Andy Rockmore, AIA (Jury Chair)

Principal SHEARS ADKINS ROCKMORE

Andy Rockmore is one of three principals comprising Shears Adkins Rockmore, a Denver based architecture, planning, urban design, and interiors firm located in Lower Downtown. For the past twenty years, Andy has successfully led teams on a wide range of award winning projects.  Andy joined SA+R in 2004 became an equal partner in 2009.  His experience includes both small and large-scale urban projects as well as private residences and interiors. Andy plays a critical role in the day to day operations of SA+R and is engaged in every phase of the design process. He offers leadership and balance in both the technical and imaginative sides of architecture.

Prior to joining the firm, Andy worked with Architecture Denver, where he was the Project Architect for the Millennium Bridge.  Andy grew up in upstate New York and holds a Degree in Architecture from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.   Currently, Andy is a member of Belmar’s Architectural Review Board and Belleview Station’s Design Review Board.  He previously Co-Chaired the AIA’s Colorado Practice and Design Conference in 2013 and 2014.

Andrew G. Nielsen, FAIA, PE, LEED AP

Principal Anderson Mason DaleArchitects

A licensed architect as well as registered professional engineer, Andy Nielsen has 29 years of experience and became a principal of Anderson Mason Dale Architects in 1999.  Through extensive research and study, he has become one of the firm’s best resources in the design of state-of-the-art facilities for higher education.  A noted consensus-builder, Andy shapes celebrated architectural solutions from complex political contexts. His work has been widely published and recognized with numerous design awards.  His passions include using architecture to build strong communities and crafting masonry and other building skins to respond to the dramatic light in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West.

Sarah Semple Brown, FAIA

Principal Semple Brown Architects and Designers

Sarah Semple Brown, co-founder and design principal of Semple Brown Design, has made a substantial impact on the development of Denver's built environment for more than 30 years. Many of her projects have involved highly visible restorations and adaptive reuse interventions of historic buildings that bring great character and a sense of history to the Mile High City. One of her earliest projects, Denver’s Larimer Square, was the recipient of the AIA Denver 25-Year Award in 2003, and her work has received more than 50 design awards from the American Institute of Architects alone. Examples of her work include the Larimer Square restoration and renovation, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Parker Arts Cultural Event Center, the Denver Pavilions, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Stage and Space Theater renovation, IMA headquarter building at Union Station, and many of Denver’s most popular new restaurants including Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen, The Kitchen, The Kitchen Next Door, Steubens, Coohills, Pizzeria Locale and Frasca in Boulder. Sarah was elevated to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects in 2013.

Tom Hootman, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP

Performance + Design Innovation Lead MKK Consulting Engineers

Tom is an architect, engineer and author. As MKK’s Performance + Design Innovation Lead, he works at the visionary intersection of architecture and engineering and leads MKK’s new Innovation Lab. Tom is dedicated to advancing the future of building performance and sustainability and to bringing new solutions and new value to design teams, building owners and occupants.

Tom is a pioneer in net zero energy design and has worked on many notable projects including the Research Support Facility at NREL. He also recently published “Net Zero Energy Design,” a leading design reference on the topic.

Erik (Rick) Sommerfeld

Assistant Professor and Director, Colorado Building Workshop; Architecture Department College of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado Denver

Erik “Rick” Sommerfeld is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Colorado Building Workshop, the design build program at the University of Colorado Denver. Since founding Colorado Building Workshop in 2009 Rick has built seven community projects in Colorado and, in collaboration with DesignBuildBLUFF at the UofU, five charitable homes and two cabins in Southern Utah.

In the last seven years, under Rick’s direction, Colorado Building Workshop has received over a dozen local, national, and international awards including the Architizer A+ Award, three ACSA Design Build Awards, an ACSA Collaborative Practice Award, an AIA Colorado Honor Award, three AIA Colorado Young Architect’s Award for project of the year, and a Gold Hard Hat Award for Outstanding Small Project. The work has been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, Dwell, Architectural Record, Mark Magazine, Modern in Denver, and Colorado Architect. His projects have also been covered in a number of books, and international exhibits.