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slightly smaller footprint. The design for the facility, originally
put forth by a New York firm, had to be revised. Its evolution
was taken over by Denver architect Brian Klipp.
Klipp, whose company has since become part of Irvine, Cal-
ifornia-based gkkworks, started off on the project as architect
of record and managing architect working with the New York
firm. After reconstituting the project in 2010, Klipp became the
lead architect.
Challenges of an Urban Setting
The Balfour project provided a number of interesting chal-
lenges to the team. First, it was a large building on a relatively
small urban site, with limited street access. Second, it included
the renovation of a historic structure, Moffat Depot; and third,
it required the restoration of a brownfield site, an abandoned
rail yard.
Another test was the programming for the building. The
finished project would provide a “continuum of care” for res-
idents, most of whom are 70 and older. It was designed with
two distinct but connectedwings – one that houses 112 indepen-
dent-living apartments, the other with 65 assisted-living and 28
Alzheimer’s/memory care units.
“It was really challenging to take all of those different types of
buildings and create a cohesive design,” Klipp says, noting the
differing structural requirements in each area.
Balfour at Riverfront Park also required the cleanup of a
brownfield site. The 300,000-square-foot community was erect-
ed on what was once an abandoned rail yard behind Union
Station. More than 32,480 tons of coal ash had to be removed
from the 2.58-acre site before construction could begin. The top
five to 10 feet of the site had coal-based fill mixed with debris,
requiring construction company JE Dunn to have a full-time
environmental consultant on-site to oversee the process of re-
moving the contaminated fill.
And it wasn’t easy to ship off the site. Bordered by the BNSF
railroad on the east, 15th Street on the south, and the Park Prom-
enade and Park Tower condominiums on the north, the only
access to the site was off of Little Raven.
“Nearly all the material deliveries, concrete trucks and dump
trucks had to enter and exit through the same access point,” says
Joel Pen nick, senior project manager at JE Dunn, who oversaw
construction of the project.
He adds that working in the established Riverfront Park
neighborhood also required additional considerations in re-
gards to construction hours and activities in order to be respect-
ful of the existing residents.
Bringing Moffat Depot to Life
One of the last vestiges of the former rail yard is the Mof-
fat Depot, a historical landmark that had fallen into disrepair.
Named for DavidMoffat, a wealthy Denver businessman in the
late-1800s, the depot was to be the starting point for a rail that
would cut through the Rockies, linking Denver to Salt Lake City
and ultimately the West Coast.
Moffat built the depot in 1906, after being blocked from us-
ing Union Station by themore established railroads of the time,
which were not too keen about his audacious plan. In the end,
Moffat was unable to secure financing and the new rail line
/ Balfour Brings Seniors to the Urban Village /