What We Create

The iconic gateway structure unifies the arts facilities that were previously scattered through different buildings across the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus, stretching across numerous campus districts.

Tapis Associates created a garden that, in concert with the preforming arts building, instills a unique sense of place by integrating campus location and arts facilities with natural light.  The garden entices students, faculty and community users outside, providing welcoming space for outdoor functions and events as well as seating and grassy areas for unplanned outdoor studying and recreation.

Tapis designed the Ent Center for the Performing Arts garden as an extension of the unifying design theme—the fluidity of the arts “connected by light”—which is articulated throughout the building, garden and site. Conversations and design exploration with UCCS staff and building users defined a garden program to invite daily student activities in the outdoor space, enhance patron experience by extending venues and accommodating festival tents and create a flexible space available and functional for a wide range of uses and events.  As a continuation of the indoor experience, the garden functions as an extension of the lobby and as a foreground and promontory for the campus’ unique view of the surrounding site, adjacent sculpture garden, and majestic Front Range.

A paving ribbon along the public façade of the Ent Center provides an area for a variety of outdoor activities and events. Outdoor café seating and the interface with the glass-walled building emphasize the continuation of academic, performance and multiuse space into the outdoor setting.  The lawn and trees provide shade and recreational space for daily use.  The lawn configuration accommodates a festival tent for special events.  Located 14-16 inches below the lawn, a lower garden lined by plantings and a perimeter seating wall provides an intimate and inviting space for study, outdoor classwork, or informal gatherings.

The consolidated arts facility was planned as part of the 2012 Master Plan for UCCS campus development. The building, positioned along North Nevada Avenue, includes performance venues, practice rooms, classrooms, office space, studios and gallery space and offers new opportunities for extensive collaboration within the department and a space to forge partnerships to increase community engagement.

Awards: LEED Gold
Client: University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Semple Brown Design
Location: UCCS North Campus Entrance, CO

Cambria Suites

Located within walking distance of the Pueblo Convention Center, Union Avenue Historic District and The Historic Arkansas Riverwalk, Cambria Suites is another component to vibrant Downtown Pueblo.

Tapis integrated this brownfield with the urban fabric with a streetscape of columnar oaks. The native riparian inspired oasis landscape adjacent to the building transports guests to the relaxed restorative hotel amenities.

This landscape continues to thrive supported by Tapis' thorough soil analysis/amendment, aesthetic/knowledgeable plant selection and soil and plant specific irrigation design. Professional services included city agency coordination, detailed landscape design, irrigation design, and construction documentation and observation.

Client: Ted Locke Architects
Location: Pueblo, CO

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Nestled in the trees and surrounding residential neighborhood rests the corporate campus headquarters and research conference center for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

A flowing progression from the natural vegetation at the site perimeter to the highly ordered, intimately detailed, building courtyards characterizes the landscape design of this 22-acre campus.

Initial planning included public process facilitation and management of a multi-disciplinary team to obtain special exception zoning. Professional services extended to include detailed landscape design, tree preservation, and construction documentation and observation. Ms. Marbaker served as project manager and lead designer.

Client: The Hillier Group and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Location: Chevy Chase, MD

Buell Welcome Center at CSU Pueblo

Colorado State University-Pueblo Campus of more than 275 acres is nestled in a historically and culturally rich community of more than 100,000 people, located in the City of Pueblo near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains—just a short drive to Denver and Colorado Springs.

This project transformed the Buell Communications Center to include a visitor Welcome Center. In addition, the Welcome Center's entrance plaza and expanded visitor parking were redesigned to share direct access to the new landscaped transit and commuter drop-off court which connects all students and guests to the campus' central academic spine.

During conceptual design, Tapis provided an alternative visitor parking scenario that included bioswales and water quality/quantity capabilities. Although the bioswale option was preferred by the campus Architectural Review Board, the expedient traditional parking layout was installed. Professional services included campus facilities coordination, detailed landscape design, irrigation design, and construction documentation and observation.

Client: Abel Consulting Services, Inc. and Colorado State University Pueblo
Location: Pueblo, CO

Colorado Springs Utilities Site Design Guidelines

Initiated and facilitated intra-departmental negotiations towards consensus design guidelines governing both existing retrofit and new construction of all Utility Department gas, electric, wastewater and storm drainage facilities. As Design Guideline author and publication coordinator, Tapis Associates also lead several in house training sessions. The guidelines interface closely with the City’s Landscape Code and further the Utilities’ commitment to beautiful sustainable landscapes in the communities it serves.

Client: Colorado Springs Utilities
Location: Colorado Springs, CO

Pueblo District Attorney's Office Renovation

Recognizing it's new direction including more community based activities and programs, the Pueblo District Attorney's office commissioned a team to transform its outdated facilities to a welcoming campus reflecting this new direction.

Tapis and the architect transformed the bleak building facade and exposed sidewalk to a pedestrian friendly landscape refuge with easy street access and comfortable seating. The uninterrupted asphalt parking with its flooding and icing history is now a functional landscaped parking facility integrating subsurface water quality and quantity facilities. The streetscape - a native inspired formal planting - creates a lush buffer between building visitors and the adjacent street traffic.

During conceptual design, Tapis worked with the architect and engineer to create the streetscape integrated building entrance canopy and the subsurface bioswale/water retention facilities in the parking. Professional services included city agency coordination, detailed landscape design, irrigation design, and construction documentation and observation.

Client: Abel Consulting Services, Inc.
Location: Pueblo, CO

Computer Sciences Corporation, Virginia Technology Center

...create distinguishable spaces in which to live and work.”

The 178-acre Fairview Park provides a premier wooded office setting in the major growth area of Fairfax County and the opportunity for CSC to consolidate its ever growing number of satellite office spaces into one prestigious campus. Through conscientious site design, the natural beauty of the wooded site is preserved.

The five campus buildings are linked with a clean line created by the indigenous stone wall. This wall delineates the naturalized understory plantings and existing trees from the formal entry courts which incorporate the building granite and precast concrete.

Professional services included site design, existing tree preservation, plaza design, paving design, and irrigation and plant material. Ms. Marbaker served as project manager and lead designer.

Client: Cadillac Fairview and RTKL Architects
Location: Falls Church, VA

University of Maryland - Baltimore County Master Plan

“We need more classrooms, more parking, more recreation areas; more residence halls,; more student services; more grassy spaces for students and teachers to congregate, and improved physical plant facilities.”   - UMBC Review

The seemingly overwhelming wish list became the master plan’s program backbone for this, predominantly commuter, University of Maryland satellite campus. The master plan outlines phased parking expansion, facilities improvements, quadrangle/ circulation spaces and building additions. Most importantly the plan establishes a unified vision for the future campus.

Physical planning and conceptual design for major public areas were provided “Patterned pavement, a splash of color, and a gentle, grassy slope give a welcoming identity to our main entrance.”- UMBC Reviewby Ms. Marbaker as project manager and lead designer. Services also included coordination with team programmers, architects and civil engineers.

Client: University of Maryland
Location: Catonsville, MD

Trinity Centre

The challenge was to create a unique identity for this premier office park while responding appropriately to the context of this rapidly developing suburban community outside of Washington, DC. Thoughtful combination of traditional detailing, indigenous stone and contextual plant materials provide a timeless setting for future building development.

Careful planning of Trinity Centre’s 82 acres integrates 1.8 million square feet of premier office space in nine buildings, a 300 room luxury hotel, and 100,000 square feet of restaurants and retail shops into a distinguished business environment.

As project manager and lead designer, Ms. Marbaker provided land planning, design development, and construction documentation, and observation services for the streetscape, lake, wetland landscape, fountain and site entrance features as well as design guidelines and a master plant palette for the future office sites.

Client: Prentiss Properties
Location: Centreville, VA

Public/University

Old City Hall Xeriscape Renovation, Colorado Springs , CO

Adams State College Student Housing Landscape Renovation, Alamosa, CO

University of South Alabama Brookley Center, Mobile, Alabama

Summit County Community Services Facility, Frisco, CO

Summit County Library Breckenridge Branch, Breckenridge, CO

Commercial

First National Bank at Flying Horse, Colorado Springs, CO

Marriot and Homestead Inn – Cheyenne, WY

Holiday Inn Express and Candlewood Suites – Yuma, AZ

Hampton Inn – Sheridan WY

Hampton Inn – Green River WY

South River Colony Entrance, Bridge and Country Club, Annapolis, MD

Castle Pines Commercial Development, Castle Rock, CO

Jarre Creek Brewery, Castle Rock, CO

La Jente Sports Complex, Pueblo, CO

Corporate

Bethlehem Steel Corporation - Sparrows Point Business Park, Baltimore, MD

Cortech Biomedical Research Campus, Westminster, CO

Military

United States Air Force Academy Civil A-E 8(a) Set Aside, USAFA, CO