If you have been around the Colorado Convention Center lately, you have probably noticed that two tower cranes have gone up on the edge of the parking garage along Champa Street. These two tower cranes are for the Colorado Convention Center Expansion Project, which has officially started construction.
The project consists of “raising the roof” on the top floor of the parking deck, providing an additional 80,000 square feet of meeting space and an outdoor terrace looking to the west. The rooftop expansion will seamlessly integrate with the rest of the Convention Center, allowing visitors to access the other halls and the Bellco Theater easily. Below are two renderings of the expansion. Hensel Phelps is behind the design and construction of the project.
The screening on the parking garage, around the construction area, has been removed, with work beginning on the roof deck. According to the plans, a crawler crane will be installed on the roof deck in about a month which will assist the two tower cranes. Here are a few ground-level photos.
Wrapping up, here is a panorama of the project with the Denver skyline in the background.
Completion of the Colorado Convention Center Expansion Project is projected for late 2023. If you are curious about more details, head on over to the DenverGov site for additional information and presentations on the project.
WOW, this is a seamless addition that blends in so well with the existing structure. Judging by your photo and the first render, it appears the roof line of the original glass atrium facing Speer is going to be extended over the new ballroom atrium?! That would be an impressive length of cantilever there, should really stand out!
This is an instance where the addition improves the overall design. I always thought the cantilever roof looked like clip-on sunglasses flipped up, at least from Speer and Auraria. The renderings look great. I assume Hensel Phelps has an architect on the team. It would be good to give design credit where it is due.
Completely agree, I can’t see the architect mentioned anywhere online.
This addition was factored into the design of the original expansion in the early 2000s. I agree, the clip-on look was a bit jarring, but the angle and length of that cantilever was intended to blend with the envisioned addition whenever it occurred. (I’m glad it’s finally happening!)
Kinda fascinating that when these renovation projects get proposed no one goes, “You know? There’s like one-bajillion square feet of of flat sunny surface on this building. Maybe a solar installation would be a good idea?” I mean, cute cantilever and all, but at what point does our city start making meaningful energy investments for the future of these giant buildings?
They got solar: https://denverconvention.com/media/convention/uploads/pdf/Solar_Panel_CCC_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Thanks, JC! Naturally, what they have up there is concealed in all the photos included in this post!
Your document states the installation was completed in 2008, covers part of one garage, and generates just 400,000 kwh of electricity per year, which is about the annual consumption of 40 households, or, I imagine, a convention center for a couple of months. Suppose my original question still mostly stands: What’s wrong with outfitting the rest of it? Really wish public projects were more serious about renewables.
Right?
Why would the city build it’s own solar up there and then have to deal with the headache of having to maintain it? Better to put in a small scale solar facility under a PPA after the expansion project is complete.
There also might be a conflict with the current array that’s on the CCC’s roof and if there’s any protection clause in the PPA the covers that array.
Solar was 5x more expensive in 2008, so it’s likely that the current array will need another 10-20 years before it breaks even. Covering the rest of the building with panels and then ripping them back up for this expansion would not have been a wise investment. Rest assured, whenever rooftop solar hits actual price parity, it will be installed everywhere.
I do wish the very unsightly (and frankly difficult to drive up!) circular ramp should be removed and revamped to fit in with this very nice design.
I’m with jmpmk2 on this as well – there is a couple football fields up there where solar would work great.
Now, imagine if we could somehow remove the barrier, aka, Speer Blvd, to connect the convention center to Cherry Creek and Auraria Campus. We are allowed to dream, right?
Most WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree w jmpmk2! I 💙 the integration of the existing structure, but w over 300 days of sunshine a yr. why aren’t solar panels being placed / added atop the roof ?! Particularly w climate dysfunction speeding our demise.