Denver Police Crime Lab #3

Archive of posts filed under the Infill category.

Denver Police Crime Lab #3

Posted by Ryan Dravitz on March 21, 2012

Along with the Auraria projects, the last time we took a peek at the Denver Police Crime Lab, we were touring the inside. This project is also coming along great and looking more complete by the week. In case you missed the inside tour take a look at it here.

Most of the orange panels are gone and you can now see what this project is all about. With the jagged edges and blue reflective glass, it looks very futuristic and sports having the title of a crime lab. This is one of the more cutting edge developments Denver hasn’t seen until now as far as design and architecture go.

The back doesn’t look like the front, the east side doesn’t look like the west side which gives this project a very unique look. It breaks up the boring old symmetry that we see in a lot of modern day projects along with catching the eye making you want to see every angle of the building when you are passing by.

This LEED-Silver project is a dedicated crime lab for the Denver Police department which is expected to open next month.

Filed under Civic Center, Government & Civic, Infill.

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Auraria Projects Update #3

Posted by Ryan Dravitz on March 19, 2012

Last time I did an update at Auraria, we were taking an exclusive look on the inside of the Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center. Given that was last September, a lot has changed. The exterior of the hotel is almost complete and the Student Success building is right along with the hotel.

A lot of the exterior masonry is done as well as the glass. It contrasts nicely against the other buildings on campus due to the darker brick. There are also some vertical glass columns and setbacks that break up the facade which keeps the project exciting and adds a nice finishing touch.

One of the more impressive features of this building is the front. There is a great glass curtain wall on the bridge that connects the hotel from the learning center which also contains the 7,500 square feet of meeting space. This will benefit from some great natural light for the bridge and the lobby in the hotel.

On to the Student Success center just up the road on Auraria Parkway. Last time I took any picture of this, it was just a steel frame. Now the building is nearly complete outside and in. This creates a dramatic wall along the parkway as well with the glass curtain in the upper floors of the building. The building is nicely labeled and is much more modern looking than anything else around it.

The back side of the building is also very welcoming with the Metro State logo at the top of it. The architect of this project is RNL Design and is expected to open next month.

Just as a refresher the Student Success building is a 143,000 square foot, LEED-Gold building will house the Registrar’s office, Financial Aid, Student Academic Success, New Student Orientation and other critical support services. Full details can be found in Ken’s post here. These are very exciting developments that create a nice wall along Auraria Parkway as well as connect the urban fabric of Auraria to Downtown Denver.

Filed under Auraria, Education, Infill.

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Denargo Market Apartments Update – Addendum

Posted by Ken Schroeppel on March 18, 2012

As promised, we have some additional information on the Denargo Market project that Ryan posted about yesterday.

First, here’s a site plan to get you oriented. The yellow line shows the entire development’s general boundaries, which is planned to occur in two broad phases. The white lines show the alignment of new streets within the project’s first phase, the southeastern half. The second phase (northwestern half) could include a realignment of the Denargo Street/Arkins Court intersection, as well as a new park along the South Platte River. The area filled in with orange is the site of the apartment project that is currently under construction, which you could think of as Phase 1 of Phase 1. This first image below was created by me. The rest of the images were taken from the Denargo Market General Development Plan, Amendment #1, Site Plan Filing #1, which is on file with the City.

Here’s how the apartment project under construction fits on the site:

As Ryan noted, the building will be five stories tall. It will feature two courtyards wrapped by apartments with a parking structure in between. Here are three sets of elevations that generally show the project’s design:

Filed under Infill, Residential, River North.

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Denargo Market Apartments Update

Posted by Ryan Dravitz on March 17, 2012

There has been a lot of speculation around what is going on in the Denargo Market in the River North neighborhood and what is being developed. There is a crane up and there is something being built which makes it one of the more mysterious developments Denver has seen lately because there is no website, and no renderings of this.

But, even if there are no renderings to be found for this project, I am happy to share some details of the project. MPC Construction (who’s website is currently non-existant) appears to be the construction manager, and Cypress Real Estate Advisors is the developer and owner. Here are some pictures of the site which is located between Brighton Boulevard and Denargo Street.

This particular project titled ‘Denargo Market Apartments’ is going to be a 5-story, 301 unit Class-A apartment community according to the sign that is outside of the project. Hopefully soon renderings will be released so we can see the design aspects of this project.

Filed under Infill, Residential, River North.

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2020 Lawrence Update #3

Posted by Ryan Dravitz on March 15, 2012

It has been a few months since I have done an update on this project. It is now up to the 9th floor and some of the distinct features are starting to show.

This project is going up very quickly as you can see. Not much work minus the concrete shell has been done on the back side quite yet but that is sure to change within the next few weeks. As a refresher, this is a new development in Denver’s Arapahoe Square neighborhood which is finally starting to show signs of life.

From the front you can see some of the features of 2020 Lawrence. The brick work is beginning to go up and you can see the unique shape on the upper floors as well. The different shades of bricks add a pleasant touch on Lawrence Street. On the left you can see its older sibling, Solera.

This 231-unit, 10-story apartment building is always exciting to see especially given its location.

Filed under Arapahoe Square, Infill, Residential.

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Exempla Saint Joseph Heritage Project Update

Posted by Ryan Dravitz on March 13, 2012

I stumbled across this project while enjoying our beautiful Colorado weather this week. I noticed a red crane around Uptown that I haven’t seen before. Bound between 18th Avenue, 20th Avenue & Downing Street, Marion Street the Exempla Healthcare’s new Saint Joseph replacement hospital is being built. Check out the full details over at Mortenson, who is the construction manager of this project.

Nothing has gone vertical yet but there’s a lot of utility relocation, ground work, and obviously the two red cranes that will be on this site. On the right you can see the total size of the site. It’s not small by any means.

This project will cost a total of $367,000,000. This will be a 831,000 square foot space which will feature 348 patient beds, a roof top helipad, centerpiece chapel structure, central courtyard, and a roof top garden. It will also include a free standing utility plant, as well as two parking structures.

Filed under Infill, Uptown.

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