March 2007

Mesa Lab a medieval castle?

mesa lab

Meas Lab.

The Mesa Lab was named “Best Research Center” in an architectural contest by Go, an in-flight magazine published for AirTran Airways. According to the magazine: “Nestled into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, legendary architect I.M. Pei’s impressive complex rises like a medieval castle from its subtly landscaped surroundings. The center is covered in a rough, red-brown concrete finish, evoking both the stone mesas of the desert and the hand-hewn cave dwellings of early indigenous peoples.”

In fact, the ancestral Puebloan people (also called the Anasazi) of southwest Colorado whose architecture inspired Pei lived not in caves but in multistory, apartment-style cliff homes built into sandstone. Some of their remarkable dwellings were accessible only by rope or rock climbing. And the Flatirons’ subtle landscaping is purely au natural. But we’re still proud of the honor.

In this issue...

International Polar Year kicks off this month