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Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s vision for creating a
world-class justice center was to engage two “signature
architects” in the design of a 35 courtroom facility for
criminal and juvenile matters paired with a 1,500 bed
pre-arraignment detention facility to be built on adjacent parcels
near the historic Civic Center District in downtown Denver. As a
member of the 15-person selection committee appointed by the Mayor
and an advocate for great design, it was an eye opening gaze.
The selection process included a nationally advertised RFQ that
mildly referenced the “signature” preference for the $379
million complex. The next step included the typical short-listing
from over twenty-five firms to five firms for the court facility
and four firms for the detention facility. The selection process
was made even more dramatic with a required 30-minute public
presentation by each of the “stars” on the eve of their
respective interviews. The intensity of the architect’s
selection was underscored with this portion of the process being
televised and attended by nearly 1,000 public members on each of
the three nights. The process then concluded with a two-hour
interview in front of the selection committee.
Several highlights (and lowlights) of the interview process
included the crafting of a personal letter from one architect to
the people of Denver on how this building would be carefully
created to their extreme delight; the programmer and architect of
the next team arguing during the interview as to who is responsible
for shaping the building; the introduction of one’s wife, the
team’s interior designer, as being the person he has slept
with for the past twenty years; a firm widely acclaimed in the
design of sustainable buildings not specifically addressing the
number of their LEED certified buildings; one architect
specifically requesting to be the last presentation only to quickly
put the committee to sleep after lunch on the third day of
interviews completing the 18-hour process. The late television show
host Art Linkletter used to reference how “kids would say the
darnedest things.” The same could certainly be applied to the
architects. The dynamics of the process may have been a cause for
some of the failures, yet the resulting perceptions of a
predominantly lay committee may have also been a cause of
alarm.
Ultimately, Steven Holl with the Denver firm klipp was selected for
the courts facility, and Hartman Cox with the Denver firm of OZ
Architecture the choice for the detention facility. Ricci Greene
from NYC was the common thread as the programming consultant for
both projects. The results of the selection process would be
curious to even the everyday bystander in that Steven Holl had not
previously designed a courts facility and Hartman Cox did not
possess extensive background in detention facilities, whereas many
of the other “stars” demonstrated extensive experience in
the respective building types. The selection evolved in most part
because the committee was won over with the charismatic personality
of Steven Holl coupled with the high level of competence
demonstrated by klipp, complimented with the strength of the
Hartman Cox team paired with the quality and depth of OZ. The final
vote was quite close as it essentially resolved down to a stylistic
preference by the committee dominated with lay-community members.
It was also interesting in that the programming consultant had won
over the hearts of the committee and clearly became a decisive part
of the star’s selection, regardless of the brilliance of their
glow.
Those familiar with the stylistic precedents of the chosen
“stars” might also question the selection of these two
architects for complimentary projects as one is known for their
modernist work and the other for their contextual work. The
perception by many on the committee was that the modernist language
might cross into both projects, whereas the preference for
historical context might also offer some boundaries. In other
words, was it possible to have the best of both worlds?
Unfortunately this is where the unraveling of the project became
apparent very quickly during the design process with the ultimate
change in direction occurring mid-way through schematic
design.
The Denver process was one that had some very galactic moments yet
it also had some that were less than stellar. Hindsight suggests
that compromises are exactly that. If you want to reach for the
stars, you need to set your sights high. If you want to create
something of a different nature, then star gazing may not be the
hobby of choice. It also underscored the notion that you can not
take the process lightly. Practice, rehearse and know thy client
before entering into the fray.
Dennis Humphries is a principal of Humphries Poli Architects,
P.C. in Denver, Colorado whose 35 person firm has been involved in
the design of various civic and justice projects in the Rocky
Mountain Region. His firm was honored in 2006 as the Firm of the
Year by AIA Colorado and also honored in 2005 as the Firm of the
Year by AIA Denver. Dennis was recently awarded the Silver Medal by
the Western Mountain Region AIA for his passion and commitment to
creating a better community through his firm’s commissions as
well as his leadership in the community.
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