Presented by: Tyler Sims, Gabby Narby, Max Wiemer, Annie Peragine

The Boulder Elks Lodge serves as a longstanding community hub for members of the Elks organization, which is founded on the core values of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love, and Fidelity. Our design team selected the Elks Lodge as the focus of a thoughtful reimagining, guided by the principles of Urban Acupuncture, a concept advanced by Brazilian architect and urban planner Jaime Lerner. This approach emphasizes strategic, small-scale interventions at key locations within the urban fabric that catalyze broader, systemic improvements. By applying this methodology, we aim to revitalize the Elks Lodge in a way that not only enhances its immediate functionality but also contributes to the surrounding community’s social and environmental vibrancy.

These changes will weave together multiple generations who use the Elks Lodge and provide a more refreshed, sustainable, and functional community space for the city of Boulder.

“[Urban acupuncture is] a simple healing touch that has everything to do with revitalizing not only that specific area but also the entire district that surrounds it.”

Research-to-Design – Deep research informs every move—site analysis and planting strategies translate beautifully into user experience.

Pre-Design

Features that we noted for redesign during site visits in the first stage of this project, we were tasked to design a modular brick for the exterior of the Elks building. Designing a brick around the form of an antler and a tree branch (left). During this process, we used concrete, rock-ite, wood, and foam to create textures and shapes. After material and casting exploration, the final brick (right) was complete. We CNC milled this wood to reach our final design. This modular brick is a modern take on the nostalgia of the Elks building and community.

Landscape Design

Our design transforms the Elks Lodge landscape into a unified, multigenerational space with clear circulation, organized zones, and vibrant planting—reflecting the Elks’ values of community and connection to the land.

Antler Form:

The form was abstracted from our modular units and extruded into a sculpted grassy mound, allowing visitors to move through the space like an elk—both symbolically and physically engaging with the landscape

Architecture
Our team implemented undulating, free-form furniture throughout the bar and ballroom (shown to the right and at the bottom of this page) to call back to our concept of “weaving” together different generations of the Elks Lodge. While closed squares or circles create strict zones of space, open forms gesturally invite in new people.