The Town of Parker and the Douglas County Libraries are delighted to
announce that Humphries Poli Architects with Semple Brown Design have
been selected as the winner of the Parker Library and Cultural Arts Center
architectural competition. "We consider ourselves very fortunate to
have gotten the attention of such high caliber architects," said Douglas
County Libraries Director Jamie LaRue. Our design competition --
featuring Barker, Rinker, Seacat Architecture, Sink Combs Dethlefs
Architecture with Thomas Hacker Architects, and Humphries Poli Architects with
Semple Brown Design-- brought us a wealth of interesting and useful
ideas, as well as three independent cost estimates."
"The competition was arduous and we were extremely pleased with the
work of all three groups," said Parker Town Administrator Jeannene Bragg.
"The committee had to make some tough choices and we would highly
recommend any of these teams without reservation."
The committee selected Humphries Poli with Semple Brown Design because
they offered an appealing combination of design elements, site plan
considerations and experience in developing these types of facilities. The
design submitted will provide a foundation for developing the vision
for the future of Parker's library services, our downtown and arts in
our community. The site plan effectively integrated Mainstreet,
emphasized the public buildings as anchors for downtown and provided the
opportunity for economic development, making them a standout candidate for
this project. The team of Humphries Poli and Semple Brown demonstrated
their experience in designing performing arts venues and libraries through
their building designs, function and floor plans.
We would like to sincerely thank all of the community members who
participated in our extensive public process. Through public meetings and
events, as well as online comment cards, participants were able to give
us their feedback. This is only the beginning of a continuing process.
The Town and the Library look forward to working together with Humphries
Poli and Semple Brown to further refine the designs to reflect citizen
input, meet community needs and ensure that the site and facilities
are a timeless addition to our community.
Now that the architect team has been selected, the Cultural Authority
will be putting plans in place to secure funding for the project. "This
project looks forward to a thriving and vital downtown. We are
literally, with broad community involvement, drawing a new vision of the
future," said Bragg.
Humphries Poli Architects and Semple Brown are both award winning
Denver-based architectural firms. Humphries Poli was founded in 1994 "with
a commitment to design excellence in all aspects of the practice of
architecture and design." The firm was selected as Firm of the Year 2006
by the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Firm
of the Year 2005 by the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of
Architects, among many other awards. Some recent notable and
award-winning projects include + Gallery (Denver); the Philip S. Miller and
Highlands Ranch libraries; Westminster Public Safety Center; Ten-Winkle
Towers ( Denver) and Century Lofts ( Denver).
Semple Brown is a firm of 34 professionals that are "dedicated to the
design of high quality performing arts facilities in the intermountain
West region." The firm was selected as Firm of the Year 2005 by the
Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Firm of the
Year 2002 by the Denver Chapter of the American Institute of Architects,
among many other awards. Recent notable and award winning projects
include Stanley Park Performing Arts Center; the Ellie Caulkins Opera
House; the Kent Denver Student Center for the Arts; the LCC Performing Arts
& Health Science Center; the Aurora Cultural Complex Feasibility Study;
the University of Northern Colorado Program Plan; the Arvada Center
for Arts Master Plan; the Denver School of the Arts; the Broomfield
Cultural Arts Center; and the Court Theatre Master Plan.
For additional information on how this project, please visit
www.parkeronline.org or contact Bryce Matthews at 303.805.3174 or
bmatthews@parkeronline.org.
