Built in 1963, the 32,000-sf 200 Fillmore building in Denver housed office and retail in a drab, outdated, and energy-splurging shell—a “style” made doubly disastrous by 200 Fillmore's function as the backdrop for a popular public plaza and outdoor café called “The Beach.”
In 2005, the owner, Western Development Group, determined to pluck 200 Fillmore out from its Class C office space doldrums. To do that, a Building Team headed by the Denver office of Chicago firm 4240 Architecture came up with three goals: maximize the leasable area, improve the building's energy usage, and enhance the appearance of The Beach.
The team ran head-on into problems. First, they discovered the building already exceeded zoning limits on area, so any expansion had to stay within the building's original footprint. Their best option for expansion, then, lay in the cantilevered concrete slab that extended around the outside as part of the original façade. Field tests showed the slab could support a new exterior wall, but only one weighing less than 10 pounds per face square foot. The solution: A terra cotta rainscreen system that gave the building an inviting appearance at a low weight.
This part of the project required better-than-average organizational skills. The terra cotta tiles were not flat, nor did they have clean, straight edges. To make sure the rainscreen was installed with a 3/16-in. joint throughout, the team experimented with a full-size mockup. All this was going on even as ground-floor retail was open and the upper three floors were gutted.
Bumping up the building's energy efficiency led the Building Team to, of all places, the restrooms, which had claustrophobically low seven-foot ceilings that were constrained by undersized air handler units stored in the space above. The team junked those floor-based units in favor of one large roof unit that served the whole building. The result was not only a more efficient HVAC system, but also a person-friendly restroom design—with ceiling heights raised to eight feet.
Improvements to The Beach include tall grasses and seasonal flower landscaping that wrap around the retail and plaza edge. A new wood and steel entry canopy complements the terra cotta rainscreen and steel window treatments, while simultaneously connecting the lobby and outdoors and reducing the building's scale.
All these changes resulted in a radically different building—both inside and out. Gone is the '60s-era façade with its set-back windows framed by a mesh grille and crossed by vertical support bars. In its place are new flush windows on the second and third floors, and a balcony on the fourth floor, which is now residential space for the building's owner. Horizontal trim at the tops of the windows mimic the balcony's railing system.
The Building Team was able to accomplish this complete overhaul—from original design to completed construction—in 12 months. Although the project went $300,000 (7.5%) over the original $4 million budget, the overrun was negated by the fact that the new 200 Fillmore was fully leased on opening day.
Related Stories
| Jun 13, 2013
7 great places that represent excellence in environmental design
An adaptive reuse to create LEED Platinum offices, a park that honors veterans, and a grand national plaza are among the seven projects named winners of the 2013 Great Places Awards. The Environmental Design and Research Association recognize professional and scholarly excellence in environmental design, with special attention paid to the relationship between physical form and human activity or experience.
| Jun 12, 2013
5 building projects that put the 'team' in teamwork
The winners of the 2013 Building Team Awards show that great buildings cannot be built without the successful collaboration of the Building Team.
| Jun 11, 2013
Finnish elevator technology could facilitate supertall building design
KONE Corporation has announced a new elevator technology that could make it possible for supertall buildings to reach new heights by eliminating several problems of existing elevator technology. The firm's new UltraRope hoisting system uses a rope with a carbon-fiber core and high-friction coating, rather than conventional steel rope.
| Jun 6, 2013
Get smart about space utilization in the workplace
As we continue to look for more effective ways to improve the overall workplace experience, one tool we can use is measuring and analyzing space utilization.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
| Jun 4, 2013
SOM research project examines viability of timber-framed skyscraper
In a report released today, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill discussed the results of the Timber Tower Research Project: an examination of whether a viable 400-ft, 42-story building could be created with timber framing. The structural type could reduce the carbon footprint of tall buildings by up to 75%.
| Jun 3, 2013
Construction spending inches upward in April
The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that construction spending during April 2013 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $860.8 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised March estimate of $857.7 billion.
| Jun 3, 2013
Trifecta of awards recognize Vision/Rubenstein campus, Bayer Healthcare HQ
When Vision Equities, LLC and Rubenstein Partners purchased the 200-acre former Alcatel-Lucent campus in Whippany a little more than two years ago, the partnership recognized the property’s potential to serve as a benchmark infill revitalization for the State of New Jersey.
| May 31, 2013
Nation's first retrofitted zero-energy building opens in California
The new training facility for IBEW/NECA is the first commercial building retrofit designed to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s requirements for a net-zero energy building.
| May 29, 2013
Realtors report positive trends in commercial real estate market
Realtors who practice commercial real estate have reported an increase in annual gross income for the third year in a row, signaling the market is on the road to recovery.