CREJ

SEPTEMBER 2017 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \

gether they worked with Della Cava and the city of Boulder

to figure out the best solution for the parcel.

According to Johnson, “There was some consolidation

and some movement of property lines to accommodate the

office building, and then we had to figure out the parking.”

It was decided that in addition to the hotels, a two-sto-

ry underground parking structure would work best with

Della Cava’s office sharing the first level of parking with

the hotels. After clearing the Boulder Planning Board with

a unanimous vote, a formal groundbreaking for the hotel

development was held April 28, 2015.

Smooth Sailing with the City

The city of Boulder, which can be a challenge for any

developer, proved to be smooth sailing for all parties in-

volved.

“It has been and continues to be a great experience work-

ing with the city of Boulder,” says Johnson. “Their aspira-

tions for high-quality urban design and architecture help

set the bar higher for us. They deserve credit for making

sure the building is designed the building is designed ex-

tremely well and that we’re using high-quality materials.”

“This project has been uniquely designed and pro-

grammed to meet the extensive requirements of the city of

Boulder,” according to Walter Isenberg, president and CEO

of Sage Hospitality. “We’re excited to bring this product to

the Boulder market. It will fit well with the demands of CU,

Boulder and the central Boulder scene.”

Kathleen Bates, dual general manager for Embassy Suites

and Hilton Garden Inn with Sage Hospitality, (and a huge

CU Buff fan like Johnson), agrees that these hotels will be

perfect for Boulder.

“These hotels really complement what’s needed here,”

says Bates. “Travelers coming into this market will find

that these properties fill many of their needs. We’re going

to have the largest ballroom in Boulder to house a lot of

events that have typically gone outside of Boulder because

there hasn’t been enough space. Sage did feasibility studies

on the market and we found these hotels really make sense

for the area and we’re super excited to introduce them to

Boulder.”

Solutions Below Grade

While the hotels will be located just beyond the Boul-

der’s 100-year floodplain, when it came time to dig for the

two-story underground parking garage, groundwater be-

came a more pressing issue for Milender White.

“Groundwater at this location is at 10 feet and we had

to go down 40 feet,” says Adam Mack, executive vice presi-

dent construction for Milender White. “So, we employed a

construction method called secant piles, which isolated the

entire property from the groundwater. We drilled 574 over-

lapping caissons in all to make an envelope around the

property. Those caissons were then faced with a shotcrete

and a waterproofing to appear as concrete walls. They serve

both as a water barrier and as a finished product.”

According to Mack and Johnson, the plans for the park-

ing structure evolved as they collaborated with Sage Hos-

pitality and Makovsky. It soon became clear that there was

a desire to put more than just mechanical systems and the

laundry room down there.

“Because of the focus on the pedestrian orientation in

and around the building, we placed all the loading docks,

trash, employee break rooms and boiler rooms below

grade, which is actually something that Evan (Makovsky)

insisted upon,” Johnson says. “It wasn't necessarily required

by the city of Boulder, but its net effect is very positive in

my opinion.

“We made the garages deeper than they would have been

otherwise. We have turning radii to work with in terms of

/ Two Hilton Hotel Brands Arrive in Boulder/

OPENING ART:

Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inn

cover a nearly two-block span at 28th Street

and Canyon Boulevard. Courtesy Michelle

Meunier Photography

FAR LEFT:

View of Hilton Garden Inn from 27th Place

CENTER:

Embassy Suites as seen from Canyon

Boulevard

BOTTOM LEFT:

Embassy Suites nears completion. Courtesy

Michelle Meunier Photography