CREJ - Building Dialogue - June 2017
As an abstraction of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Design Workshop designed the vegetative green roofs and innovative streetscapes for 1144 Fifteenth to reflect a transect from a mountain peak to the Front Range foothills. 1144 Fifteenth, owned by Hines and designed by architects Pickard Chilton, is downtown Denver’s newest Class A office tower to rise above the city in more than 30 years and at 603-feet will be the city’s fourth tallest building. As the southern terminus of Skyline Park, 1144 Fifteenth replaces a surface parking lot with a new office and civic destination in the heart of downtown. Surrounding the soaring glass facade, the site design is a metaphor of the Rocky Mountain peaks, alpine tundra and foothills that are engrained in the culture of Colorado. The private terraces at level 40 represent a mountain peak, the extensive green roofs at levels 13 and 14 represent an alpine tundra and the street level represents portions of the Front Range foothills. Just as the building reflects the brilliance of its surroundings, the arrival plaza is anchored by an iconic polished black granite “Sky Mirror” that reflects the soaring high-rise, portions of the Denver skyline and the ever-changing cloud formations above the city’s core. The granite pavers and walls create a memorable setting at the outdoor café with an integrated trapezoidal wooden bench that adds richness to the streetscape and provides instant curb appeal. Contributing to the building’s LEED Gold precertification, the site design filters the rainwater through Silva Cell planting technology along the streetscape and extensive green roof systems on levels 13 and 14. Seasonal interest and resiliency were major factors for using sedums, perennials and grasses on the two rooftop vegetated gardens. 1144 Fifteenth’s landscape and site design will positively contribute to the changing urban fabric of 15th Street as it traverses through downtown Denver. 1144 Fifteenth Features ‘Sky Mirror' | Design Workshop PROJECT TEAM CLIENT/OWNER: Hines LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Design Workshop BUILDING ARCHITECT: Pickard Chilton (design) and Kendall Heaton Associates (executive) GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Hensel Phelps