This question became a driver for Gensler’s biophilic design concept for a high-performance building renovation of the Alliance Center for Sustainable Colorado in Denver’s Lower Downtown. The building was originally built in 1908 and was first named the Kennicott-Patterson Transfer and Storage Building, originally used as a warehouse. Fast-forward to over 100 years later, the design team was tasked with redesigning the footprint to become highly efficient multi-tenant space.
There were a few core design principles the design team stuck to in order to achieve their sustainability and occupant well-being goals:
Adaptive re-use of the space, leveraging existing structural wood beams resulted in:
This type of sustainable co-working space represents a growing trend for buildings that are “designed and operated to enhance the health and well-being of their occupants [and] will be important differentiators in an increasingly green marketplace” (Dodge Data and Analytics SmartMarket report).