As we work on our next roundup, let’s take a quick break and visit Populus, which has gone vertical above the street level. In our last Downtown roundup five months ago, the first vertical sections were going in underground. Present day, the primary concrete structure is up three stories with work beginning on the fourth. Populus is one of two very architecturally unique buildings going up around Downtown Denver that will contribute a timeless design to Civic Center.
Below are a few photos of Populus taken from various angles around the project.
Additionally, here are two more photos looking straight up at the building. With ten more floors to go and an incredible facade to follow, it will continually be exciting to watch the progress on this one.
As more density gets underway and begins to go vertical, 2023 will be an exciting year for Downtown Denver.
| Project Description | Developer | Architect | Contractor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Stories | 297 hotel rooms | 0 (v) parking | Urban Villages | Studio Gang | Beck Group |
As a modernist architect I certainly appreciate innovative design, but I must say that this proposed project is just plain ugly. Bundled tubes with awkward shaped triangular windows with a diagonal slice at the top. Looks like a failing freshman architectural student project. It’s nice to see Denver get an iconic building, but in my opinion, this will not be considered to be a handsome landmark building. In some ways it reminds me of the large building designed to look like a wicker basket, with a handle. In this case, sort of like a big bundle of pasta. Just weird to be weird.
“… a big bundle of pasta.” Hmmm…I can see that, but I’m going to call it “the Cheese Grater.” I believe its appeal will rest in just how white the white actually remains. If it gets stained, yellowed, streaky, and/or moldy, then it really will look like an old, tired ceramic cheese grater. But if the white continues to gleam like it does in the renderings, I feel it will look spectacular.
A very good point about staining of the pristine white facade, I see each window has little protruding “eye lids” that with surely accumulate dust and dirt. So look forward to each window having two dirty streaks of stained concrete streaking down the facade like tears. Even if it remained perfectly white, it still looks stupid.
Cool hotel and good density but claiming to be “carbon positive” by purchasing unverified carbon offsets seems like lying to everyone for marketing purposes. Especially when it’s a 13 story concrete and steel building with seemingly few sustainable or innovative aspects
It’s so rare to see something distinctive built in Denver. Can’t wait to see the final product.
This project just sucks. Too much parking. Not tall enough. Not sustainable. Bad design. I’m pretty sure it killed JFK too. It just sucks. I could have done better. I have way better ideas.
lol
Crushed it.
Thank you for the great updates and all the work you do! Agree “Populus is one of two very architecturally unique buildings going up around Downtown Denver that will contribute a timeless design to Civic Center.”