Each ranch and farm has a story about land and family.

We were engaged to to create a concept for the use of an 80-acre parcel that’s very close to central Boulder, and yet still looks and feels like historic farmland. The McKenzie family has owned the farm for generations and operated it as a working farm until just recently. The property is exhilarating to see—it feels like going back in time. Old farm buildings looked like they have looked for generations of salt-of-the-earth Boulderites, making a living off the land on the Colorado Front Range.

We imagined developing the low-lying fields into an artisanal orchard, horse pastures and wildflower fields, with new country roads to access a creek-side picnic area with a treehouse, and another entertainment area area at the pond with a dock for pontoon boats and ice skating parties. But on this huge site, it feels full of opportunity and charged with history. This property is for sale!

Site planning came into focus for us in 2019 with several site/landscape designs in the pipeline. The process has led us to re-think the scope of what architecture means for our practice. Since it’s our mission to improve the lives of a building’s occupants while also honoring the land, the design work doesn’t end at the building’s threshold. We just kept imagining.

Boulder, CO | 80 Acre Ranch

Client: Compass Real Estate

Status: Feasibility