The development of the new North Boulder Creative Campus just might be the most exiting community architecture project to come along in Colorado in many years. There are a lot of details that need to be worked out for the idea to succeed, but it has a promising start.
The project would convert an ordinary lot in what is known as the NoBo Arts District into a compact campus of buildings that includes residential, retail and office spaces, plus a new building for the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, which is currently located in the city’s downtown.
An artist’s vision of what the North Boulder Creative Campus could look like. There would be several open public spaces, a rooftop deck on the museum and a restaurant. BMoCA is using this rendering to generate excitement for the project. (provided by the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art)
But here is the interesting part: The project is shopping for a single architect who can put together a vision that will link all of the components together. The Boulder project would be on the small side — less than 3 acres — but its inspiration comes from the big idea that enabling a single, skilled designer or urban planner control over an entire complex can result in the creation of an architectural icon.
That is how the best college campuses were made, and how notable places like the mall in Washington, D.C., were formed. The process led to the birth of landmark residential communities like New York’s Levittown and California’s Sea Ranch. Each of these places was novel, practical and ahead of its time when created.
The design part of the Boulder project is being led by the museum, popularly known as BMoCa, and it is aiming high, with a competition that will be open to the public. In May, the museum’s planning committee sent out a request for proposals far and wide, asking architectural firms to give a basic idea of what they might do on the site. More than 60 responded, according to BMoCA director David Dadone.
Last week, the museum announced a shortlist of finalists, and it includes both established firms and up-and-comers. The list might not resonate with folks who do not follow the latest building trends, but fans of design will recognize them and many of their projects — and the Creative Campus’ design potential if one of the competitors makes it through.
A design for the Museum of Chicano Art, in Los Angeles, developed by the shortlisted firm, Tatiana Bilbao Studio. (Provided by Tatiana Bilbao Studio)
They include:
The California firm Johnston Marklee, whose portfolio includes the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art.
New York-based SO-IL, which designed the Williams College Museum of Art, in Williamstown, Mass., and the Amant cultural campus in Brooklyn.
Fernanda Canales, one of Mexico City’s rising stars, best known for residential projects and socially conscious public spaces.
Canadian firm Patkau, the creative force behind the Audain Museum and the whimsical Temple of Light, both in British Columbia.
Tatiana Bilbao Studio, led by another Mexican architect with a growing reputation, who has designed several urban spaces and buildings with connections to nature, such as her 2023 aquarium in Mazatlan, Mexico.
In its request for ideas, BMoCA emphasized collaboration, and the firms listed above have proposed working with a number of partners. Patkau, for example, would team with the landscape architecture firm Sasaki, which is headquartered in Boston, has an office in Denver, and works globally.
The museum also requested that the lead firms collaborate with a local partner with experience working in Colorado or Boulder, and who is familiar with the building codes and environmental challenges particular to this region.
In that regard, for example, Fernanda Canales would team with Denver-based Tres Birds, a firm with an impressive track record of residential and cultural projects locally and nationally. SO-IL’s team includes Dig Studio, which had a hand in designing the innovative parks and pathways in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood.
The process is set to go as follows: BMoCA’s committee will narrow down the list to three teams in the next few weeks. Then, in November, it will invite the candidates to come to Boulder and do a public presentation of their ideas. A decision is expected in December.
A design by Sasaki, one of the firms shortlisted for the North Boulder Creative Campus. This is the building 212 Stuart Street, in Boston. (Provided by Sasaki)
The project would break ground in 2027 and be completed in the middle of 2029. That is a long way off, but the work is complicated. The land needs to be cleared and its multiple components designed. The museum and the Boulder-based developer of the overall project, Andrew Ghadini, will need to fine-tune agreements about how things proceed.
As for the museum part, it is set to be a separate building — 17,500 square feet total, with 6,500 square feet of gallery space, plus a rooftop deck and a restaurant. The budget is about $40 million.
BMoCA hopes the museum is a catalyst for a whole revitalized neighborhood. The fledgling NoBo Arts District is in a part of the city where artists have located their homes and studios for many years. The same area has numerous art galleries and a recently opened public library.
But what makes the Creative Campus interesting in the short term is the design competition.
The region saw two open processes like this when the Denver Art Museum constructed its Hamilton Building addition in 2006, and again in 2007 when the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver built its current headquarters downtown. Both resulted in local landmarks, in which the public had considerable influence.
A preliminary idea of what the North Boulder Creative Campus might look like. This rendering was submitted to the city as part of the project’s application for approval. (provided by the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art)
But there has not been an open competition with this much interest since then, with the decisions on the design of major public buildings often made behind closed doors.
“This project is for the community. It’s for Boulder,” Dadone said in an interview last week. “So having input is very important.”
For more info, visit the museum’s website: bmoca.org.