Colorado Real Estate Journal -
It’s a rededication that celebrated the reinvention of a downtown Denver office building. The U.S. General Services Administration recently rededicated the César E. Chávez Memorial Building, which underwent a massive modernization that brought new life to the 10-story structure now serving as a gateway into the Civic and Justice Center and Golden Triangle neighborhood. “Sustainable design is vital to GSA’s mission of providing the best value in real estate and delivering a superior workplace for the federal employees. High-performing sustainable buildings not only reduce the government’s environmental footprint but also make good business sense,” said Susan Damour, GSA Rocky Mountain regional administrator. “This is a win-win as this modernization has also turned a previously overlooked building into a beautiful structure that complements Denver’s architecture.” Work on the $37 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project began in 2009. The goal was to not only transform the building, constructed in 1984, from being isolated at the end of the block at 1244 Speer Blvd. into the gateway building into the neighborhood but also achieve LEED Silver certification. The 180,000-square-foot building’s modernization included a new state-of-the-art exterior consisting of an aluminum and glass curtain wall system that reduces the building’s energy consumption by 30 percent, enhances the natural light and view for tenants and produces 5 percent of its energy through on-site renewable energy technologies. Other features include a new parking garage that features a solar sculpture capable of producing 115 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, offsetting the building’s energy consumption by 5 percent and reducing domestic hot water grid energy by 30 percent. Additional green features include the incorporation of locally available materials, such as Yule marble, recycled steel and terrazzo made from 50 percent recycled beer bottles from local breweries; diversion of 83 percent of construction waste from landfills; consolidating mechanical and HVAC systems, expected to save 30 percent of energy costs in comparison to past usage; and an updated lighting system. The modernization of the César E. Chávez Memorial Building also takes advantage of integrating a pedestrian-friendly and realigned Fox Street, landscaping, public art and a hard scaped entry plaza. The GSA also is working with the city, local neighborhood groups and the arts community for its “Art Park” in front of the building entry. “While keeping the building fully occupied, the project team was faced with the unique challenge of replacing the entire exterior envelope and complete life safety upgrades throughout the building. This was achieved through finding an innovative solution to designing temporary exterior panels that were both structurally acceptable and provided adequate protection from the natural elements. In addition, hundreds of hours of coordination between the team of GSA, Jacobs, GE Johnson Construction and the multiple subcontractors played a key role in the success of the project. With all the building system shutdowns, start-ups and phases, the project would not have been successful without a full team commitment and involvement,” commented Travis Clem, senior project engineer, GE Johnson Construction. “The innovative design of the new curtain wall system and the enhanced and expanded lobby create a new identity for the building. Local materials, such as Colorado Yule, translucent glass and granite create the contemporary design with classic proportions, while insulated glass, energy-efficient light fixtures and sun-control devices also enhance the sustainability of the building,” added David Tryba, Tryba Architects. GE Johnson Construction was the design-build partner on the modernization while Tryba Architects was the designbuild contractor and architect of record. The César E. Chávez Memorial Building is home to five federal agencies and approximately 290 workers and features conference rooms, a fitness center, cafeteria and day care center.