Community Engagement
Last fall, students proposed new schoolyard designs emphasizing learning, creativity, mental health and interactions with nature for six Â鶹ӰԺ Valley School District (BVSD) schools. Over the course of spring and summer 2024, two out of the six BVSD schools have worked to successfully advance their projects from planning to planting.
The Restoration, Salvation and Climate Adaptation symposium drew a crowd of over 80 academic researchers, design professionals, city leadership and Environmental Design community members to the museum. The symposium took place in conjunction with Elemental: Tajik Arts, a public exhibition that celebrates the work of 16 ENVD students who spent much of their summer speckled with paint and perched high on scaffolding as they meticulously restored the exterior west face of the Dushanbe Teahouse.
In the tenth iteration of the Rome Global Seminar, Environmental Design students embarked on a summer field course, exploring the rich culture and historic urban landscapes of both Rome and Syracuse, Italy.
The Creative Labs Center (CLC), one of ENVD’s specialized workshops and studio spaces, has been a hub of activity, hosting thousands of students and countless projects. This summer, however, the CLC welcomed a unique group of residents — a flock of birds.
Sticky metal playgrounds and hot asphalt. Bare patches of dirt on browning soccer fields. Limited shade with no space for solitude and quiet. A small cluster of trees - sometimes. This is what tends to come to mind when we think about a typical schoolyard. Soon, however, six Â鶹ӰԺ Valley School District (BVSD) schoolyards may receive a green makeover.
ENVD faculty visited the Denver Botanic Gardens with the goal to reinvigorate the CU-DBG connection and to introduce new faculty and leadership.
Under Ferguson Pyatt’s mentorship, fourth year architecture student Masani Salazar designed and constructed a three-bedroom floorplan prototype model at an 8-inch scale, mirroring the Taos Pueblo’s traditional style of architecture. She hopes that by designing housing that is familiar and comfortable, built out of adobe or similar material and following traditional architectural styles, more people will choose to stay in the community.