envd

Built for tomorrow

Ellie Chase — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 19:42:05 +0000

Built for tomorrow Ellie Chase Sat, 10/03/2026 - 13:42

As part of their capstone planning studio with Azza Kamal, students majoring in sustainable planning and urban design collaborated with the city of Boulder to reimagine a downtown site for affordable housing. Rendering by Rikki Gallegos, Paige Jaeger, Katie Ridgway and Tyler Tatman.

Allyson Maturey

Since architecture was first taught at the University of Colorado a century ago, an underlying principle has been discovering the best way to prepare professionals to shape the built environment in ways that supported the state’s growing population.

Now, as that population adapts to the climate crisis and intelligent machines, the built environment—and how students are taught to shape it—finds itself in need of an update.

Azza Kamal, an associate teaching professor of environmental design, regularly contributes to sustainability-focused initiatives on curriculum committees. Photo by Patrick Campbell

It’s one reason architecture has found a home within CMDI, where work on topics like sustainability fits the direction faculty have established for the discipline while reflecting the university’s strategic priorities.

“When our students can combine their design degrees with certificates, minors and microcredentials in sustainability and climate justice, they’ll be better equipped for the future,” said Azza Kamal, an associate teaching professor of environmental design.

The outcome is poised to directly benefit Colorado, which has a growing demand for experts who can find solutions to complex challenges such as affordable housing, wildfire risk, urban heat and homelessness.

“These issues require expertise in sustainability and environmental and social justice, and we need to prepare students for that kind of complex work,” said Kamal, who contributes to sustainability-focused initiatives on campus curriculum committees and regularly collaborates with the city of Boulder on urban design projects. “Their careers after graduation are not going to be linear. They’re going to work across disciplines to tackle these challenges.”

Kamal’s spring capstone studio encouraged students to apply theory in addressing real community challenges. Seniors collaborated with Boulder’s divisions of climate initiatives, comprehensive planning, and housing and human services to create affordable housing near the Twenty Ninth Street retail development.

That interdisciplinary approach resonates with alumni across the country. Adam Frampton (EnvDes’02), principal at New York-based Only If, credits his education with teaching him to think beyond the boundaries of architecture. Today, Frampton’s professional practice informs his mentorship and teachings as a design critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

“Architects have to think about the historical, social, political, aesthetic and environmental dimensions of every project,” Frampton said. “You need to know enough about many different fields to bring a building—or any part of the built environment—together.”

While conversations around sustainability often focus on carbon and energy efficiency, Tensho Takemori (EnvDes’88), a partner at Gehry Partners, said the next major frontier for architects is water.

“The larger discussion, especially in the western United States, is going to be centered around water access, use, conservation and recycling, which are going to shape the success of communities over the next 50 years,” Takemori said.

When it comes to educating the public about water conservation, Takemori said the partisan overtones and scientific complexity of the issue represent an opportunity for architects to make this challenge accessible.

“Architects help society with the ability to navigate complexity, solve problems creatively and communicate solutions clearly,” Takemori said. “It’s our responsibility to communicate the value of those ideas in a way that’s understandable and compelling.”

Designers are also rethinking what they build through the practice of adaptive reuse and preservation. It’s a focus of Kamal’s teachings and work, which emphasize preserving and repurposing existing buildings. Both concepts reduce the need for new materials and extend the life of the built environment.

Frampton’s concept of “indeterminate buildings” is another forward-looking idea. He said architects should design structures that can remain flexible and accommodate uses that don’t exist yet.

“Rather than creating highly specialized buildings that quickly become obsolete, we should prioritize adaptability, allowing structures to withstand 100 to 500 years,” Frampton said.

Architecture and A.I.

Adaptability isn’t just for buildings—it’s for the tools used to create them. As artificial intelligence changes the way designs are created and communicated, faculty are encouraging students to responsibly use these tools. Kamal challenges her students to pair technical proficiency with strategic thinking.

“Technology alone has limited value,” Kamal said. “Students need to know how to translate that knowledge into adaptable designs, long-term strategies, and policies and actions that can be implemented.”

In Frampton’s classes, that means encouraging students to use A.I. critically while developing skills that cannot be automated, like hand drawing and physical model-making. He advocates curiosity, not panic.

“I’m not threatened by it,” Frampton said. “At the end of the day, architecture is a humanistic discipline, so I don’t think A.I. will replace architects.”

Allyson Maturey is a communications project manager for CMDI.

As architecture at the university hits a milestone, faculty and alumni reflect on what’s next for the discipline.

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Strokes of genius

Jayden Fortner — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 19:40:46 +0000

Strokes of genius Jayden Fortner Tue, 09/29/2026 - 13:40

CMDI’s environmental design department curated a collection of work by Ping Xu and her students that was unveiled during a ceremony celebrating her impact as a teacher and researcher. Photo by Jack Moody.

Joe Arney

When it was time to register for her design studio course, Sophie Burke was a woman on a mission: to do whatever it took to get into Ping Xu’s class.

“It was like buying concert tickets,” Burke (EnvDes’25) recalled with a laugh. “Everyone wanted to be in her studio.”

In retrospect, getting into that studio course was even sweeter, as it turned out to be the last one Xu taught: In the spring, she retired from teaching architecture after 36 years at the University of Colorado, her home since completing advanced degrees from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. She is now professor emeritus of environmental design at CMDI.

And while her design studio course emphasized what Xu called “step by step, slow technology”—sketching and model building by hand—it wasn’t the only course where she brought different perspectives to generations of architects. She also taught popular courses on watercolor and feng shui; in all her classes, she emphasized experiential learning as a way of inspiring students’ creativity and critical thinking skills.

One of the best pieces of advice Sophie Burke got from Ping Xu was to not lose a great idea when it enters your head. ‘It doesn’t need to be perfect; you just need to get it out’ before you lose it,’ she said. Burke, right, poses with Xu after graduating in 2025. Photo courtesy Sophie Burke.

“She taught us about feng shui as a type of systems thinking,” said Burke, who recently left her role as an architectural designer with Boulder-based Coburn Architects to pursue work in New York.

“Ping taught us to see feng shui as a set of rules to base a design premise on, a starting point for your creativity. I think about it all the time in my work.”

Xu, a well-known consultant and prolific researcher on feng shui, published a plethora of papers on the ancient Chinese practice, often tying it to broader themes like how Indigenous peoples chose where to build or explaining wildfires and other disasters.

Doing well in her watercolor classes, meanwhile, meant mastering concepts like sketching, color, Impressionist theory, even using the brush correctly. Mackinzi Taylor (EnvDes’17) became a teaching assistant to Xu after completing the course, which she described as “less about art technique, and so much more about developing an eye for the world.”

“Her watercolor technique trained you to be an observer who looks for patterns and connections,” said Taylor, a project manager at the nonprofit Community Builders, in Glenwood Springs. “It forced you to become thoughtful and careful, and develop an attention to detail that every design professional needs.”

Xu also taught not to let that attention to detail stifle early-stage creativity.

“We can all relate to having a creative thought but losing it before you can express it,” Burke said. “Ping taught us to just sketch it—it doesn’t have to be perfect; you just need to get it out.”

Students said Xu recognized the difficulty of intense studio courses, and worked to create friendships in the class—Burke recalled a site visit where Xu asked passing hikers to take photos of the group. It was one way Xu balanced the demanding nature of the work with empathy for the challenges of succeeding in what she called “a moody and difficult major.”

“She demanded excellence, but with a warmth and a humor that made you want to do the hard work and grow,” Taylor said. “She asks something extra of you—and when you find out you can give it, it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.

Her classes were nontraditional, but Ping Xu’s techniques—forged from her expertise in feng shui, watercolor and tai chi—have inspired students as architects and creators.

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2 minutes with: Evie Warner

Joe Arney — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:49:37 +0000

2 minutes with: Evie Warner Joe Arney Tue, 04/21/2026 - 15:49

Evie Warner isn’t just a skilled student—she's a bee booster whose affection for the arthropods earned her the nickname of the bee girl. Courtesy Evie Warner.

Iris Serrano

Evie Warner (EnvDes’26) had never visited Colorado before she chose to attend �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. Now, she has built quite the second home at �鶹��Ѱ��in ways both conventional—as a leader with Industrial Designers Society of America—and not, as a proud bee booster. She is the William W. White outstanding senior for the environmental design department.

Conversation edited for length and clarity.

Evie Warner isn’t just a skilled student—she's a bee booster whose affection for the arthropods earned her the nickname of the bee girl. Courtesy Evie Warner.

So, for the uninitiated, what can you tell me about EPOD?
So, I came here specifically for the environmental design department, and found EPOD along the way. It stands for environmental products of design, and I love how hands-on we get in making real, physical things that solve meaningful problems. And while sustainability is not a requirement, I appreciate the opportunities to connect my projects to nature and community.

What’s your favorite part about it?
I love the interdisciplinary aspect most of all, because I like to do a lot of different things—and it's really nice that in environmental design, I can bring my interests outside of class into my work. My projects have this theme of connecting people in urban environments to nature.

My other weird niche, I guess, is bees.

Whoa, bees? Like, the insects?
Everyone knows me as the bee girl. I do a lot of pollinator advocacy stuff outside of school and with the city of Boulder, and pollinator gardening, stuff like that.

OK, but how’d you get that nickname?
I was studying abroad, in Copenhagen, last spring, and I was in a class called Sustainable by Design. We had to go on a field trip to this urban bee place. I guess I just looked really excited or something, because everyone at my table turned and looked at me. So, I became the bee girl in that class. I didn't even have to say anything.

Other than saving the bees, what else have you done at CU?
I’m the secretary and treasurer of IDSA. The board really cares about networking, of course, but the core of it is this group of students who just want to make things and have fun. That’s the part that keeps it running.

What’s a highlight from your time as a member?
Definitely the first designathon we hosted. We collaborated with Lasko, so our challenge was to design an air purifier that fits better into a home with limited space. We were split up into teams; I think we were called Pretty Princess Power, or something.

Great name. Did you end up winning?
There was no official winner, but we made something really awesome—like, a portfolio-worthy project—in 24 hours. I was really proud of us, it just felt good to be on a team that really collaborated and functioned well. We all had different skills, but we all worked together so well.

Time for the scary question: What’s next?
This summer, I'm working in environmental education in California at a nature-based summer camp, so I'll be teaching kids about nature—and I get paid to go camping, essentially. It's just going to be a nice break, I think, from coming out of intense academics.

Iris Serrano is studying strategic communication and journalism at CMDI. She covers student news and events for the college.

Celebrating the Class of 2026

Evie Warner is graduating as the outstanding senior for the environmental design department. From her class projects to Copenhagen, Warner blends creativity and nature in her work.

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2026 Graduation Celebration

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Coloring outside the mines

Regan Widergren — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:27:14 +0000

Coloring outside the mines Regan Widergren Thu, 11/06/2025 - 17:27

Joe Arney

When you represent the interests of an industry like mining, you’re bound to make a few enemies.

In the case of PDAC—the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada—an increasingly sharp thorn in its side is a collective, Beyond Extraction, that finds creative ways to disrupt the mining group’s annual convention.

Its latest salvo? A coloring book that shows children a less-sanitized view of mining’s environmental impact than the industry acknowledges.

“All our projects seek to counter something PDAC is doing,” said Zannah Mae Matson, an assistant professor of landscape architecture at CMDI. A previous campaign, she said, involved creating an audio tour of the minerals exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto, that drew attention to mining’s labor and environmental calamities.

For the coloring book, Beyond Extraction took aim at PDAC’s educational wing, Mining Matters, which builds lesson plans to extend the industry’s ideology into Canadian schools. Mining Matters also creates coloring books featuring kid-friendly characters who show that when mining companies complete operations, “they remediate everything, and everybody’s happy—the water’s clean, the trees are fine,” Matson said. “Whatever.”

The title Beyond Extraction selected for its book, What It Takes, counters Mining Matters’ message—that mines give jobs, technology, bicycles and so on. The project argues that the industry doesn’t give those things without cost. It explains technical concepts like free-entry staking and labor exploitation in ways that allow teachers and caregivers to start conversations with kids about adverse impacts of mining.

Simplifying the message

“The biggest challenge was simplifying,” Matson said. “The illustrations had to be colorable and fun, and the message had to be approachable.”

The book is not about ending mining; rather, it offers a more complete picture of mining’s human and environmental impacts. That’s crucial as the industry positions itself as a champion of the sustainability movement, since the metals miners unearth help power alternatives to fossil fuels.

“We don’t live in a world where nothing needs to be taken out of the ground—but there is this false dichotomy that if you don’t like mining, then you love oil,” Matson said. “We can’t fall into this trap of believing we all bear the same responsibility for mining because we all use a laptop computer.”

Instead, she said, we need to introduce lower levels of consumption while holding companies accountable to higher standards.

We need to create higher levels of standards to hold companies accountable, and introduce lower levels of consumption.”

Zannah Mae Matson, assistant professor

The Beyond Extraction collective has released a coloring book, which Zannah Mae Matson co-illustrated, in five languages. Its message is designed to disrupt the work mining organizations do to influence curricula and position themselves as champions of sustainability. Photos by Kimberly Coffin.

“As someone who’s been researching mining for a long time, and seeing how these companies cover up the problems they cause, I have serious doubts they will be the heroes of a green, more just future,” she said.

Matson’s research investigates how infrastructure impacts communities and the environment. That might mean what a road system in Colombia indicates about its colonial history, or how mining operations create lasting damage to nearby communities. It’s work that takes her around the globe but is especially prevalent in her native Canada, which has worldwide mining operations.

That’s a key reason Beyond Extraction is translating the coloring book into different languages. It launched last year, but this spring, translations into American English, French, Spanish and Portuguese came online—countering Mining Matters’ multilingual approach, which also has editions in Indigenous languages, like Inuktitut.

“It’s so problematic that these materials are presented in the languages of people that the mining industry has dispossessed,” Matson said.

The collective hopes to translate its coloring book into Dene, Inuktitut and Cree, but for now, it’s too costly for Beyond Extraction’s budget activism. The book relied on volunteer members’ expertise in media studies, landscape architecture and beyond; Matson also was one of two illustrators.

Like many researchers, Matson is used to collaboration. Beyond Extraction, she said, is next level.

“When you’re facing such complex problems, you need collective ways of resisting them and finding answers,” she said. “It’s nice to know you’re not alone, and feel your work is rising to meet those challenges.”

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.

Photographer Kimberly Coffin graduated from CMDI in 2018 with degrees in media production and strategic communication.

Mining companies are positioning themselves as heroes in the transition to sustainability. A coloring book illustrated by a CMDI professor is throwing shade on the idea.

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