Osmosis architecture takes artful approach

NIWOT — The last few years have been big ones for osmosis architecture. Three years ago, the firm – then called Olson Architecture – opened the osmosis art gallery in its studio space after a neighboring gallery closed. Last September, the firm changed its name to osmosis art and architecture to reflect its integration with the gallery.

And this year, the firm received a prestigious award from the country’s largest competition for home sales and marketing professionals.

It’s been a financially successful three years, as well.

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The firm’s revenue grew from $203,774 in 2009 to $544,037 in 2011, an increase of 167 percent, good for No. 3 on the Boulder County Business Report’s Mercury 100 list of fastest-growing private companies based in Boulder and Broomfield counties with annual revenue less than $2 million.

“The housing market is definitely in recovery now,” said Anne Postle, osmosis’ founder and president. “We’ve been steadily gaining new clients and seeing repeat business from past clients.”

But the newly improved economy can’t take all the credit for the company’s success. Postle and her employees (five for the architecture firm and two for the art gallery) have worked hard to establish themselves as experts.

“Builders want to know what buyers want, and we want to be the go-to firm for that information,” Postle said. “What buyers are looking for today is completely different from what they wanted five years ago. Our clients are interested in things like energy efficiency, multigenerational housing, and making sure that every detail of a home works for them. They don’t want to waste money anywhere.”

Cementing osmosis’ position in the design world is the recognition Postle received at the National Association of Home Builders National Sales and Marketing Awards in February. The firm won the Architectural Design Gold Award for “One of a Kind Home” for Panorama Point, a residence in Louisville.

Postle predicts more building activity as the economy continues to recover.

“The market was hit so hard during the recession — we’re seeing a lot of that pent-up demand coming out now.”

Postle said osmosis will also continue to give back to the community. The firm recently donated design plans for three homes for female veterans in Denver. One has been completed, and the other two are slated for construction this year.