• About
    About
  • Architecture
    Architecture
  • Planning
    Planning
  • Shelter Journal
    Shelter Journal
  • Contact
    Contact
Contact Info
Office:
16 North 4th Street
Carbondale, CO 81623

Mailing:
PO Box 550
Carbondale, CO 81623
+1 970 963 0201
info@landandshelter.com
Newsletter
Our Instagram
Perspective from the inside of a burned trunk. Thi Perspective from the inside of a burned trunk. This beauty was surrounded by survivors of whatever fire claimed our subject here. Ancient juniper survivors were packed dense on this site, the surviving stand in a neighborhood of pastureland and subdivisions. An architect, not such an innocent visitor to such a place.
The @landandshelter Carbondale studio is at 16 N. The @landandshelter Carbondale studio is at 16 N. 4th Street, just around the corner from the intersection of 4th and Main in downtown Carbondale. As of September 2020, we are all working from home and using our studio space on an appointment-only basis. 
L+S was founded in Carbondale in 2005, and we opened our first Aspen location in 2011.  As of this writing, we're taking a hiatus from the Aspen space and just sticking with one office. One office suits our needs today, although that may change as we navigate the needs around office space impacting us all.
 
As always, you can find us at info@landandshelter.com! 
#landandshelter
Please pass this along! Land+Shelter is hiring exp Please pass this along! Land+Shelter is hiring experienced architects at the project architect / project manager level. We’re open to remote applications for the right fit. Please see our job posting at LinkedIn or AIA websites. QR code here is for LinkedIn. Folks are welcome to reach us at: employment@landandshelter.com for any additional clarifications. Please share!
60 second video spin around this annexation propos 60 second video spin around this annexation proposal in Carbondale. Plain walls in video will be murals. Our next planning and zoning commission meeting is September 10th. Comments welcome! Please send any comments and/or questions ahead of time to: eastwood133selfstorage@gmail.com and please see our additional renderings at landandshelter.com/portfolios/Eastwood-133-self-storage #landandshelter #carbondalecreativedistrict #prstudioco
Drivers view heading south, drivers view heading n Drivers view heading south, drivers view heading north, and a detail. L+S is working on this annexation project just north of the electrical substation on Highway 133. The first planning and zoning commission hearing on this proposal is coming up August 13th, and the second hearing will be the 27th. Please send any comments and/or questions ahead of time to: eastwood133selfstorage@gmail.com and please see our additional renderings at landandshelter.com/portfolios/Eastwood-133-self-storage #landandshelter #carbondalecreativedistrict #prstudioco
L+S is working on a net energy positive annexation L+S is working on a net energy positive annexation project just north of the electrical substation on Highway 133 in Carbondale. Parcel is currently just over the line in Garfield County. The first planning and zoning commission hearing on this proposal is coming up August 13th, and the second hearing will be the 27th. Please send any comments and/or questions ahead of time to: eastwood133selfstorage@gmail.com and please see our additional renderings at landandshelter.com/portfolios/Eastwood-133-self-storage #landandshelter #carbondalecreativedistrict #prstudioco
Just right temps, Summer morning, first site visit Just right temps, Summer morning, first site visit. It’s just hard not to be wistful with this stuff. Pencil’s up!
Spec homes have recently been coming back, so it s Spec homes have recently been coming back, so it seems. This is one of a handful we’ve seen work this year - and this simple project is closing soon. Market forces shifting for everyone else? Seems like people have not been making the midvalley location math on these specs pencil until recently. #landandshelter
Key: Space for grilling! #landandshelter Key: Space for grilling!
#landandshelter
Today we are especially excited to have clients su Today we are especially excited to have clients supporting community with Pride 1st Friday. Thanks for the chalk @h_mavis #pridefirstfridays #carbondalechamber #firstfridaycarbondale @prstudioco @landandshelter @359design @carbondalecreativedistrict @carbondalearts @carbondale
How much more black can you be? #spinaltapforever How much more black can you be? #spinaltapforever
This remodel brought a little TLC, a little touch This remodel brought a little TLC, a little touch of modern, and some serious insulation upgrades to a 1980’s home on the river outside of Carbondale. Glad to see a C.O. Come through in this moment. Stay safe folks! #landandshelter #faceliftarchitecture #modernfacade
Load More...
land_shelter_mobile_logo
  • About
    About
  • Architecture
    Architecture
  • Planning
    Planning
  • Shelter Journal
    Shelter Journal
  • Contact
    Contact
land_shelter_logo@2x
land_shelter_mobile_logo

SHELTER JOURNAL

A diary on the practice of thoughtful architecture.

Talk About Bricks

November 13, 2019
-
No comments

When a renovation project involves challenging preexisting conditions, our team embraces the creative tools at our disposal–and inspiration from the natural world leads the charge. A recent brick facade renovation in downtown Carbondale inspired me to begin the design by walking around a Grand Junction brickyard last July. I wanted to think about bricks with more immersion into their world. On I-70, outside of Grand Junction, you see a nuanced cliff band sporting a muted rainbow of brick-y colors that all blend beautifully but also hold their own: sage-grey, buff, turmeric, terra cotta. The brick plants are located close to their clay because transportation costs are a big consideration. 

 

At the brickyard, I chatted with the supplier about the manufacturers and their various pros and cons, their plants, and their locations. The beauty of brick is how well it suits itself to context. The chalky clink of a brick in your hand, and a conversation face to face with someone who works with bricks was, effectively, design process. I came away from the experience thinking – Don’t overdo it. Be straightforward. Bricks are straightforward. 

 

This renovation is of a wood-clad 1976 building on Main Street in Carbondale, Colorado. The remodel will provide much-needed brick infill to a portion of Main street that was lacking in continuity. Here’s the challenge: I’m trying to make this facade do something essentially brick, something only brick can do. When wood does wood and brick does brick, it’s just more beautiful. 

 

But it’s a challenge here because this building does not follow the historic forms of Main street. This building is all horizontals and low ceilings while the surrounding context is all vertical lines, with lofty 15’ ceilings for the ground floor commercial spaces. So a decision is posed – do you paint on the look of the old, or accept the building the way it is?

 

In this case, we are embracing the building as it is. No fake-old here. No fake anything. There is a classic architectural story of Louis Kahn’s conversation with a brick.  And in this story, Louis and the brick have a conversation in which the brick prefers to be an arch above all else. In our Carbondale facade remodel design, we sought a conversation with the bricks that honors their way of being. These remodel bricks will not be offered the opportunity to arch. Arching is about being structure. Arching is about holding up the wall above so that light or air or people can pass through below the arch. Our remodel bricks are resting on steel lintels and,  whether or not this is their preference, it is authentic, and that’s the bedrock for any design. 

Leave a Comment

Your feedback is valuable for us. Your email will not be published.
Cancel Reply

Please wait...
Submit Comment →

Previous Posts

Nov 2, 2020

Remote Studio

Sep 21, 2020

Where is L+S?

Feb 4, 2020

Options

Dec 11, 2019

Language Troubles

Oct 21, 2019

Images Should Follow Not lead + Intro to Shelter Journal

Oct 7, 2019

Regulating Green

Sep 20, 2019

On Names

Aug 15, 2019

Sea Glass

Jul 14, 2019

The Log Challenge

Jul 10, 2019

Design “Team”

Subscribe to our newsletter

Talk About Bricks | Land+Shelter