ELEGANT, SUSTAINABLE, EUROPEAN LIVING
The Concept + Legacy: Community-Driven Development
The La Vie Lumière development team is the result of a close collaboration between residential neighbors and business owners who want to make a positive impact on their local community. Each member brings unique skills and expertise to the project, from sustainable design and construction to financial oversight and project management.
Despite having decades of experience, they don’t sound like average real estate developers when discussing this project. Instead of costs and schedules, they speak of the planet, shared values, community, and what one team member fittingly calls “the light that keeps illuminating the way forward.”
The vision for La Vie Lumiere was born from the collaboration of a husband-and-wife architectural team committed to reshaping urban living through thoughtful design, sustainable materials, and spaces that nurture both people and place.
Pioneering an intentional, healthy way of living, for our community and the environment, they bring sustainable modern European living to Old Town Fort Collins in 2026 with La Vie Lumière, with a Boutique Townhome Community comprised of 5 floor plans and 15 townhomes. Their goal: to demonstrate that high-end living can coexist with doing right by our planet.
Laurie and Bob Davis, of Davis Davis Architects, bring decades of European-influenced experience to the project in their mission to address what they see as an urgent climate crisis. “We’re 8 billion people and counting, and we need to be good stewards of the world’s resources for future generations,” Laurie explains, reflecting on the environmental issues that fuel their commitment to sustainable architecture. “As design professionals, we want to help our clients understand sustainable choices and climate-sensitive solutions.” For this project Davis Davis Architects joined forces with [au] workshop, an esteemed and high-design local Fort Collins architecture firm.
Laurie and Bob Davis have also recently developed awarding winning L’Avenir, just across from La Vie Lumiere at 221 E. Oak St. An energy-independent building of four townhomes style condos built with natural materials and streamlined designs. The property features geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, induction stoves, and other stunning attributes that minimize impacts on the earth without compromising beauty and utility – in harmony with well-being and the natural world.
Le Jardin d’Arbre— (the courtyard within La Vie Lumiere) a serene, beautifully appointed gathering space featuring elegant seating designed to inspire connection, relaxation, and a true sense of community.
The Location: Iconic Old Town Fort Collins
La Vie Lumière, meets at the intersection in Old Town Fort Collins just off Oak and Mathews Street at 220 E. Oak Street. This sought-after location, around the corner from Old Town Square and Library Park is at the center of Old Town’s vibrant culture and high-quality lifestyle. Accessible amenities are just within minutes all around, from urban farmer’s markets, miles of trails by the beautiful Poudre River corridor, to world-class dining + microbreweries, boutique shopping, and live music, providing a healthy and walkable “mode de vie” or way of living. Within minutes, find yourself walking or biking on the Poudre River Trail or visiting any one of the 26 local microbreweries in Old Town.
Blending historic charm, culture, and modern vibrancy, Old Town Fort Collins features numerous festivals throughout the year and weekly live music in the summer on the Square. Experience the unique culture of Old Town’s celebrated alleyways, cozy coffeehouses and an active farmers market all within a few minutes’ walk of La Vie Lumiere. There are ample opportunities for dining out at local hangouts as well as farm to table restaurants or watching the sunset at a rooftop patio bar.
Fort Collins: “A small city with a big soul.”
European Design Meets Colorado Sustainability
La Vie Lumière is a French term that means both “living in light” and “living lightly,” a dual theme that incorporates European influences while aligning with Fort Collins’ climate goals. Through the “Our Climate Future” plan, the city aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through specific initiatives to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reach 100% renewable electricity use, and achieve zero landfill waste by 2030, an ambitious goal just five years away.
“It’s not commonly talked about, but typical building materials and approaches often impact our health and harm our planet,” Laurie says. “As architects, we need our work to address to these challenges through healthy and sustainable choices, but we absolutely can’t forget about making something beautiful and highly functional.
Cutting-Edge Sustainable Technology + Built for Healthy Living.
Beyond aesthetics, La Vie Lumière offers residents a technological leap in sustainable construction. These innovative townhomes will feature 14-inch-thick walls (nearly double the typical eight-inch standard) packed with rockwool insulation provides superior thermal performance, exceptional energy efficiency through triple-glazed windows, a rarity in Fort Collins, and advanced air-sealing techniques. Built for healthy living – maintaining fresh air in these tightly sealed buildings, each residence includes an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) that continuously exchanges stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air while transferring thermal energy between the airstreams. This system ensures optimal indoor air quality without wasting energy on heating or cooling. On the Solar side, with transformative concepts, the development team is currently exploring a virtual net metering system that unifies multiple rooftop solar installations into one powerful network—delivering clean energy seamlessly across all units, no matter the roof’s orientation.
Indoor-Outdoor Living in Style
Incorporating design philosophies shaped by their European education and travel experiences. Laurie’s fellowship at the American Academy in Rome and time living in Paris opened her eyes to compact, community-oriented living where smaller private spaces are balanced by a rich public life. Meanwhile, Bob studied Danish architecture at The Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, where he developed expertise in Scandinavian design like creating spaces that draw in natural light and incorporating natural materials.
Using natural materials and ventilation throughout also reflects the Scandinavian influence. “There’s an emphasis in Danish Scandinavian design on natural materials and the feeling of warmth that you get from wood,” Bob notes. “It’s common in Scandinavian culture to incorporate biophilic approaches that contribute to one’s humanity, to create a feeling of warmth, tactility and a healthy connection to our natural world.”
These townhomes offer more than sustainable living. They’re intentionally designed with natural elements like European tilt-turn windows that can open fully for maximum light and ventilation or by tilting inward to bring in fresh air securely. Every residence includes outdoor spaces on both east and west sides, while six larger residences feature expansive rooftop decks and convenient private elevators. A unique opportunity evolves with La Vie Lumiere, for buyer to experience the vibrant high-quality of life in Old Town Fort Collins while aligning their housing choice with environmental values. Sustainably built for modern living—where function, comfort, and style align with a “lighter” footprint.
