Populus

Denver, Colorado, USA

Standing as the first carbon-positive hotel in the United States, the 13-story Populus hotel is a distinctive facade featuring elliptical windows of varying sizes designed to reflect the “Aspen eyes” of Colorado’s native Aspen tree, Populus Tremuloides. The hotel is based in Denver, Colorado—a city that balances between being a vibrant city and a gateway to some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes.

One of the project’s main goals was to combine the city’s urban character with its rich ecology to create a building that would define the Denver skyline. The 265-room hotel features a rooftop restaurant and bar offering spectacular views of the mountains and skyline, as well as a rooftop garden and a variety of retail and event spaces.

Another one of the building owner’s goals was to develop the hotel to be carbon positive. Targeting LEED Gold, the facade features highly recycled building materials and fewer finish materials, maximizing structural efficiency and minimizing waste. Populus’ ongoing building operations will also be carbon positive. In addition to the building’s embodied carbon, the hotel’s general use (operational carbon) and every guest stay will help offset its carbon footprint. Featuring highly sustainable design and construction features, Populus goes beyond net zero to help the planet regenerate and thrive.

Populus features a variety of Kawneer’s architectural aluminum systems, including our 500 Wide Stile Entrances and 1600 Wall System®2 and System®3 Curtain Wall. Our 1600 Wall System®2 Curtain Wall is stick fabricated and Structural Silicone Glazed (SSG), while our 1600 Wall System®3 Curtain Wall features IsoStrut® thermal barrier technology for outstanding thermal performance.

ARCHITECT: Studio Gang, Denver, Colorado
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: The Beck Group, Denver, Colorado
GLAZING CONTRACTOR: 8G Solutions, Denver, Colorado

Photography: © Jason O’Rear