DRAW recently participated in a design competition that challenged teams to address affordable housing in Denver, Colorado. The competition aimed to create solutions that increased housing abundance – quantity – while also thinking about design excellence – quality.
In recent decades, Denver has seen a significant population increase due to the appeal of its proximity to the Rocky Mountains, abundant sunshine, and strong job market. While the population has soared, wages and housing stock lag behind. These problems are exacerbated by escalating construction costs, regulatory hurdles, and broader economic pressures that have created a housing crisis in Denver.
In the words of the competition brief, “The aim is to generate ideas that address Denver’s pressing housing needs while contributing to a joyful city of the future for all.”
Participants were asked to select their own site and situate their concepts into any combination of architectural, urban, or framework scales.
From the outset, our proposal aimed to acknowledge that affordable housing is not a design issue. The socio-economic and political forces that have created housing crises across the country should be treated as intersectional problems and thus be met with like-minded solutions. We set out to tackle affordable housing in Denver in a way that addresses issues of construction costs, material sourcing, local labor capacity, sustainability, and permitting and financing processes.
With this intersectional vision, we landed on the neighborhood of Globeville as our site to act as the backdrop of our concept. Globeville was chosen because of its history of industry, presence of a strong generational community, and location near a variety of transportation networks.
Globeville, once an independent town incorporated in 1891 and annexed into Denver in 1902, grew around the Globe Smelter factory and the industries that followed, including stockyards and meatpacking. Early residents, many from Eastern Europe, built a vibrant, self-sufficient community rooted in cultural diversity and resilience. However, as industries automated and declined, so too did the local economy. The construction of Interstates 25 and 70 in the mid-20th century further fragmented the neighborhood, physically and socially dividing what was once a tightly knit community. Today, Globeville remains defined by both its rich cultural history and the challenges imposed by economic shifts and infrastructure barriers, yet its industrial legacy offers a foundation for renewal.
Our concept grew out of Globeville’s history by introducing a new kind of industry – one that builds rather than pollutes. The new industry is rooted in the establishment of a prefabrication manufacturing plant that transforms regionally sourced ponderosa pines into the building blocks for affordable housing. The product that would be delivered out of the manufacturing plant would be a CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) panel and serve as the building envelope for our new affordable housing units. While the exterior is sorted out, there remains the need for interior build-out. As part of our concept, we proposed the establishment of new trade programs to give the community members the skills needed to perform the framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical construction tasks. The new industry establishes a circular economy that revitalizes the neighborhood and cultivates workforce opportunities.
With our prefabricated product serving as the basis of our building design, we looked at creating different housing typologies that were suited to a variety of living situations as well as the different zoning districts present in the Globeville neighborhood.
With our site selected and housing designs established, we referenced the 2014 Globeville Neighborhood Plan’s study as our guiding principles:
- Residential Neighborhood Core
- “Preserve Globeville’s single-family character while adding affordable infill and ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) to strengthen neighborhood stability.”
- Our proposal for prefabricated, pre-approved housing units will be part of the solution to create density at a neighborhood scale. Our proposed ADU units can easily respond to appropriate lot sizes.
- Washington Street Corridor + Riverfront
- “Transform Washington Street into a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly corridor linking the neighborhood to the riverfront and beyond.”
- The mixed-use housing solution we envision brings together density in a maximum of 3 levels to keep the character of Globeville at a neighborhood scale.
- Industrial Edge
- Transition heavy industry towards cleaner, community-supportive uses while honoring Globeville’s industrial heritage.
- Our proposal uses industry to spur making, building, and job creation around affordable housing.
Turning our attention to sustainability and material sourcing, we looked at the regional resource of the Ponderosa Pine as our material system. Beetle-killed ponderosa pine, a challenge in Colorado’s forests, becomes an opportunity in Globeville’s prefabricated housing strategy. Beetle infestations kill large numbers of ponderosa pines, leaving standing dead trees that can be harvested before decay sets in. This increases available timber without additional forest cutting, providing a sustainable material source for construction.
By harvesting these trees before decay, we access a locally sourced, sustainable timber supply that can be engineered into high-quality panels and structural components in a factory setting. Prefabrication allows us to efficiently utilize wood that might otherwise go to waste, transforming a regional ecological issue into affordable housing, local jobs, and an economy that links forest stewardship with neighborhood renewal.
Beetle-kill pine is typically more brittle and can have discoloration or resin pockets. For prefabrication, careful sorting and grading are required to select structural-quality boards suitable for panels, framing, and other components.
Prefabricated construction methods can also accommodate variable lumber dimensions because components are cut, engineered, and assembled in controlled factory settings. This allows for an efficient use of beetle-impacted wood as a construction resource.
Using beetle-killed pine supports local forestry operations and reduces the need for imported timber, aligning with circular economy principles. It also helps mitigate wildfire risk by removing dead trees from forests.
Our submission was shortlisted for the AIA Denver Affordable Housing Challenge by Buildner.
See our final board submissions below:
