Boulder, Colorado, USA
Drawing upon a “village in a garden” concept, Tryba Architects’ Parc Mosaic Apartment Homes emphasizes the space between the buildings—creating a diversity of places for activity, repose, community, and interaction with the natural environment.
The Parc Mosaic Apartment Homes project has recently been awarded a 2023 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The multi-family development is composed of four L-shaped buildings arranged around outdoor amenities with parking moved below ground.
With its central location, proximity to public transit and major activity centers, high residential unit density, carefully detailed landscape, and numerous sustainable design features, the project has achieved a LEED for Homes Gold rating.
The project’s location facilitates strong connections to regional transit and open space, including the multimodal Boulder Creek Trail Network to the north and west.
Throughout the property, ten “outdoor rooms”—each with a different ethos and amenity—extend the living space for residents and maximize the connection to a natural Colorado lifestyle.
Inside, amenities include a fitness center with a climbing wall, multiple lounges, a yoga room, bike storage, and an innovative indoor-outdoor pool that can be enjoyed year-round.
Thoughtfully-integrated green roofs facilitate surface water management by draining to bioswales and infiltration areas prior to being released from the site.
This on-site stormwater management reduces the project’s impact on the municipal stormwater system.
Energy efficient fixtures in the apartment units, including dual-flush toilets and reduced flow faucets and showers, minimize water usage in each unit thereby reducing total site usage.
LED lighting across the site and in individual units further reduces heating effects and minimizes overall energy usage.
Only energy-efficient appliances are used throughout the property, and smart thermostats in select units save 10-15% on heating and cooling bills while reducing the total energy consumption on the property.
Looking to the future, Parc Mosaic was designed to include electrical systems that would support 100% electric vehicle charging in the existing garage.
The design team considered the impacts of self-driving technology and ride-sharing when providing lower-than-required parking on-site and allowing for a vehicle drop-off circle at the property entry.
In addition, all buildings are solar-ready to allow for the installation of next-generation renewable energy sources when made feasible by market conditions.
A three-story amenity building supports physical activity and features a fitness center with a 50-foot climbing wall, multiple social spaces, a yoga room and spin studio, an indoor-outdoor pool, ski storage, and storage for 450 bikes—two bikes per unit.
A state-of-the-art gear repair room further encourages bicycle transportation, along with a nearby network of trails and bikeways providing a direct connection to regional bus and rail transit within a half-mile.
Project: Parc Mosaic Apartment Homes
Architects: Tryba Architects
Client: Aimco Property & Investments Company
Photographers: Sam Adams
