Denver Community Design Festival Showcases Mobile Installations and Community Architecture
A mobile bookstand for Empower Media Exchange is one of five temporary installations coming to the Denver Performing Arts Complex for the inaugural Denver Community Design Festival, running September 24 to October 7, 2026. Titled “Common Ground,” the festival brings together CU Denver students, designers, city officials and community organizations to explore how public spaces can reflect the needs and stories of the people who use them. Leyuan Li developed the festival with the Denver Mayor’s Office of Community Outreach. Each installation was designed with a community partner for a practical purpose. The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition’s structure doubles as a display shelf and stage set, while the Colorado Nepalese Community’s installation offers a contemporary interpretation of a Falcha. The structures also provide space for storytelling and performances. Office for Roundtable designed the installations, with Li and Danny Wills named as lead designers. Built primarily from wood, with ratchet straps and metal joints, the modular structures can be dismantled, moved and reassembled. They will host performances, discussions and workshops during the festival, inviting visitors to take part. Afterward, all five are set to move to the areas served by their partner organizations for use in different settings.
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