Author: Lexi Lai
Date: Summer 2025
Activity: ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Program, CU Denver
Medium:
Pencil
Cardboard, card stock, balsa wood
Inspiration
Our project allocated half of a city block dedicated to the hotel. We reviewed requirements with our clients, the City of Denver, and landed on a mixed-use design with retail shops on the first floor and the hotel on upper floors. We profiled our guests and identified precedent designs with our clientele.
Blocking
Next, I started with initial schematic designs and iterated through requirements, followed by some blocking designs.
3D Vizualization
Eventually, I created 3D visualization along with cardboard renderings of the commercial property.
Rendered Image
We did not have time to create 3D color renderings during the ACE timeframe, but I created 3D renderings using Google Gemini to mock up the final rendition of the design, allowing for me to introduce coloration and trim models along with landscaping. In architecture school, I hope to build the 3D architectural models manually as well as using AI and robotic systems to aid in the creation.