Williams Village Square
Schematic Design to Site Review
2024 to 2025
Boulder, CO
Coburn Architecture
This mixed use development is located in Boulder, Colorado, directly across the street from the Williams Village dormitory neighborhood. The project called for a design that could serve both the dense student population nearby and the broader surrounding community.
From the start, the central design challenge was figuring out how to best organize the site. With heavy student foot traffic on one side and a desire for the project to function as a community gathering place on the other, the layout needed to work for everyone. After many iterations, the team landed on the concept of a "village green" (shown above) at the heart of the site paired with a woonerf (shown below), a pedestrian priority street that slows traffic and puts people first. The result is a site that feels welcoming and navigable, with abundant landscaping, seating, and safe connections to the surrounding multiuse path network.
I participated in design charrettes throughout the process, from early sessions with the full design team and consultants to later working sessions focused specifically on developing the facade designs. These collaborative sessions were some of the most energizing parts of the project, as ideas were sketched out and refined in real time with input from across the team.
One of my biggest contributions to this project was assembling the presentation materials for the City of Boulder Environmental Advisory Board and Transportation Advisory Board, two bodies that must formally approve projects of this scale. I put together the slides with care, making sure the design story was clear and compelling. The effort paid off when one of the board members specifically complimented the presentation, noting that it was exactly what they were looking for.
Some example slides are below, with diagrams representing different project goals.
I also played a significant role in compiling the extensive Site Review set, which included site diagrams, solar shadow studies, parking diagrams and charts, plan drawings and sections for each building, and material boards. Pulling together a submission of that scope required a thorough understanding of the project as a whole, and it was a valuable experience in learning how much work goes into getting a project formally approved.
