunities.
Elk Peak Ranch | LEED Silver
In every project we discuss where the opportunities are to balance budget, sustainability and exceptional design. By designing structures with the environmentally friendly building materials accessible in today’s market, green building is not only essential to our environment but is easily attainable. The result is an optimal balance of cost, environmental and societal benefits, while meeting the mission and function of the intended facility. Building design through environmental response, functionalism, cost effectiveness and a commitment to LEED have remained critical issues in developing sustainable buildings.
Aspen Police Department | LEED GoldAspen Center for Environmental Studies Treehouse
To read more about our commitment to sustainability, click here.
Do you follow us on Instagram? If you don’t, you should! We highlight our studio happenings, latest work, historic projects, and team wins. This week we study entry designs.
Every home starts with the arrival experience. Each entry is unique to the style of the home, and ideally evokes a feeling that reflects its owners. To hone in on that feeling, our team studies various styles, heights, widths, door options, surrounding windows, materials, angles, views, functionality, weather considerations, etc. etc. etc.
We always look forward to seeing our clients open those doors to their first guests; hearing them say “welcome!”. Another reason we love what we do!
Each winter we gather the troops for our annual ski day on Aspen Mountain. Its a guaranteed day of fun, laughter, and camaraderie! Lunch at the Aspen Mountain Club, fast laps, blue skies and hilarious chairlift rides, made for a fantastic team outing!
Team lunch at the Aspen Mountain ClubThe CCA ladies-only chair
Our remote-employee gang also got together via video conference with paid-lunch and the afternoon off for recreating-where-you-are. This continues our tradition for quarterly outings, to take advantage of where we live and the great outdoors! Cheers to that!
To say the real estate market is hot, is quite the understatement. Homes from coast to coast are commanding huge numbers and Aspen might be at the top of that list.
Recently Bloomberg report on a list of homes that exceed $50million, and included our Aspen Park project. Aspen Park has received some incredible press lately and we look forward to meeting the future new owners!
If you haven’t had a chance to watch Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy on CNN, its definitely worth a watch. In a time where we’ve been limited in travel, Stanley effortlessly transports you to the tastes, smells and scenery of some of our favorite Italian destinations.
His latest venture, Stanley travels to the gorgeous San Pellegrino Terme, to film a commercial for the ever-famous green glass bottled beverage. A town for architecture lovers, Architectural Digest recently highlighted the upcoming San Pellegrino Factory of the Future, designed by architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), known for projects like the 8 House in Copenhagen and VIA 57 West in New York City. We are long admirers of BIG’s architecture, and cannot wait to visit.
Photo: Architectural Digest
“Shaped by the serpentine run of the Brembo river and the sloping Alpine mountainsides, our proposal for the new S. Pellegrino Campus inherits its narrative structure from the landscape of the Brembana valley. Like an aquatic equivalent of a wine cellar, the repeating archways expand and contract to create the narrative framework for the purity and clarity of the mineral water, in an environment characterized by lightness, openness, and transparency,” Ingels previously said in a statement.
Whether it’s a modern sculptural focal point in a great room, a locally sourced stone architectural piece , or a statement-making room divider, the fireplace is an essential element in any home. With winter in full-swing, we’re sharing a few of our favorites – from sleek and minimalist to highly-textured.
Designing workforce housing is a huge part of CCA’s company ethos. We take the same passion, expertise and creativity as seen in our high-end residential projects into our affordable housing projects.
CCA was thrilled to design Snowmass’s new Coffey Place neighborhood, honoring the late Joe Coffey. Thank you to Aspen Sojourner for highlighting the project and the importance of quality design, no matter the scale or budget.
Designed to honor Joe Coffey’s legacy as Snowmass Housing Director, the Coffey Place Affordable Housing development equally respects its site, surrounding wildlife and wetlands, and its hard-working local residents.
The project combined 5 Snowmass Village land parcels, located along the perimeter of the existing Rodeo Place neighborhood, into one cohesive subdivision containing 12 residential lots with 15 units. This new addition to the Town of Snowmass housing program is comprised of 9 single family home and 3 duplex units.
The design compliments the qualities found in the adjacent Rodeo Place Housing and overall Snowmass Village mountain-ranch vernacular. The scale and mass of Coffey Place has been situated to allow the natural hillside and adjacent wetland areas to remain prominent features. All exterior materials were selected to blend in appropriately with the surrounding regional context while providing a durable and maintenance-free facade for the homeowners.
Protecting sensitive wildlife and wetland habitat areas surrounding the newly established neighborhood was a major focus of CCA’s planning and design effort. Equally, was affording the residents with quality-designed homes with ample passive solar and ventilation, generous floor plans and the upmost in livability and connectivity with the existing trail system.
CCA was commissioned to design this new high-end boutique retail building by a Chicago developer who wished to depart from the historic brick feel of downtown, while maintaining a luxury feel. Our team utilized cut stone, steel and glass to ground the space while giving it a contemporary edge.
A restaurant space sits atop, with 360 degrees of downtown and the surrounding mountains. A welcome addition to the retail/restaurant scene at the time and surely commanding the very best in luxury retailers.
Thanks to Aspen Sojourner for the mention in the Winter issue, out on newsstands now. For more on the project, click here.
The ribbon has been cut on Aspen’s new City Hall! Earning LEED Gold and WELL certifications, the City opened its doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony last week.
Aspen City Hall, designed by Charles Cunniffe Architects, is organized around existing municipal and civic facilities, parks and plazas which are landscaped on a series of public spaces connecting the mountain to the south, with the river to the north.
As an artificial extension of the hillside, the green roof of the new building acts as the connective tissue linking the mountain to the river, creating a natural greenway. Natural paths extend from the landscape to the roofscape, creating wayfinding for people to move around and through.
The site was an existing underutilized city asset, fronting a municipal parking lot and city-owned Rio Grande Park. The location allowed for an extension of the existing rooftop plaza to further connect the greenway to the park below.
The CCA Team
Along the central arrival access from Aspen’s downtown core, a civic alley opens all the way down from Aspen Mountain to the Roaring Fork River, featuring all the major public programs and facilities.
On the ground floor, the facades recede to expand the public realm, creating canopies to welcome visitors, collaborators, and community members. Each area of the building is tailored to its specific program, with the floor plans creating a lively and varied interior architecture.
Stair and Lobby
The interior provides a biophilic environment that aims to enhance productivity and well-being. The surrounding parks, with ample green elements, provide visual relief and access to the natural environment.
The new Aspen City Hall is a lively urban ensemble, providing a new community resource and gathering place which will continue to grow and be used as an extension of the City’s history.
The building has many sustainable attributes:
LEED Gold and WELL silver Certification
Solar array on roof
Geothermal design utilizing existing natural spring under the building site and existing parking garage
North facing daylighting extends into the office space and common areas
Vertical circulation thru the building connects all levels, brings natural light thru the structure, and allows building occupants to easily access all areas of the building
All office space is designed for occupant ergonomic uses
Fully electrified building systems that rely on the city of aspen 100% renewable provided electric grid
Lighting and daylighting response system (IMEG narrative)
Located along city bikeways and close to bus routes
Bike storage for users onsite and locker room access to promote physical activity and well-being
Electric vehicle charging stations
Our team is extremely proud to design such essential community spaces — with a keen eye towards sustainability, community and wellness. For more on this project, please visit here.
Today is Colorado Gives Day! Organizer ColoradoGives has a $1.6 million incentive fund to encourage people to donate today- each organization receives a percentage of the fund depending on how much they raise.
Each year, CCA selects a number of non-profit organizations to donate to, on behalf our clients and team. Though we donate throughout the year in the form of financial donations and pro-bono design time, this year’s specific holiday recipients include:
Lift Up| Food and commodity pantries throughout Western Colorado
River Bridge | Child advocacy center serving Western Colorado
The Buddy Program | Serving and empowering youth in the Roaring Fork Valley
Jazz Aspen Snowmass| Promotes music through events, performances and education
Theatre Aspen| Produces theatre performances and provides educational programming
