With an eye towards sustainability and passive building principals, University of Colorado Denver’s prefab, cabin-style dorms connect modern architecture with outdoor living. Just outside Denver, Colorado sits a cluster of 14 micro dormitories outfitted with all the essentials necessary for comfortable, environmentally-friendly cabin living. Created in partnership with Outward Bound, the micro dorm project was developed by 28 University of Colorado Denver, graduate students participating in CU-Denver’s Colorado Building Workshop.   Hands-On and Creative Established in 1991, the Colorado Building Workshop began as part of an effort to pair non-profits with innovative architectural projects. With an emphasis on promoting hands-on skills and creative design, workshop participants use cutting-edge materials and inventive design to produce buildings for disadvantaged communities. Graduate students from CU-Denver’s Studio IV must apply to be part of the workshop. If accepted, they are required to complete 18 credit hours of the Design Build Certificate. The course of study emphasizes both the basics of Design Build and Integrated Project Delivery. The program’s courses cover topics focused on quality and risk management, along with group assignments requiring students to work together to shepherd a project from initial concept to completion. “Collaboration is the core principle of the design-build program,” declares the program’s website. “We are thankful to all the businesses and individuals who support this work and recognize its importance in the local community.” Two Structures, One Footprint Rick Sommerfeld, founder and director of Colorado Building Workshop,  set out with his students to create living spaces capable of coexisting with the land. As a result, their final design make the most of open-air entry-points while also providing basic living quarters. With front-facing decks and floorplans that “sit lightly on the landscape,” each individual unit balances private and community spaces. Surrounded by pine forest and...