One of the most exciting parts of any infill project going up is seeing the first sign of the facade. When we looked at The Platform for the very first time, we noted the 21-story building was going to have a primarily white facade which is a rare sight here in Denver. Most of the new developments around Downtown Denver are either mostly glass, or earth-toned. A new white building will look very sharp!
Here are some pictures of the new facade going up. The ground floor will have floor to ceiling glass but from the second floor up, this is what the facade will look like.
The Platform will look great next to the new Union Station rail canopy!
As of right now, The Platform has risen up to 13-stories with eight more to go! If you haven’t been in the area lately, this building is beginning to have a huge impact in the Union Station neighborhood!
I am going to have to disagree to some extent. Denver has spent significant money to build this amazing canopy and a precast concrete facade is the best developers can do to develop directly next to some of the hottest real estate in the city? Im a bit disappointed in the implementation of the buildings in this area so far. Brick and stone facades? Where is the future contemporary design that we were shown in the concept plans for this development? I feel like Denver’s parti is stuck in the 90’s.
I visited the site last week just after the train shed opened up and noticed a couple interesting things. There is an inward kink in the wall of this building on the train side that I never noticed in any of the renderings. I think these pictures show it. i was glad to see this since it adds some interest to what would have been a very boring side of the building. The other thing i was surprised by was how low the bottom chord of the train shed is. The speakers mounted to it are at head height. It makes me worry about vandalism and people climbing on it.
While I think this is one of the best looking buildings in the Union Station neighborhood, I agree that a prefab concrete wall next to the iconic train shed is a poor cop out. Please take a look at the new architecture that is happening all around the country, especially by new urban transit centers. I feel like Denver is not putting its best foot forward and letting these developers squander a great opportunity.
For anybody who’s interested, Kent Bagley will be speaking at the City Club of Denver on April 8. He’s an the Board of the Union Station Authority and of RTD, and is an urban planner.
Ryan