Navigating Growth and Sustainability in the Mountain West
An accelerated urban exodus to mountain towns, combined with increased tourism-oriented economic opportunities, has created a planning conundrum in rural resort communities. Pressure for car-centric development is shaping small towns, affecting everything from transportation and affordable housing to open space conservation. Large-scale development on mountain hillsides are often driven by the need to maximize density and parking at the expense of fragile ecosystems, community space, and overall quality of living.
Snowmass Village, surrounded by the Elk Mountains, faces similar pressures. Situated on a major ski run, directly adjacent to the lively base operation, the 2-acre site – one of the last undeveloped parcels in town – presented a unique opportunity to implement innovative solutions that tackle the challenges facing many rural resort communities. At Havens, human-scale building footprints, pedestrian connectivity, shared amenities, and nature-based experiences all take precedence over cars.
Resilient Communities – Pocket Neighborhood Design in Action
Crafting a Neighborhood Unburdened By Cars
Utilizing the site’s natural slope, parking is discreetly placed below grade, preserving mountain views. Roads are replaced with landscaped pathways and shared amenities, eliminating vehicle noise and emissions. The Landscape Architect’s grading strategy creatively redistributed 23% of the total development area from vehicular use towards open space, enhancing the quality of living and the neighborhood’s connectivity to the broader context.
A Place of Refuge
By moving away from more typical large-scale development patterns, The Havens – meaning a place of refuge – prioritizes intimate balance between nature and recreation, offering residents both tranquility and active engagement with the outdoors. Summer picnic nooks and winter après areas are heavily celebrated shared spaces that further foster a sense of place and community.
Modern and Authentic Neighborhood Character
Inspired by the US Forest Service’s Built Environment Image Guide, The Havens is an authentic and modernist expression of traditional Rocky Mountain neighborhood character. The architecture, made from durable and natural site materials, emerge from a native landscape, creating a comfortable and casual setting.
Native High Alpine Landscape
Rejecting conventional lawns, the landscape celebrates its natural environment by incorporating a native alpine meadow that permeates the site, supporting local pollinators, while lowering the site’s total water consumption by 75%. Informed by the site’s harsh environmental conditions, drought-tolerant native species were selected to ensure habitat continuity and ecological function into the future. New aspen trees provide privacy between homes; in a decade, the grove will mature to unite the neighborhood with the adjacent grove.
Paradigm Shift – A New Standard of Mountain-Living
Prioritizing people over cars is key to creating resilient, sustainable communities. This shift in design philosophy cultivates spaces that enhance social interaction, mobility, and a deeper connection to nature, thereby enriching everyday life. As an innovative model for sustainable development, The Havens demonstrates that thoughtful planning and design can achieve superior returns on investment without sacrificing development potential and quality of living.
Beyond the Car: LEED Platinum Living at The Havens
Location: Town of Snowmass Village, Colorado
Client: East West Partners
Landscape Architecture
Design Workshop, Inc. – Aspen, Colorado
Darla Callaway, RLA, AICP – Principal
Feras Abdallah, ASLA, RLA – Project Manager
Mike Albert, FASLA, ASLA, RLA – Project Designer
Margaret Plumb, ASLA, RLA – Project Designer
Award Graphics: Rachel Harper; Brock Efferson
Architecture: Lake Flato Architects
Civil Engineering: Sopris Engineering
Contractor: Shaw Construction
Contractor – Landscape: GH Daniels
Energy Consultant: Energy Logic
Lighting Designer: Innovative Lighting Consultants
MEP Engineer: BG Buildingworks
Structural Engineer: KL&A Structural Engineering
Photography/Image credits: Design Workshop, Inc., Brandon Huttenlocher