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March 2017 — Office Properties Quarterly — Page 19
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Market Trends
The term “smart city” is get-
ting a lot of attention as we
hurtle through the age of
information. What makes a
city smart? Smart cities are
developments that take informa-
tion related to assets, energy and
infrastructure and combine it in a
secure manner through commu-
nications technology, providing an
effective infrastructure manage-
ment system that can adapt as
the city evolves. The end goal is to
improve the quality of life and reli-
ability of infrastructure for those
who live and work there, and pro-
vide flexibility for future yet-to-be-
invented technology.
This big picture thinking is excit-
ing for those of us in the architec-
ture, engineering and construction
industry. The benefit of leveraging
technology on a broader smart-city
development is an exciting oppor-
tunity to maximize our resources
and expertise beyond a single proj-
ect.
The U.S. Department of Trans-
portation took notice, announcing
a national Smart City Challenge
Competition for up to $40 mil-
lion to support smart-city imple-
mentation in December 2015. The
response was impressive: 78 cit-
ies entered the competition. And
Denver ended up among the seven
semifinalists. Though the eventual
winner city was Columbus, Ohio,
the competition helped spur some
compelling lessons learned that
the DOT is sharing.
We can take a look at a few cur-
rent and local “smart city” projects
to get a better understanding of
what makes a city
smart. At Peña
Station NEXT,
located adjacent
to the 61st Avenue
and Peña Bou-
levard rail stop
on the Regional
Transportation
District’s new Uni-
versity of Colorado
A-Line, Mortenson
recently com-
pleted multiple
projects includ-
ing solar, battery
storage and the first building on
the site: The Panasonic Enterprise
Solutions Co., known as PESCO,
Operations and Technology Center
for Westfield Co.
This highly visible building in
Fulenwider’s transit-oriented
development houses more than
100 PESCO engineers, scientists
and management personnel of the
Energy Solutions Group and Sen-
sory Solutions Group of PESCO, as
well as Panasonic CityNOW, which
is Panasonic’s North American
smart-city initiative. The facility
is a showcase for Panasonic prod-
ucts, as evidenced by the LED lights
incorporated into the design and
includes a 24/7 network operations
center that monitors a nationwide
network of large-scale solar photo-
voltaic installations.
PESCO will be pursuing LEED Gold
certification for the building, and
energy use is an important consid-
eration for the design of any verti-
cal component of a smart city.
One of the many important piec-
es of the overall smart-city concept
at Peña Station NEXT is a micro-
grid, which is the first of its kind
in Colorado and the first that Xcel
Energy will own.
Adjacent to the PESCO Operations
and Technology Center is the site
of Mortenson’s first battery storage
scope supporting this grid, which
is being delivered as part of the
Panasonic, Xcel Energy and You-
nicos team. This 1 megawatt/2.22
megawatt-hour battery energy stor-
age system helps provide backup
energy for peak demand times.
Power to the Panasonic build-
ing also will be supported by a 1.3
MW solar energy collection project
in the form of a carport, owned by
Denver International Airport. Our
company is part of SunPower’s
team, which was contracted by Pan-
asonic to build the carport.
The PESCO Operations and Tech-
nology center minimizes waste and
environmental impacts and was
constructed in less than 10 months
by utilizing investment-grade, tilt-
up concrete panels, structural steel
and extensive glazing in the office
areas. Specialty electrical systems
were constructed to service the
testing and development needs
of the audiovisual and ECO labs
inside the warehouse and the roof-
mounted solar panels. The result is
a flexible and energy-efficient office
and warehouse space that supports
productivity and allows for future
flexibility for PESCO.
Part of the plan for Peña Station
NEXT that is generating a lot of
excitement includes the implemen-
tation of a driverless shuttle system
that will take people from the rail
stop to the building and future loca-
tions within the development.
Another project provides many of
the same benefits of smart cities
in other parts of the metro area. At
the 3,400-acre Sterling Ranch proj-
ect in northwest Douglas County,
we are providing all nonresidential
infrastructure construction and
design and construction of a new
water and wastewater system as
well developing the first commer-
cial project.
Sterling Ranch is the last large-
scale urban development in all
of Douglas County. At full build
out, the development will include
12,000 single- and multifamily
homes and over 2 million square
feet of commercial develop-
ment, with 37 percent of the land
being dedicated to open space.
We will break ground on one of
the first vertical components at
Sterling Ranch this spring – the
30,000-square-foot Civic Center,
which will include office space
among other amenities. Additional
commercial office development
will follow in the future as part of
the Sterling Ranch master plan.
Siemens is a key member of the
team, helping deliver an infrastruc-
ture that includes an immense
fiber network connected to every
home and business to provide a
minimum of 1 gigabyte service, up
to 10 gigagbytes.
For a building to adapt to future
needs, it needs to have an expand-
able fiber-optic network. This is
important as the Denver metro area
Gene Hodge
Vice president,
project
development,
Mortenson, Denver