Choosing The Best Apt/Loft In Denver

Posted on: May 10th, 2010 | 20 Comments

Today is Day 111 of the Slow Home Project, and we need you to join us in our quest to evaluate the design quality of houses in nine North American cities in nine months. This week we are reviewing the results of our work in Denver and today we are going to be voting on the Slow Home Award in the apartment/loft category.

It’s Monday and it’s also our last week in Denver! This week will be reviewing the overall design quality of housing in the Denver area and we will be voting for the projects that should win the Slow Home Awards in the apartment/loft, townhouse and new house design categories!

Interesting enough, out of the three cities that we have statistically reviewed this far – the others being Dallas and Toronto – Denver has the lowest level of design quality for apartment/ lofts with only 46% of them meeting a minimum level of design quality. In other words, the apartment/lofts in Denver have a lower quality of design than Dallas, where 56% met the minimum standard, and Toronto where 60% met the minimum standard.

We also need you to vote for which project should receive the Slow Home Award in the apartment/ loft category for the Denver area. We would also appreciate your comments on the site and an explanation of who you think should or shouldn’t win and why.

The first nominee was posted by Manolo and is Unit 705 in the “Sugar Cube Building” by Urban Villages. This is a 926 sq ft 1 bedroom and 1.5 bath unit that received a Slow Home score of 20/20! It was designed by KPMB Architects from Toronto. If you want to read more about the environmental performance of this project, read the article from “RFP Ecobuild Magazine”

The second nominee was posted by Mid American Mom and is Plan 1180 in the “Beleza Project” built by Tom Martin Construction and designed by Raw Architects. This unit is 1180 sq feet and has 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths and is also a LEED certified building.

The third nominee is Unit C in the “Frontview 40″ project by Bothwell Davis George Architects. This is a four storey building with 9 townhomes and 31 apartments. Unit C is 1103 sq feet and has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths and was first posted by Matthew and was featured in the “Which House Should I Buy” episode from Day 91 of the Slow Home Project.

Thank you for voting.

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And finally, click on the links below to unveil the “Surprise Design Project”! We need you to complete this project and email it to John before the end of the day on Tuesday. John and Matthew will be choosing the best designs from all those submitted and the winner will receive a prize! On Thursday, we will devote our entire episode to reviewing the “Surprise Design Project” solutions!

See you tomorrow where we will be analyzing the data on the townhomes reviewed as well as announcing the nominees for “Slow Home Award” for Best Townhome in Denver!

Denver Design Challenge

Redesign this 1830 square foot 3 bedroom single family house to improve its livability.

The house is located in a new transit oriented development near downtown Denver. It has a double detached garage in the rear yard (not shown). You must work within the existing perimeter of the residence (no add ons please). Window locations and sizes can be changed. Door locations cannot be changed. A potential demo plan has been included for your use but you are not constrained to this level of demolition. Consideration should be given to the extent of the work being proposed in relation to the benefits created.

Please email a jpeg of your final submission plus a short written rationale describing the project and the the reasons behind your decisions to john@slowhomestudio.com by 9:00 pm Mountain Daylight Time on Tuesday May 11. Multiple submissions are allowed but please send in separate emails.

Denver Design Project (PDF)
Denver Design Project (Existing)
Denver Design Project (Demo)
Denver Design Project (Full Symbol Library)

  • Murray

    Re: the design project and door locations – to clarify – do you mean all doorways or just the front and back entry?

    Thanks.

  • MollyK

    John & Matthew,
    I went to the Beleza website to look at the Siting category and I can’t find the floorplan you have posted for Plan 1180. There is a Plan 1180 but it is not the same layout. Could you clarify which plan is the nominee?

  • MollyK

    O.K.
    I just figured out what you guys did. You’ve switched the floorplan for Beleza with the plan for Frontview 40. Might need to let everyone know which plan goes with which project.

  • John Brown

    Molly K,
    Thanks for noticing the error in the post. As soon as the office opens I will have it fixed.

  • John Brown

    Murray,
    Just the front and back doors should not be moved. You are free to move around all of the interior doors and partitions.

  • Terri

    Hello, everyone;
    Does no one want to talk about their vote and their reasons? I will. I like the circulation in Frontview the best–no long walks from the door back to a bedroom for a forgotten item, or between bedrooms and laundry. It also offers a nice big window in the kitchen area, which the other two can’t. However, that building does little in the way of environmental features, besides some energy efficient heating and low-e glass.

    So I voted for Sugarcube. I’m not crazy about the bedroom access being so far forward, but I see the reason for it. I found several problems with Beleeza–including a too-large bedroom and walk-in closet, walking through ensuite to get to closet; awful view into bedroom from dining; walking through dining to get to bedroom (especially awful on laundry day); and the washer/dryer right in front of the front door (no problem if a single person lives here, but the suite is obviously built for two with that double sink).

    Does anyone else want to share an opinion?

  • Terri

    John,
    For the design project, is North up? Thanks!

  • Tiffany

    John,
    Is it possible to get the AutoCAD file for this design project as well?

  • Cat

    I finally voted for SugarCube, in spite of the laundry location. It was really a tossup for me between SugarCube and Beleza.

  • Sam

    I found the same problems with Beleeza as you did, Terri. Namely, the inaccessible closet, walking through the bathroom to get to the closet, the wasted space in the bedroom, etc. For these many reasons, the choice for me almost immediately came down to Sugarcube or Frontview.

    In Frontview, however, I thought there was a problem with the way the door swing from the Master Bedroom blocks entrance to walk-in closet. The sheer size of the closet given the rest of the apartment size also seems ridiculous. I’m all for living well, but living bigger and to excess does not mean better.

    Out of principal then, I voted for Sugarcube. I really like its efficient and compact layout with none of the problems from the other two. Great size for one bedroom at 926sq foot.

  • Alison G

    I voted for the Sugar Cube unit. The Beleza spends too much square footage on the master suite, which could easily be re-configured into two bedrooms, and I don’t like the Frontview’s laundry/hallway/bathroom traffic-jam configuration.

    The Sugar Cube seems to have the best ratio of public/private space and is the unit I’d prefer to inhabit.

  • Catherine Taney

    Out of the three I like the Frontview best. I think that all three have laundry issues due to their equal lack of work space. I find the door swing clash rather annoying in the Sugar Cube and would have been a very simple fix (move the wall 2 inches to the right). That’s really not the biggest issue though. In both the Sugar Cube and the Beleza I am not happy with the way the access to the bedroom is right off of the main living space. In the Beleza the bedroom door location creates a tight bed location and wasted space opposite (notice the strategic chair placement), and in the Sugar Cube the bedroom door is a slider – and to boot, where does the dresser go?
    The Frontview has it’s own issues, as Sam and Alison pointed out, but I think that it has the best overall organization for the main public and private spaces. Furthermore, it will simply get more light by virtue of being a corner unit.

  • Jessica

    I agree with most–the Sugar Cube got my vote. Ultimately, as others have described, this plan has clarity where the others have cluster; however, Catherine makes a good point regarding Frontview’s corner exposure. Better use of this position than in the Beleza plan.

  • Grace Coulter

    Hi everyone,
    I voted for Frontview 40. I liked how the bedrooms were seperated, giving each occupant a degree of pricavy in a small space. I also had a much better entrance than the Beleza. I agree with everyone that all of the designs have flaws but I see this plan as being most functional.

  • Tiffany

    My vote goes to the Frontview.
    I agree with the other comments about the Beleza, that the master bedroom is too large and awkwardly laid out, though the main living area has definite potential.
    I was not a fan of Sugar Cube for a number of small reasons, that just seemed to add up to too many small things for me; for instance, the closet wastes a lot of space with such a wide separation between them, that master door is a sliding screen, there is no need for a shower and a bath, I do not like the idea of having to go though the powder room to get to the laundry. However, the major problem that I saw with this plan was the kitchen, something that is very important to me. There is no pantry, minimal cupboards, and very limited counter space. It would be difficult to make any sort of complex meal and no more then one person could work in it at a time.
    As for the Frontview, there were a number of elements that I really liked, as I think it is well proportioned and offers ample storage space without becoming too much. I also really like the kitchen layout, with its storage and increased workspace size.

  • Frances Grant-Feriancek

    My vote has to go to Frontview 40. All three units were srong contenders, but Frontview was the only one without a combined bathroom/closet. I really don’t like walking through the closet to get to the bathroom or the other way around.

    This was the deal breaker, therefore my vote goes to Frontview 40.

    Murray- Good to see a fellow east-coaster on the site. Does this mean we’re especially good at kitchen design, you know for the kitchen parties.

  • Andrew

    I liked the layout of the Sugar Cube Building, which was dealt with simply and the spaces worked well with each other. I particularly liked how the bedroom had the option of opening up to the living space using sliding doors. I felt that some of the spaces were awkward in the Beleza Project, especially the bedroom closet where one has to go through the bathroom to reach. Ultimately, I voted for Frontview 40 where I particularly liked how the bedroom area was arranged.

  • Matthew North

    Hello Slow Homers! I am so excited to see what everyone comes up with for the Design Challenge! Remember, you have until 9pm Mountain time (Calgary Time) to submit tomorrow. We are already having some projects trickling in and for what we can see so far, they look really good! Submit your plans and a quick design rationale to john@theslowhome.com.

  • John Brown

    Terri,
    Sorry for the delay in responding to your question – and it is a good question.

    North is actually down on the drawing. This means that the kitchen faces out to the back yard.

  • Mid America Mom

    Voted for Beleza. We have two walls for TV placement in the Living area. Also, though you cannot tell, there is a patio and it shares the see through fireplace.

    Mid America Mom