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80 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2021 / Block 162 / to find the best location in downtown Denver for a new “top of market” office development. It became clear that Block 162 checked all of the boxes, but after the prospec- tive tenant changed plans, Patrinely decided to forge ahead with the project. So, a meeting with landowner Evan Makovsky resulted in a 100-year land lease on the property with the idea that Patrinely would hold off on development until it had significant preleasing. But, as predevelopment work progressed, including advanced architectural designs, city approvals and countless meetings with the city and county of Denver, it became clear to Patrinely and USAA that the Denver market was robust enough to proceed without preleas- ing. “We’re very grateful for our partnership with USAA,” says Haltom. “It’s not every equity investor who has the horsepower and wherewithal to be able to support a full spec development of this scale in a market like Denver.” With Gensler and Swinerton on board from the very beginning, Haltom says that the design process was an it- erative and collaborative process that featured the input of many players, including Patrinely President and CEO Robert Fields, and Gensler Design Director and Principal Raffael Scasserra, whose resumé includes 900 G Street and Patriot’s Plaza in Washington, D.C., and The Post Oak Hotel in Houston. But it was the experience of Gensler and Patrinely in the hospitality space that informed many of the design decisions for Block 162. “For many years I’ve been seeing the line blurred be- tween the work environment and hospitality,” says Scasserra, AIA, LEED AP. “We wanted to create a building that blurred those lines.” A Feature-Rich Environment Over the last quarter century, Patrinely and Gensler have created striking, high-profile office buildings. And it seems that experience and expertise has paid off in Block 162. The core and shell structure makes a statement with its striking blue glass curtain wall, notched corners and gently curved roofline, meant to mirror the shape of the foothills to the west. Concerned about the loss of parking? There are three parking levels below grade, as well as parking on levels 1 to 10, for a total of 932 parking places. The ground floor will feature a restaurant, retail space and a massive lobby that blurs that line between office and hospitality. Its elegance and sophistication welcome you from the street like a grand hotel lobby. The dazzling Forte dei Marme bright white marble floors and the trav- ertine on the walls were both quarried in Italy. Milled walnut fins on the wall add warmth and exposed struc- tural concrete columns reach up to the 30-foot ceiling, but they’ve been given a faceted look, a design element that threads its way through Block 162. At the south end of the lobby is a front desk and toward TOP: Views from Block 162 include the Front Range mountains as well as much of metro Denver. Courtesy Michelle Meunier Photography BOTTOM: The travertine on the walls was quarried in Italy. Courtesy Michelle Meunier Photography