Office Properties

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Page 26 — Office Properties Quarterly — July 2015
foot structure at 575 S.
Broadway. The property is
being redeveloped to attract
quality office tenants look-
ing to put their stamp on the
urban footprint and make
headlines as a neighborhood
trendsetter, much like Denver’s
well-known, forward-thinking
advertising agency Karsh and
Hagan, just down the street.
Partnering on the planning is
ValleyCrest Design Group, an
urban design/landscape archi-
tecture firm, which is tasked
with creating a framework
plan for the development. As
the neighborhood unfolds,
tenants and residents likely
will see thoughtful, planned
infrastructure improvements,
walkable and bikeable cor-
ridors, and connections,
paths and parks embellish-
ing the light-rail route. Other
improvements will include
well-appointed public space
adorned to outdoor livable-
living room standards, art gar-
dens, intentional throughways,
intersections and wayfinding
signage. Creature comfort and
security are the focus of the
planning for increased density.
The term “interstitial spaces”
will come into play as the
neighborhood’s future image
of its visual exterior urban
form evolves to complement
the relation of the commu-
nity’s natural setting.
The visionary planning
combined with the location
and existing neighborhood
grit, nestled between the
esteemed Baker and West
Wash Park neighborhoods,
puts SoBo on Denver’s up-
and-coming destination
mosaic neighborhood map.s
reduces the energy needed to
heat, treat, store and deliver
water.
Areas suggested to review
are toilets, urinals and irriga-
tion. Landscapes at office
buildings notoriously are over-
watered. There is a big oppor-
tunity for the building owner
to make the landscape main-
tenance contractor responsible
for water use and waste. Also,
cooling tower retrofits and
maintenance should be part of
every water conservation pro-
gram targeting office buildings.
One major area that we will
see in the future is the use of
reclaimed water.
Reclaimed water is waste-
water that is treated to drink-
ing water standards, though
deemed nonpotable. Some
local wastewater treatment
agencies provide reclaimed
water for office buildings as
an opportunity to supplant
potable water use.
All these ideas are really
nice, but how do you imple-
ment any of them? How does
the smart money really imple-
ment sustainability for office
properties? For this, we often
refer clients to the California
Commissioning’s Collabora-
tive Existing Buildings Guide
as a reference. The guide can
be found on the website under
commissioning guides, www.
cacx.org/resources.s
Courtesy of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
RICK EGITTO, CCIM
303.908.0706