PORTFOLIO
ANDREA MALTA
University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning BS Arch, 2025
andreamalta.arch@gmail.com
Andrea Malta
EXPERIENCE
Ace Mentor Program CU | Teaching Assistant, 2024
Developed and conducted interactive workshops and lectures, introducing high school students to foundational architectural concepts and design practices. Led and mentored students within a dynamic studio environment, fostering critical thinking and creativity. Organized and coordinated activities to ensure seamless project execution while guiding students through challenges.
Ace Mentor Program CU | Summer Camp Counselor, 2023
Oversaw and guided high school students through a variety of extracurricular activities designed to complement their academic and creative growth .Coordinated and managed dynamic programs that encouraged teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. Acted as a mentor and facilitator, ensuring a supportive and engaging environment.
Avery General Services LLC | Administrative and Project Assistant, 2020 - 2022
Supported the management and executi on of various handyman and commercial maintenance projects. Acted as the primary contact for subcontractors and property managers, coordinated scheduling, and maintained detailed task records for ongoing and completed work. Assisted with administrative duties such as billing, compliance with vendor platforms, and organizing company documentation.
SKILLS
Rhinoceros 3D
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Indesign
Office 360
Model Making Drafting
Sketching
INVOLMENT + AWARDS
American Institute of Architecture Students - CU Chapter | President, 2024-2025
C. Gordon Sweet AIA Scholarship | Recipient, 2024-2025
American Institute of Architecture Students - CU Chapter | Vice President, 2023-2024
ACE Mentor Program | Volunteer, Summer 2023
All for Women in Architecture Students (AFWIAS) | Vice President, 2023-Present
LANGUAGES
Spanish (Native)
English (Fluent)
Normal Colfax
Toymakers and Marxists: A Creative Residency .01 .03 .02
Bessemer’s Historic Film and Performing Arts Center
Aurora, Colorado
Normal Colfax
In collaboration with: Gabriel Herrada Fall 2024
Colfax Avenue, celebrated as the longest continuous commercial street in the United States, stretches 26 miles through Golden, Denver, and Aurora, Colorado. Known for its vibrant history and cultural significance, it has long served as a corridor of commerce, a melting pot of communities, and a canvas for entrepreneurial ambition. This project reflects Colfax’s dynamic evolution, embracing its eclectic identity to design a space that celebrates its past while fostering opportunities for the future.
The design draws inspiration from Colfax’s interplay of contrasts—unexpected forms, bustling storefronts, hidden alleyways, and a mix of permanence and transience that defines its character. By bringing the vitality of the alley into the public realm and blending it with the street’s energy, the project creates a harmonious relationship between the private and public spheres.
The design integrates a 1:1 ratio of adaptable commercial spaces to residential units, enabling business owners to reside directly above their establishments. This arrangement fosters an environment where individuals can seamlessly live, work, and innovate within the same space.
The approach acknowledges Colfax Avenue’s role as a launchpad for entrepreneurial ventures—a street where countless businesses take their first steps. By embracing this dynamic, the design aims to lower barriers to entry for commerce along the avenue while respecting and enhancing the vibrant context and spirit of Colfax.
Amplifying Voices: Bessemer’s
Historic Film and Performing Arts Center
Pueblo, Colorado Fall 2023
Architecture has the power to shape communities, preserve histories, and inspire connections. In Pueblo, a city defined by its cultural richness and industrial legacy, the Bessemer Historic Film and Performing Arts Center emerges as a catalyst for revitalization. Inspired by the metaphor of a megaphone, the center amplifies the untold stories of Pueblo’s past, present, and future, transforming them into a shared narrative that unites generations.
This project celebrates storytelling as an essential thread of cultural identity. By bridging memory and performance, the design reawakens Pueblo’s diverse heritage, strengthens community bonds, and establishes a lasting foundation for future generations to explore and honor their shared history.
The design began with a simple yet profound question: How can architecture amplify voices? Inspired by the idea of a megaphone, the initial concepts explored ways to create spaces that project stories outward while inviting the community inward. The design centers on two interdependent elements: the Archive and the Theater, both essential for preserving and celebrating Pueblo’s narratives. The first floor is dedicated to the Theater and its supporting branches, including study rooms, a meeting room, and a recording studio for interviews. Along the building’s spine, intimate and communal seating areas encourage individual study and group collaboration, a second home to Pueblo’s comunity.
The basement houses the Archive, safeguarding film reels and digital stories that chronicle generations of Bessemer’s history. This level also features a display area where visitors can engage with curated exhibits, bringing Pueblo’s rich heritage to life. The symbiotic relationship between the Archive and the Theater ensures that preserved narratives inspire performances, while the plays revitalize the stored stories, bridging the community across time.
The brick design of the project embodies the essence of community and generational evolution, creating a tactile narrative that reflects the interconnected layers of Pueblo’s identity. Each façade represents a generation: the older adults with subtle brick shifts, adults with moderate adjustments, and children with dynamic, playful variations. This progression visually captures the vitality, adaptability, and flow of time within the community, showcasing the legacy of each age group.
The interplay of shifting brick patterns adds depth and movement, symbolizing resilience and transformation. By honoring Pueblo’s historical use of brick while introducing innovative applications, the design bridges the gap between tradition and modernity, offering a powerful statement on the enduring and evolving spirit of the community.
EAST FACADE ROTATION AT CENTER
NORTH FACADE ROTATION AT CENTER
WEST FACADE ROTATION AT CENTER
The archive features an exhibition space dedicated to showcasing the diverse stories that define Pueblo’s identity. It highlights the perseverance of family-owned businesses that have thrived for generations, such as local bakeries, tailors, or metalworkers. It also honors families who survived or offered aid during the historic flood, sharing tales of courage and community. Additionally, the archive displays narratives of immigrants who brought their cultural traditions to Pueblo
Toymakers and Marxists: A Creative Residency
Rhino Art District, Denver, Colorado
In collaboration with: Gabriel Herrada Spring 2024
This project explores a reimagined approach to community living within the vibrant Rhino Art District. It centers around a residency design that fosters innovation, collaboration, and social interaction. Drawing inspiration from the unique intersection of two seemingly contrasting personalities—toy makers and Marxists—the project creates a space where diverse perspectives come together to enrich societal dialogue and challenge the traditional.
The residency aims to transform the conventional housing typology by integrating modular components and co-housing principles that prioritize flexibility, adaptability, and community. It focuses on creating a dynamic environment that nurtures both individual creativity and collective engagement. By rethinking the balance between living and working, the design challenges the typical work/live relationship, emphasizing living as the foundation for a thriving, socially connected community.
At the core of the project is a commitment to creating a space that is both functional and meaningful. It encourages residents to shape their environments, allowing both types of thinkers to take ownership of the space, regardless of the duration of their stay. The design fosters engagement with neighbors and facilitates active participation in a broader cultural and social conversation.
LIVE
Designed to embrace and reflect the unique personalities of the thinkers in a formal manner
Designed as a flexible and permeable area. The modular components empower thinkers to customize their environment, and its controlled openness invites the community to engage and participate WORK
COMMUTE
Designed to enhance the journey from home to work and back. Serving as a "third space", that prioritizes both ; connectivity and solitude
The residency invites toymakers and Marxist thinkers to come together for an intensive 16-week period, fostering a unique collaboration that merges playful creativity with critical societal inquiry. During their stay, participants live, commute, and work within the space, contributing to a shared dialogue and collective growth. The program culminates in the creation of a tangible product.
Rather than striving for a utopia, the design embraces the complexities of human interaction. Tension and disagreements are seen as integral to the creative process, woven into the fabric of the space. Conflict, when constructively navigated, serves as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and deeper understanding. The spaces are intentionally crafted to support both collective synergy and moments of introspection, striking a balance between collaboration and individuality.
Meet your fellow residents
Iterate Research
Reflect on Community’s feedback + Reimagine
From Studio to Society: Empower Change Through Play
Critique
Explore your interest Find your match
THANK YOU
WEEK 8
Andrea Malta Selected Works andreamalta.arch@gmail.com
