CREJ

DECEMBER 2017 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \

for Hines. “We also had 100 percent of our subcontracts exe-

cuted before we ever broke ground and that’s kind of unheard

of in the industry.”

According to Klebba, the only real challenges he faced were

the ornate crown system and the glass enclosure of the park-

ing levels, a relatively unheard of move by a developer.

“One thing that’s pretty challenging on this project is the

coordination of the crown system and how you work through

the crown design and basically maintain the building,” says

Klebba. “We created a BMU (building maintenance unit) on

top of the building that will cantilever out and drop scaffold-

ing down either side of the building for windowwashing and

other maintenance.”

“And you don’t normally see above-grade parking levels

clad in glass,” says Klebba. “The challenge was to make the

glass look consistent as we transitioned from the parking ga-

rage up through the office tower because one is laminated

and the other is not. So, making a visual consistency was pret-

ty challenging.

“You should see the size of the mock-ups we built to get it

right,” Klebba adds. “These were full, 30-foot-tall mock-ups to

get the visual understanding of the glazing transition from

the parking garage to the tower. And we got it right because

you can’t tell the difference.”

And according to Kurt Seeman, operations manager for

Hensel Phelps, the staffing shortage that afflicts many GCs in

the Denver area were never a real problem for them.

“With the Denver market being extremely busy, manpow-

er was definitely a concern,” says Seeman. “However Hensel

/ 1144 Fifteenth Birth of a Denver Icon /

OPENING ART:

Stunning views from the upper floors of

1144 Fifteenth abound, but the bird’s eye

view from the 40th-floor terraces are

truly jaw-dropping. This northwest-facing

terrace displays the Pepsi Center, Elitch

Gardens, and miles and miles of the Front

Range.

TOP:

Work continues on one of the two 40th-

floor terraces that will be utilized as

outdoor meeting and event spaces. A

larger terrace graces the 14th floor..

BOTTOM:

The second-floor tenant lounge overlooks

the grand lobby of 1144 and features

work areas, a large fireplace and sofas

perfect for unwinding or having informal

meetings.

RIGHT:

The spectacular triple-height lobby, with

fumed Aspen walls and dark brown

Ermosa stone flooring, draws visitors from

the street, while a staircase leads from the

lobby to the second-floor tenant lounge.

PROJECT TEAM

OWNER:

Hines

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

Hensel Phelps

DESIGN ARCHITECT:

Pickard Chilton Architects Inc.

PRODUCTION ARCHITECT:

Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:

Martin/Martin Inc.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:

Design Workshop