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RiNo Rising: Part II

Posted by  on March 14, 2012

So now that we’ve covered the first post in the series, it’s time for the next episode. Though the last article was featuring a project by Zeppelin Development, Inc. , we are going to take a look at yet another of their latest ventures. Further building capacity within the neighborhood and diversifying amenities, Zeppelin Development has recently broken ground on “DRIVE”.

    

This concept, like others from their portfolio, will take a refreshing detour from the typical. DRIVE will be a 4-story structure that provides 20+ sleek, urban office spaces on the same site as Zeppelin’s mixed-use development, “TAXI“. As the first LEED-certified structure on the site, DRIVE will make a move to integrate the urban office to the outside environment. Through the incorporation of 40+ large garage doors lining the exterior, offices will open to the outdoors. Tenants of this project will have graduated to a new kind of work experience. As Kyle Zeppelin explained, “In many ways, it is the opposite of the typical office format that often includes — sterile corridors, overdone atrium lobbies without a purpose, and hierarchical spaces that often lacking in natural light and landscape.” This concept will drench inhabitants in natural light, give them an open-air office and offer them a view of the mountains. No longer will office workers need to massage their eyes back to life after they’ve frozen in the daily 8-hour winter of florescent light and no windows. This simple, but effective idea will increase sustainability while improving quality of life in the work environment.

     

As DRIVE is added to the greater collection of buildings on the site, all of the facilities will benefit from the addition of new amenities. Included in the new building will be a 2,000+ square foot multi-purpose Café and event space. The function of this space will serve as a conference space significant enough to be used by the community, and for larger events which are not currently able to be accommodated. Also, a gourmet sandwich counter/salumi bar and an artisan coffee bar will increase activity in the space while providing an environment for tenants to detach from their formal work spaces.

The high-design rendered in the Drive development is the work of “FREIGHT” architect, Stephen Dynia. In addition, a collection of other design firms based in the TAXI development also contributed to the concept. BRS (Architect of record), Deerns (MEP), KL&A (Structural) and Groundworks (Landscape) all had a hand in this collaborative effort. Aside from the bold aesthetic crafted into the actual building, attention to detail was also afforded to landscaping. The grounds surrounding the structure will feature native plantings such as cottonwood trees and native grasses. The aim is to promote pedestrian and bicycle traffic over the use of cars.

     

Within the past month, the project broke ground and the stair core has now made its way a few stories into the air. It is expected that DRIVE will be completed by October of 2012. Several tenants have already signed on and the project is filling up quickly. Zeppelin Development predicts that all leasable space will be spoken for by the completion date.

     

This project will be especially exciting to watch given contextual development prospects. Not only will DRIVE strengthen the foundation for other developments, like “The Source”, but it also helps to leverage investment in other efforts. One such effort is the proposal of a new pedestrian bridge and riverfront park adjacent to the site. Though still on the drawing board, these projects would begin to populate the area with support infrastructure for alternative mobility and recreation functions. Strengthening the relationship between TAXI, River North and ultimately the rest of the city, would likely propel River North on its current path toward gaining even more big-ticket projects.

(All renderings provided by Zeppelin Development, Inc.)

 

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Filed under General Urbanism, Sustainability, Urban Design.
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Adapting Tired Design

Posted by  on November 18, 2011

By Derek Berardi

Every new arrival to Denver is familiar with the dreaded apartment search. When arriving from the Eastern US or other regions, newcomers have a general idea of what their dollar should get them. However, in Denver, we are in a rather unique situation. According to the Colorado Division of Housing, vacancies in Denver’s rental market stand at 4.9% (reaching the lowest rates since 2000). In the same month, the Brookings Institution noted that Denver earned the number one spot this year for attracting more of America’s young adults (25 to 34-year-olds) than any other city in the country. Considering those two factors and the reality that new units and structures being developed are somewhat higher-end, the question lingers of how to offer new residents affordable options which are still worth their price-tag. How do we ensure that this growing demographic is provided with options in Denver? And how can the current housing stock benefit from this increased need?

Rather than waiting for new development to catch up with demands, why not make use of creative design alterations? Every city has their share of less-desirable brick cubes. Lacking character, curb appeal and proper care, these are the places you drive past and desperately hope not to get stuck living in. However, Denver has done an impressive job of breathing new life into otherwise lackluster residential architecture through the use of creative redesign. The best part is that the successful result of this transformation appeals to the age-group in question. While rental rates remain relatively affordable, the neighborhood benefits from having one of its most understated, forgettable structures sculpted into a showpiece. Bold, urban and edgy, these newly refreshed designs more closely resemble their occupants.

 

Though aesthetics and beauty will be valued and judged from a number of perspectives, it is important to recognize alternative possibilities. It is one thing to design a sleek space from scratch, but it takes a different eye to see the hidden potential of the plain and bland. These pictures show several examples of dated brick cubes and motels that have achieved more prominent curb appeal without undergoing a full reconstruction.

 

Beyond the benefit of visual enhancement, these soft architectural improvements allow for a faster transformation of the housing options while utilizing what’s already on the ground. In a neighborhood like Capitol Hill, there is less room for new construction than in other neighborhoods and still an ever-expanding demand for housing by young adults. With rent on the rise in the urban center, places like Capitol Hill will become even more competitive as more young people move in. Perhaps this is one way that developers, neighborhoods, and the city can continue to attract this growing demographic while simultaneously upgrading the identity of their building stock.

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Derek Berardi is a resident in Downtown Denver.  He graduated in 2009 from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning/Design. Derek has worked with Calthorpe Associates in Berkeley, CA, Perkins Eastman in New York City, and has worked for several government municipalities. At DenverUrbanism, Derek’s writing will cover the topics of adaptive reuse and cultural identity.

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Filed under Revitalization, Sustainability.
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Adaptive Reuse Potential in Denver’s Uptown District

Posted by  on September 25, 2011

By Derek Berardi

Adaptive reuse plays a critical role in rebuilding established urban places. Not only does it creatively recycle resources, but it also preserves identity and historic value. Although Denver has a wealth of historic structures, the city has also lost a great deal of that stock. Unpopular viewpoints of preservation from decades past and urban renewal have both been significant players in the city’s transition. Therefore, I would like to direct my passion for the topics of adaptive reuse and cultural identity to DenverUrbanism as they relate to our city. In my first post, let’s take a look at East 17th Avenue in Uptown.

So think of Uptown—what is the first thing that comes to mind? Well, there is a very good chance you imagined a parking lot. In most cases, a corridor like East 17th Avenue would get denser and more active the closer one came to its center. However, an interesting realization hits when viewing an aerial map of the area. Both ends of the commercial corridor are more compact and structurally mature than the interior.

(Red blocks represent parking lots or unprogrammed surface space which front 17th Avenue. Yellow dotted line show an informal boundary of 17th Avenue business district.)

While infill would seem like the most practical solution to this surface Serengeti, one structure along the row holds incredible potential for breathing life back into one of the lifeless blocks under scrutiny. That building is the previous site of “Preferred Transportation Limousine Service”.

 

Not only does this site have the bare bones of a fantastic adaptive reuse project, but it is also in an ideal location to fill a gap which currently leaves the district fragmented. The open lot to the side of the entrance is prime space for café-style dining and, paired with the inviting curved glass face of the building, this site would program even more energy into the pedestrian experience in Uptown. Currently, a deadzone exists between Park + Co. and Steuben’s, but this site holds the prospect of creating uninterrupted café-culture along the stretch.

Although this building is one example of redevelopment potential for Uptown, it speaks to a larger point. When we consider the evolution of our neighborhoods, it is important to invest in development that meets multiple needs. Improving the pedestrian experience, creating a place that has a pulse, and considering how that place will inspire the contextual areas surrounding it are a few examples. Uptown still has a lot of growth to endure, but not everything has to be shiny and new. Character and originality still remain in structures that go underutilized. It’s just up to developers and residents to see the value of repurposing those assets.

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Derek Berardi is a resident in Downtown Denver.  He graduated in 2009 from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning/Design.  Derek has worked with Calthorpe Associates in Berkeley, CA, Perkins Eastman in New York City, and has worked for several government municipalities.  At DenverUrbanism, Derek’s writing will cover the topics of adaptive reuse and cultural identity.

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Filed under Historic Preservation, Revitalization, Sustainability.
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Nuclear power, the US, and Japan

Posted by  on March 21, 2011

Question: How might the disaster in Japan kill thousands of Americans? Answer: If anti-nuclear knee-jerk reactionaries are successful in using the Japanese tsunami as political leverage to scare Americans from investing in more nuclear power.

How so? Because every year 30,000 Americans die from causes related to coal power production. Thirty thousand. That’s more dead Americans every year than in the entire Revolutionary War. It’s five times as many dead Americans as the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars combined. It’s almost twice the 18,000 estimated Japanese dead from the tsunami disaster.

The longer we use coal instead of nuclear for the majority of our power generation in this country, the more Americans will die.

While we’re on the subject, let’s also talk about how dangerous the nuclear situation in Japan actually is. The chart below is a snippet from a much larger one comparing radiation doses received for a variety of events. Note that the additional radiation doses received by Japanese citizens in villages near the breaking-down nuclear plant average less than a normal day’s dose (which is to say, they’re getting less than twice the normal daily dose that you get simply by living on the surface of the Earth). They’re less than you get from a dental x-ray, and much less than you get by flying on a jet from New York to Los Angeles.

It’s true that a relatively small number of workers at the plant are getting much higher doses, but the danger to the mass population is quite low. Meanwhile, thousands of people around the world continue to die every day as a result of coal power production. Far more than will ever die as a result of nuclear radiation from any of these Japanese plants. The 30,000 American deaths per year attributed to coal average to more than 80 per day, which is nothing compared to the average of almost 1,400 per day from China’s half-million annual coal deaths.

I don’t mean to imply that we should treat nuclear power lightly. Of course the only reason it’s so safe is that tremendous safety measures are involved. We should absolutely learn from the disaster in Japan to improve safety however possible. But one thing we cannot afford to do is allow knee-jerk reactionaries to stop America from expanding our nuclear production capacity. The human toll of such narrow thinking would simply be too great.

click to enlarge
Radiation doses from a variety of sources.
Image from xkcd.com.

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Filed under Public Health, Sustainability, Technology.
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