We’re nearing the end of the first quarter, and although we are well into the new year, we are still trying to catch our breath which so many of you can relate to! With the chaos of the holiday season, project kick-offs, project wrap-ups, and the myriad of events and fundraisers we’ve been attending, we have a lot to fill you in on. Read on to see what’s been keeping us so busy and some of the things we are looking forward to in the coming months.
Live // baessler
Our design team has been working on several projects with Baessler Homes, a home builder local to Northern Colorado. The most recent, The Flats, is a Townhome development located in Fort Lupton. The development will include 120 units split between 24 buildings, each with five units. The project consists of three floorplans ranging between 800 and 1,400 SF. Between the elevation options, floor plan options, and variety in color placement, our designers and Baessler have ensured that each buyer will have the ability to choose a unit that best fits their needs and personality. We look forward to sharing more on this project as it progresses.
Learn // ACE Program
The ACE Mentorship Program with Poudre High School is back in full swing! Every semester, Jordan, along with some other amazing industry volunteers, spend their Thursday mornings with aspiring architects, engineers, and contractors. Together they work through the planning and design of a mock project that supplies students with a hands-on, practical understanding of the career options that the building industry offers. We know this is a highlight of Jordan’s week, and it’s always so rewarding to see what these high schoolers are able to accomplish during this 17 week program.
Fun Fact: This early access to professionals and hands-on experience results in more than 70% of ACE seniors actually entering a college or trades programs with an industry focus. Interested in contributing to this effort? Go to our “Contact Us” page to learn how you can get involved.
In addition to the ACE program, we are excited to be part of several school district on-call contracts with PSD, BVSD, and Douglas County.
work // Collab’s New OFfice
We ‘re so excited to officially call Windsor our new work home! We’ve been slowly settling into our new office on Eastman Park Drive since early December, and while we are still putting the final touches on the space and waiting for a few items here and there, things are looking good! We look forward to inviting you all to an open house this Spring to see the completed space, eat some great food, and try your hand at one of the several game tables Joe and Jordan have set up for the team to decompress.
In case you need to update our contact information, our new address is:
Collab Architecture
9217 Eastman Park Drive, Unit 3
Windsor, CO 80550
play //
GRANBY RANCH GRIP BAY
Grab your skis, snowboards, and your winter base layers, we’re heading to Granby Ranch! We’re thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work with Granby Ranch Ski Resort on some of their base lodge improvements. Then, as we dove into the planning process, they approached us with another opportunity to help them build a ground-up facility at the top of East Mountain. The Grip Bay building will serve as a service bay for techs working on lift chairs, as well as a base camp, storage area, and warming hut for ski patrol, mountain groomers, and other essential support staff. Although the space will be primarily for operations and resort support, there will be areas for patrons to shelter in the event of inclement weather or to pop up to the patio and take in the view. We can’t wait to see how the collaboration between our team and the resort’s owner and staff unfolds. See you on the slopes!
SAVE THE DATE! // BOWLING FOR SOUP BENEFITING THE FOOD BANK FOR LARIMER COUNTY
We had such a great time partnering with the Food Bank for Larimer County for the Gingerbread Showdown, we had to jump on the chance to participate in their annual Corporate Food Fight too!
So dust off your bowling shoes, get a team together, and get ready to have some fun, we’re hosting a bowling tournament and fundraiser! Pencil us in for April 26th 2023, from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm! We’ll be releasing more information on this in the coming weeks.
experience // Fieldhouse
If you’ve been following along with Notes From the Studio or Collab’s social media accounts, you might have seen some renderings for Fieldhouse at the Fort, a restaurant project we kicked off back in mid-2021. We’re excited to announce they are officially open for business! It’s been such a rewarding process to bring the owner’s vision for this 3,000 SF sports bar and restaurant in the heart of downtown Fort Collins to fruition. Every detail was thoughtfully planned and what resulted is a space that truly reflected the owner’s ideas and mission for the business. We hope you all are able to pop by, check it out, and sample the menu!
Team Spotlight
We welcomed the new year with two interns from CSU’s IAD program. We’re excited to introduce Melissa and Kamry, who will be working with us for the next few months to complete their undergraduate coursework and gain some hands-on project experience. They have already been instrumental in helping with floor plans, material selections, and site planning for both our commercial and residential projects. They have been welcome additions to the team!
MELISSA MINERVINI, INTERN
Melissa is studying Interior Architecture and Design at Colorado State University, with a minor in Merchandising. Melissa was drawn to Collab Architecture due to the small size of the firm, and because of the diverse project types that the firm pursues. Her goal in working with Collab is to get a more hands-on perspective of what goes into completing projects from start to finish. If Melissa could choose her own passion project, she would love the opportunity to be trusted by a client to fully take the reins of design, allowing her to incorporate sustainability sourced materials into a bold and creative design. Outside of her educational and career goals, Melissa enjoys traveling, but her favorite places visited thus far are Croatia and Italy.
KAMRY PETERSON, INTERN
Kamry transferred from Arapahoe Community College to Colorado State University to pursue her education in Interior Architecture and Design with a certificate in Design Thinking. While attending CSU, Kamry worked in a preschool that our very own Kala Bailor designed prior to joining us here at Collab, which is how we first came into contact with Kamry. After reviewing Collab’s website and seeing that our mission statement and values aligned closely with her own, she applied for one of our internship positions. While working with our firm, she hopes to focus on and learn ways with which to incorporate inclusivity and sustainability in architecture, two architectural ideals she is very passionate about and would like to pursue further. Outside of her educational and career goals, Kamry enjoys cooking, and learning about and tasting different types of food and restaurants throughout Northern Colorado.
Collab in the Community
Best of Noco
In December, Collab Architecture was voted no 2 in NoCo Style Magazine’s Best of 2022 for Architectural Design! A huge thank you to everyone that voted for us!
Gingerbread Showdown
Our first Gingerbread Showdown was a huge success, and we can’t thank all our sponsors, participants, and volunteers enough for their help and hard work! We were able to collect close to 800 items totaling more than 500 pounds of food and essential items that went to the Food Bank for Larimer County. Please visit our recent blog post to read more about the event.
Weld Elves
Our call to action for our first Gingerbread Showdown inspired some unexpected generosity from one of our sponsors, who donated a whole pallet of toys to divvy up as we saw fit. After realizing we had more than we needed for the event, we got in contact with the Weld Elves. Weld Elves, is a unit of volunteers from our state and local police departments, fire departments, and air national guard station who help collect and distribute toys to kids and families in need every Christmas. The generous donation from our award sponsor gave us the opportunity to donate more than 400 toys!
Holiday Party
Habitat for Humanity
Last year we had an opportunity to work a bit with Habitat for Humanity and attend their annual Hammer and Ale event. It was a great way for our team to get out of the office and get involved in the cause. This year, we look forward to continuing that support for Habitat through a sponsorship commitment for 2023. We also recently had an opportunity to donate some unused lighting fixtures to the organization, and look forward to finding more ways our firm can contribute to their mission.
VOLUNTEER DAY AT THE FOOD BANK
In February, our team had the opportunity to step away from projects for a few hours and spend the afternoon with the Food Bank. We’re always looking for little ways we can make a difference in the community and this was a welcome break from the office!
