Projects - WORKSHOP8

A Beacon of Hope in Greeley Working with High Plains Housing Development, WORKSHOP8 crafted a comprehensive master plan for the former industrial site. This vision encompasses not only the StarRise Apartments but also a future 90-unit affordable family building and two mixed-use developments, revitalizing the entire area.

StarRise Community Building

A Beacon of Hope in Greeley StarRise isn’t just a new apartment building in Greeley, Colorado – it’s a beacon of hope for those in need. This 58-unit project offers Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), providing a safe and stable environment for individuals seeking a fresh start. WORKSHOP8 sought to understanding the needs of its residents […]

Casa Redonda de Vigil

In this vibrant transformation, we didn’t just renovate 42 units across three buildings—we revitalized an entire site. With two 2-story residences, a one-story building, and a charming circular community hub at its core, the project was a delightful challenge. The hub, a true gathering spot, now houses offices, laundry, and a cozy communal space.

StarRise at North Weld Village

This isn’t just housing; it’s a community built on inclusivity, support, and the promise of a brighter future. This 4-story, 58-unit adaptive reuse building incorporates trauma-informed design principles which create a thoughtful, comforting space that embraces the existing 1934 brick structure that remains.

Jacoby Meadows

An engaging senior community where affordable living blends with an active lifestyle and spectacular mountain views, Jacoby Meadows is a newly built three-story building. 62 contemporary apartments make up the programming, with a mix of 50 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom homes.

Overlook at Thornton Clubhouse

Built in 1973, The Overlook at Thornton is a collection of nine apartment buildings on an 8.4-acre site. The property presents challenges with ADA accessibility upgrades due to extensive grade changes and limited unit space. In this remarkable revitalization, we created a more comfortable, modern, and accessible living space for residents.

Sunset Apartments

This award-winning apartment building in Longmont, CO, isn’t just for moderate-income individuals – it’s a champion of energy efficiency! High performance and efficient heating and cooling makes this 2024 SIP Building Excellence Awarded building a green gem in Longmont, Colorado.

Decatur Fresh Marketplace

Decatur Fresh has provided a space for the residents of the Gateway buildings, and the local community to gather, hold events and event collaborate to create a diverse cookbook of family recipes. It is a place for neighbors to chat over a cup of coffee, children to stop by for a free healthy snack, and residents to learn new skills or sell their homemade wares. DHA is thrilled with the space and the success of the program.

Sun Valley Leasing Office

DHA’s Leasing Office located in the Gateway North building.

Gateway South

In essence, Gateway South embodies a thoughtful approach to urban renewal, blending elements of historical context, architectural innovation, and artistic expression to create a dynamic and inclusive space within the Sun Valley redevelopment project. The 92-unit Gateway South represents a pivotal component of the initial phase within the Sun Valley redevelopment project.

Gateway Row Homes at Sun Valley

Gateway Row Homes, nestled in the heart of the Gateway community, offer contemporary living fused with modern design, for modern families. Five spacious 3-story residences and one thoughtfully designed 2-story accessible unit make up the Gateway Row Homes. Attention to construction efficiencies and fixture selection ensures enduring quality without compromising affordability, promising comfort and joy for generations to come.

Gateway North

This 2022 Downtown Denver Design Award winning building stands at six-stories with 95 units and two ground-floor commercial spaces. Materiality plays a major role in this building, providing warmth, comfort, creating human-scale experiences, and tying into the surrounding neighborhood.

Connections at 6th

Two well-worn, 3-story buildings (each with 34 units) and a utilitarian community space became a canvas for transformation. Working with the existing “stone”, we envisioned a revitalization, not just a renovation. Fun and brightly designed foyers and welcoming entryway porticos set the stage. Unit layouts were thoughtfully modified for ADA compliance with updated fixtures.

OLIN Apartments

Located on 14th and Logan in Denver, The Olin Hotel, a 1925 Spanish Mission masterpiece, found new purpose in 1980 as senior apartments. Our renovation honors its rich history while revitalizing the existing 112 units. Restoring access to the fire-damaged 5th floor unlocked the potential for six additional senior apartments, ensuring The Olin’s legacy continues to provide a vibrant home for years to come.

I See You

Through Creative Neighborhoods Boulder, we were chosen by the homeowners, the Marotta’s, to paint a mural on their fence adjacent to Jay Road. The homeowners love birds. How fitting for them to live off of Jay Road? They are also very inspired by the Frida Khalo quote, “Why walk when I have wings to fly.” […]

International Walk of Peace

In 2019, the Boulder Rotary Club in partnership with the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation undertook an enhancement of the Civic Area and the International Peace Garden and created the Infinite Walk of Peace. They had a rough concept for a map that they wanted to install in the park, and reached out to […]

SEED

SEED is a co-working space located in Littleton, CO. The client came to WORKSHOP8 for assistance in transforming an existing medical office into a hip, new co-working space that ties back to Littleton’s past as an agricultural hub. The renovation includes re-cladding the exterior, a pop-top addition, gutting the interior to incorporate a future cafe, […]

Discovery Lab

WORKSHOP8 helped the Town of Windsor Parks, Recreation and Culture convert the historic Creamery building into a flexible workshop/makerspace for children’s education and community gathering space programming. WORKSHOP8 worked with G2 Engineering, KL&A Structural engineers, and JVA Civil consultants on creating bid documents: connect existing utilities to the structure, incorporate new restrooms and new mechanical […]

Grow Gardens

Although Grow Gardens never sprouted, it was fun to design. The intent behind Grow Gardens was to serve as a community garden within Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood. This urban garden would allow residents to get hands-on experience growing local foods that would be sold within the market going in at the ground-level of Gateway South. […]

Design Chaos Infographic

The DESIGN CHAOS infographic attempts to capture and map the process of turning an abstract idea into a cohesive, physical project. The design and documentation process is exciting, chaotic, overwhelming, yet rewarding. The compilation of vague and specific concepts, multiple opinions, as well as code and structural requirements, is challenging to corral and employs both […]

Sweet Engine

WORKSHOP8 presented the concept “Sweet Engine” as part of our mural application for the 2020 Denver Urban Arts Fund. The design pays homage to the Engine & Performance Warehouse operating inside the building located in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood, and the community-focused urban market being constructed adjacent to it, in Gateway South. This 900 square foot […]

Fall River at Prairie Village

Housing Colorado 2020 People’s Choice Award winning building, this 4-story complex offers its senior residents breathtaking views of the Front Range and a comfortable, connected, and inspiring environment to unwind and socialize. Energy efficiencies such as passive solar design, durable and sustainable materials, innovative storm-water management techniques and native landscaping were included in the design.

Soundhound Office

This space has been transformed into a bright, open office environment with the help of WORKSHOP8. Offices were removed from the outer-perimeter of the space to bring daylighting into the space. We added features such as new conference rooms, video chat rooms, collaborative workspaces, bike racks, a kitchen, and a break area with a pool table – a favorite among SoundHound employees. With the help of WORKSHOP8, the office was transformed into a much more modern working environment.

Toby Mural

Team Creative Director and Artist: Brandy LeMae

Blue Bird with Triangles & Stripes

Blue Bird with Triangles and Stripes depicts exactly so – a detailed bluebird and her red bow with a variance of blue triangles and stripes. The mural sits along a homeowner’s fence in North Boulder on 19th and Iris, and was completed as part of the Creative Neighborhoods Mural Program hosted by Boulder Arts & Culture. […]

Candy Shop Creative Offices Kitchen

Beginning in the Fall of 2018, the WORKSHOP8 team had decided it was time to update our office kitchen. The counter was beginning to warp severely, the floor wearing, and plumbing fixtures leaking. We had grown by 50% as an office since the initial kitchen was constructed, and it was time we expanded to accommodate everybody’s needs.

Casita Brewing Company

Casita Brewing Company (now re-named Cheluna Brewery) is a new brewery located at the Stanley Marketplace. WORKSHOP8 provided architecture, interior design, and graphic design services.

Rejuvenescence Spa

Team Creative Director: Brandy LeMae Architect: Joseph Vigil

Caterpillar Club

The Caterpillar Club was supposed to be a really cool speak easy at the Stanley Marketplace. WORKSHOP8 provided conceptual architecture, interior design, and graphic design. It would have been a awesome space, we really wish this existed in real life so we could get some Mad Men cocktails!

B-cycle of Boulder

WORKSHOP8 provided pro-bono Tenant Improvement design services for the 946 SF Boulder B-Cycle office. The small TI includes a private office with a glass wall, open seating for three employees, a conference room, a bicycle workbench and workspace, a restroom, and a kitchenette. B-cycle is a local non-profit dedicated to creating a transportation solution that […]

Twenty37 Walnut

The 2037 Walnut Apartments was a 1980’s courtyard-style apartment building in need of repair and remodeling. The stairs and railing in particular were worse for wear, and were entirely replaced with a new custom system. In the interiors, the existing wood burning fireplace in each living room were removed to free up space. The kitchens cabinetry and appliances were […]

Fitz Vets

FITZ VETS is a housing development developed by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to support homeless veterans and their families. It is programmed with common space, staff support onsite, and is in the transit-rich and pedestrian friendly Fitzsimons Urban Renewal Area near the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. It is adjacent to the existing state veterans […]

Sierra Vista

Sierra Vista is a 209 unit rehabilitation development in Arapahoe County, CO. Owned by ITEX, the building was originally constructed in 1976. The renovation will provide both aesthetic and mechanical improvements, as well as accessibility upgrades.

emoji glyphs

Concept created for Green Valley Ranch Park.

calico ranch

Concept created for Green Valley Ranch Park.

Ann Arbor Art Wall Concepts

Tile Mosaic Photographs of Michigan state symbols (dwarf lake iris, green darner dragon fly, apple blossom, robin, brook trout, white pine, and white-tailed deer) were used as a reference for this colorful, abstract mosaic mural. It would be installed in the 3” deep recesses in the proposed retaining wall. Using a combination of matte and […]

AOI Home Care

Team Architect: Joseph Vigil Creative Director & Print Designer: Brandy LeMae Interior Design: Chelsea Semelka Logo Designer & Web Designer: Melissa McGinley General Contractor: i2 Construction Photographer: RCS Photo

Joli

This eight story mixed-use building will be the gateway from downtown Denver into the transformed Sun Valley Neighborhood. The 13th Street realignment will enhance the close proximity of Sun Valley to the heart of the City and will create a direct connection to the greater metro area, providing opportunities for positive social change and integration of the neighborhood into the city as a whole. Phase-III has the opportunity to capitalize on this connection, welcoming traffic into the transformed Sun Valley, and be a hub for a walkable commercial retail and restaurant zone. Creating an eco-friendly walkable/bikeable district with stores and businesses for residents to work and shop, which will help maintain the existing community closeness, as well as providing more convenient, environmentally sustainable options for residents.

Caterpillar Club Logo

The Caterpillar Club was supposed to be a really cool speak easy at the Stanley Marketplace. WORKSHOP8 provided conceptual architecture, interior design, and graphic design. It would have been an awesome space, we really wish this existed in real life so we could get some Mad Men cocktails! READ THE BLOG conceptual transformation Team Creative Director: […]

Center For People With Disabilities

A concept for a new logo for The Center for People with Disabilities Team Graphic Designer: Graham Bowman

peace poppies

The concept is to tie the existing Boulder International Peace Garden (BIPG) and the Boulder Sister Cities Plaza (BSCP) together while creating a fun experience of exploration and discovery along the path. We propose scattering 12 poppies and 1 poppy pod along the the creek path. The poppies will be fabricated from steel and powder coated […]

The Zephyr

Zephyr refers to: a soft, gentle breeze; the Denver Zephyr train (as the neighborhood is close to the light rail); and the Zephyr butterfly (since it is in the Mariposa neighborhood).

Arches Logo & Sign

The name, Arches, refers to the architectural style of the building.

ephemeral soldiers

This conceptual memorial symbolizes the fragile nature of our troops’ lives. Firmly sandwiched between twenty-foot tall panels of acrylic are delicate stretches of cloth through which have been “burned” the names of the fallen.

Boulder Bath Logo

WORKSHOP8 created this logo for Boulder Bath Design + Build. The client has a contracting business focusing on remodeling bathrooms in Boulder and wanted a logo that included blue, looked strong and capable, didn’t feel like a plumber, and seemed sleek enough to imply clean design.

no? now

191 EverBlocks WORKSHOP8 was commissioned by the City of Boulder Office of Art & Culture to do “something cool” at the unveiling of their Community Cultural Plan. Our team conceived of the “NO?” as a way to spark conversation about Boulder’s rejection of R&R Studio’s Big Red Yes. When You Put the Public in Art, Opinions Go […]

Mariposa Denver

WORKSHOP8 created this website for Ross Management using WordPress. It includes a link for on-line bill pay and maintenance requests. The 6 x 9 brochure was produced using Adobe Illustrator and printed by Greener Printer. The site highlights this green, modern redevelopment by the Denver Housing Authority.

Mandolin Village

Mandolin Village would have provided 66 units of affordable housing for flood victims in Lyons, Colorado. It was a joint venture between the Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) and Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley. Lyons was at the epicenter of the September 2013 floods that caused $4 billion in damages to the state and destroyed 200 homes (about a fifth of its housing stock) in Lyons alone. The compact, 5 acre site plan for Mandolin Village contained a mix of single family homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes and a community space. The site design resembles the shape of a mandolin and would have provided excellent views to the iconic Steamboat Mountain. Sadly, the measure to approve the use of park land for the much-needed development was defeated in March 2015.

Rist Canyon Event Center

During the preliminary planning phase, WORKSHOP8 assisted the owner with design conceptualization and site planning while giving consideration to budget.

PLANNING

Each project is an opportunity to improve, complement, or complete the fabric of the surrounding environment with sustainable and creative design solutions that support and enhance quality of life. WORKSHOP8 integrates planning, architecture and urban design to create place for the users, maximize value for the client, and enhance sustainability. [portfolio column=”3″ sortable=”false” disable_permalink=”false” random_height=”false” fixed_height=”125″ […]

ART

CORPORATE & PUBLIC ART [portfolio column=”2″ sortable=”false” disable_permalink=”false” random_height=”false” fixed_height=”200″ pagination=”false” max=”100″ cat=”art-design” orderby=”rand”]

LeMae: Whatta Man

2015. Acrylic on canvas. ART PORTFOLIO OF VELVET BRANDY LEMAE Works (in order as pictured) “Boy, I Want to Ride” 60 x 48 ($3,500) “My Addictions” 60 x 48 ($3,500) “Milk & Cookies” 60 x 48 ($3,500) “196 Feet 8 and 1/8 Inches” 48 x 60 ($3,500) “Great Responsibility” 60 x 48 ($3,500) “Aisukurimu San” 30 […]

LeMae: Waxing Beauty

“I began this project by doing searches on the internet using the key words: beauty, beautiful, beautiful women / men / children, beauty pageants, and alternative beauty. Then I expanded my searches to phrases such as, fashion, makeup, movie stars, pinup girls, transgender, ethnic, etc. The images are ink-jet printed on vellum and painted with […]

LeMae: Heat

“HEAT was just a way of exploring minimalist compositions in wax.” -Brandy LeMae wax on board. 1999. ART PORTFOLIO OF VELVET BRANDY LEMAE

LeMae: Spun Sugar

“As a continuation of my previous work, these acrylic on canvas paintings are explorations of female iconography. The images were taken from present and past popular culture and were all culled from the internet. I also used internet found images in my work, Waxing Beauty. I was thinking about my baby daughter, Carmen, as I created these […]

LeMae: Girls, Girls, Girls

“Spurred by my fantasies of being a girly girl, this work pays homage to the idealized and stylized females of the 1930s. Always a fan of the Varga Girl and Bunny Yeager’s photos of Bettie Page, I have been examining my own notions of beauty and sexuality for years. I shot many self-portraits in pinup […]

LeMae: Media Coverage

Let it Fly Mural Video | YOU TUBE, 2015 LeMae Explores Women’s Changing Roles in Pop Culture | DAILY CAMERA (J. Gluckstern), 2002 15 Minutes of Fame | DAILY CAMERA, 2002 One Woman Show One Woman’s Words | KWAB 1490 AM (Gina Ferrari), 2000 Domesticity Revisited | DAILY TIMES CALL (Joyce Davis), 2000 Critics’ Choice […]

LeMae: Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping — March 1950 (Vol. 130 No. 3) was my first series based on magazine imagery and was a year in the making. These pop-style, appropriated image paintings are strongly influenced by the thick, painterly styles of Wayne Thiebaud and Mel Ramos and the Pop Art imagery of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. They […]

let it fly! mural

The 55th Street underpass is located between the Friends School and the Flatirons Golf course. It has been tagged on numerous occasions and City Transportation staff has painted over the graffiti several times resulting in an ugly patchwork of beige. WORKSHOP8 implemented the mural “Let it Fly” as a way to beautify the neighborhood and hopefully […]

Juniper Wealth Advisors

This 1560 sq ft tenant finish for a financial advisor office was designed to be open and light and focus on a central, linear wood element.

ephemeral sphere

Located in Civic Center Park, Boulder, sits a steel ball with thermochromic coating; heat (body heat, sunshine, etc.) temporarily changes the color of the coating to clear, revealing the layer beneath.

view in time

Located in Civic Center Park, Boulder, this monument was envisioned as metal clad with printed glass. The glass shows a historic image taken from the same location as the monument, highlighting the environmental changes over time.

Stanley Marketplace

This award winning adaptive-reuse commercial project is all-American, refined, and mid-century inspired. At 160,000 square feet, the Stanley Marketplace houses a beer hall, restaurants, a grocery and market, a large event space, retail, offices, a community room, children’s programming, and outdoor areas. This building has been awarded the following:
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Western Mountain Region, USGBC’s Mountain West Leadership Award, and 2018 Pacific Coast Builder’s Gold Nugget Award of Merit, Best Rehabilitation

Spring Creek at Prairie Village

With 60 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments, this vibrant 3-story complex offers a perfect blend of indoor and outdoor living. At Spring Creek, seniors have the space and resources to live life to the fullest, blending independence with community in an environment designed to help them thrive.

Jamestown Volunteer Fire Department

The final fire station isn’t just a building; it’s a symbol of resilience. It incorporates the community’s desires (gathering space), the firefighters’ needs (functionality), and a lasting reminder of the town’s strength (monument to resilience). Through collaboration, the Jamestown Fire Station has become a beacon of hope and a source of pride for the entire community.

summer is…

Tagline If project needs one In Spring 2014, Denver Art Museum made a call for proposals for the 2014 DAM Summer Installation in the Martin Plaza. They called for an installation that was:Creative; have a strong visual draw and celebrate the idea of sculptureCould engage the community and reflect the communal nature of the plaza while […]

The Aerie at Mariposa

The Aerie includes 10 three and four bedroom town-home style units and 84 one and two bedroom flats for a total of 94 residential units. There is 1,800 SF of ground-floor commercial space dedicated to a local non-profit, Bikes Together. The architectural design concept took inspiration from a phrase found in a neighborhood mural: “Learning from the past, focused on the future.” WORKSHOP8 worked closely with the community to incorporate historic design references and juxtapose them with contemporary forms and materials.

Crosstown Station

CROSSTOWN station is a 72 unit mixed income, transit oriented development in Las Cruces, NM. Twelve of the units will be market rate. The project is an infill development on a site formerly occupied by an industrial cotton storage and compress operation. W8 took on this project because of our commitment to provide quality housing for those who need a hand up and support veterans. There is a strong alignment between the sustainable components of the project—urban infill, transit oriented, LEED Gold—and our values.

mindful modern obsessions

Mindful Modern Obsessions was to be a sustainable fashion boutique imagined by Brandy LeMae

DIA Temporary Public Art

Design proposals for Denver International Airport.

Governor’s Mansion Visitor Center

Team Architect of Record: WJK Architecture + Urban Design Architect: Joseph Vigil Photographer: Kate Pedersen

Paisano Green Community

As the first NetZero, fossil fuel-free, LEED Platinum, affordable senior housing project in the United States, Paisano Green Community has won the NAHRO National Award of Merit in Program Innovation and the AIA Colorado Citation Award. This 73-unit project is a healthy-living community adjacent to the major border crossing between El Paso, TX, and Juarez, Mexico.

1129 Pearl Street

The facade of 1129 Pearl was in of need repair and updating to give it greater presence among adjacent buildings. The architect worked with the Boulder Historic Design Review Committee (DRC) and the owner to develop an exterior plan that would meet the aesthetic requirements of the owner and conform with the DRC standards. The […]

Savory Spice Shop

crave.REAL BURGERS

Team Architect: Joseph Vigil Creative Director: Brandy LeMae Graphic Design: Amy Hayes

David C. Cook

Team Architect: Joseph Vigil Creative Director: Brandy LeMae

Candy Shop Creative Offices

Team Creative Director: Brandy LeMae Architect: Joseph Vigil

Candy Shop Swallow Mural

Team Designer: Brandy LeMae Photographer: Daniel O’Connor

South Lowell Apartments

This affordable multi-building family housing rehabilitation focused on prioritizing resident experience, energy and cost efficiency, and design innovation. We conducted extensive consultations with a significant portion of the existing community to serve as a springboard for the final design strategy, ensuring the renovated space truly addressed the needs and preferences of those who would call it home.

Fairways Apartments

Team Architect: Joseph Vigil Creative Director: Brandy LeMae Client: Thistle Community Housing

Onizuka Memorial

Onizuka Memorial Concept, University of Colorado at Boulder. Materials: sand blasted concrete, illuminated columns, in-ground LED lighting. Ellison Shoji Onizuka attended the University of Colorado receiving his Bachelor and Masters degree in aerospace engineering in 1969. He died at age 40 (number of light columns) in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident on January 28th, 1986. The […]

Ribbon Wall

Memorial Design Concept in the City of Brea CA. Materials include: colored glass, etched glass, steel frame, concrete, reflective pool.

Peachtree Canyon

READ THE BLOG affordable housing design winners 2012 Team Architect: jv DeSousa Designer: Ulla Lange

boulder international peace garden

Boulder has a long-standing Sister City program, with seven sister cities around the globe. One of these sister cities, and the most intimate connection of the seven, is Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This connection was forged during the height of the Cold War to foster peace and establish a friendship between the two cities as representatives of […]

Overlook at Thornton Apartment Rehabilitation

Mountain View Apartments

Snowmass Village’s Mountain View Apartments offers a welcoming home for the resort’s vital workforce. Nestled within the complex are eight three-story residential buildings, providing a mix of studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units. A single-story community building serves residents with dedicated leasing offices and a convenient laundry facility.

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