CREJ - Building Dialogue - December 2016
Room & Board’s recently completed remodel and renovation in Cherry Creek North took many twists and turns along the road to its grand opening in September. What began as a desire to expand the outdoor furniture display by moving it to the roof ultimately turned into a new addition and a stunning result. “We did a study of the existing structure and found that it would not support a rooftop showroom and shoppers,” said Natalie Brown, Roth Sheppard Architects’ lead designer for the project. “Reinforcing the structure would have been prohibitively expensive, so we took a look at the adjacent property as an option.” After Room & Board acquired the lot and building to the south in 2012, a renovation of the structure was considered. Unfortunately, it was not worth salvaging the structure, so Roth Sheppard explored a plethora of new design concepts for its client. Initial studies included a vertical multilevel automated parking structure, and a mixed-use development with housing over the retail, but saving the existing store (originally renovated by Roth Sheppard) quickly became the priority. With zoning changes on the horizon in Cherry Creek North, the transition in scale from the older Cherry Creek buildings to the new buildings on First Avenue was important to respect along with neighborhood context and the building’s overall scale. Parking was also a major driver. Despite being a contentious issue in Cherry Creek, everyone worked together to meet the needs of all parties involved. Today, the new building, which floats above a parking area, enhances the urban edge along Second Avenue and Detroit Street. A display window that doubles as an attractive parking screen, grounds the building visually and engages pedestrians. The second level contains nearly 8,000 square feet of retail display, and an outdoor balcony that wraps the north and west elevations. The third level is an expansive, partially covered open roof deck with a 60-foot-long reflecting pool and small pavilion where the top of the grand stair and new elevator terminate. PROJECT TEAM ARCHITECT: Roth Sheppard Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Hyder Construction STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Monroe and Newell Engineers Inc. CIVIL ENGINEER/LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Point Consulting LLC MEP ENGINEER: MKK Consulting Engineers Inc.