Bruce A. Lutz

Golden, CO -- Bruce A. Lutz, a resident of Golden, Colorado, died unexpectedly and suddenly at the age of 62.  A versatile and impressively creative designer, Bruce proved himself many times over as an ingenious, talented, and detail-oriented professional.

With more than three decades of experience he had worked as designer and manager on many eminent projects throughout the U.S. and overseas.  Since beginning his career at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) in Chicago, he had been associated with projects of almost every size and type.

Early in his education at Kansas State University, Mr. Lutz's early understanding of the built environment led him to realize that all too often, Architects of the day were concentrating on a facility's exterior appearance and all but ignoring the interior spaces, including both appearance and function.  At the same time, the University created a Department of Interior Architecture, concentrating on designing buildings from the inside out.  Lutz graduated earning the Bachelor of Architecture degree with a major in Interior Architecture.  (1967 — 1972)

Following his years with SOM, Lutz was with the nationally and internationally recognized architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum (HOK), assigned to the St. Louis Headquarters.  It was during his association with HOK that Bruce was given the rare opportunity of coordinating the interior design development of half of the new 23-acre campus for King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The scope and complexity of this unique challenge led Lutz to be assigned, in the mid 1980's, interior design responsibilities for a 400,000 square foot addition and renovation project at Western Wyoming College's campus.  This expansive project included new construction and renovation, and a new 30,000 square foot satellite campus in Green River, Wyoming.

Next, Bruce held the position of Senior Interior Designer at two specialized building firms concentrating upon health care and financial facilities.  In 1989, Lutz owned and managed Design Consensus -- an independent design consulting firm, and was heavily involved with the design, construction detailing, graphics, and signage programs for Amoco Oil projects as well as a sub-contractor to Business Spaces Consultants, Inc. (BSCI), for the design the Broadcast Studio and Newsroom for KKTV in Colorado Springs. (See photo at the left)  Also in 1989 Lutz began a five-year involvement with the Denver architectural/engineering firm, Merrick & Company.  As its Senior Interior Designer/Facilities Planner, he designed and managed many projects for both the private and public sectors, including high technology and laboratory projects for the Department of Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Military and  Postal Service.

He ended his career as a Sr. Interior Designer in the specialized development of health & fitness and hospitality related projects for the internationally based firm of Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative  This position included travel to the Tokyo office, and design development and follow through on numerous projects in Tokyo and surrounding cities.

One of his last completed and notable domestic projects included the Summa Wellness Center, a fitness and rehabilitation arm of the Summa Hospital Group in Hudson, Ohio, and the Washtenaw Community College Health & Fitness Center, Ann Arbor, MI; recipient of a LEEDS Gold certification for sustainable and eco-friendly design.

Interior design licensing had been one of Bruce Lutz's important professional goals, both in the U.S. and Colorado.  He has been nationally recognized as a Certified Contract Interior Designer, and has been a Licensed Interior Designer in the District of Columbia.  For many years he served as a board member of the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Institute of Business Designers (IBD) and as both Chairman and President of the Colorado Coalition of Interior Designers (CCID) during bid for State licensing of interior designers.  He had also served as a regional board member for the International Interior Design Association (IIDA.)  Even though no longer an officer, he continued to support the efforts toward the further legal recognition of interior design professionals.

Sadly, Bruce passed away alone at his apartment in Golden, Colorado, in late October 2009.

At 62, he was too young.

Most of this obituary was gleaned from Bruce's own description of his background.

Lutz, Rick Patterson, Susan Sliwa (now Hill) & Kirk Williams 1st day stopover during the MS 150.

Lutz, Rick Patterson &

Susan Sliwa (now Hill)

during the MS 150.

© 1999-2011 KIRK P. WILLIAMS - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Lutz in 1995 during the re-design of the KKTV Broadcast Studio and Newsroom.

Beginning in the late 1970s Bruce and I often relaxed together over Oriental food and too many beers at various establishments such as the Wynkoop Brewry, My Brother's Bar and Regas Cafe, but in what I think was 1987 we trained in the spring then participated that summer in the MS 150 Ride to the Gorge bicycle charity fundraising event.  (See photos at left.) Connie Carpenter, 1984 Olympic Road Race champion, was the honorary ride captain.  It was a two-day event where we all rode the nearly 150 miles to the Royal Gorge in Colorado.  It was a grueling ride with rolling hills at the end as a cruelest part.  Our team of 4 loved it, but we were exhausted an glad it ended!  Mercifully everyone was given a bus ride back to Denver.

We worked together professionally on the Board of the Institute of Business Designers (IBD), Colorado Coalition of Interior Designers, and on several design projects including Lockheed Martin and the re-design of the KKTV Newsroom and Broadcast Studio.  We spent many hours in the same vehicle as we drove together many times to and from Colorado Springs and Littleton as we worked on the KKTV project.

In the mid '80s I somehow was able to cajole Bruce into using his graphic design talents that allowed him to create the cover design of my in-studio produced Jazz cassette tape, Ice Island.  The building photo was one he took in Chicago in th 1970s. Ironically, a few years later he, his then girlfriend (Ruthann), my wife (Linda) and I drove to Vail, Colorado, to see the imaginative ice sculptures created there each winter.

A couple of weeks before his passing, he and I went to lunch -- for what turned out to be the last time -- at an Oriental restaurant.  I am immensely thankful that our friendship had been very active in his last days; but I so wish my long-time associate and respected friend was still here with us.

Bruce would be characteristically embarrassed by my accolades -- but hopefully pleased.

Bruce's cover design

for my cassette album.