Built in 1963, the 32,000-sf 200 Fillmore building in Denver housed office and retail in a drab, outdated, and energy-splurging shell—a “style” made doubly disastrous by 200 Fillmore's function as the backdrop for a popular public plaza and outdoor café called “The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
Mixed-Use | Apr 7, 2015
$100 billion 'city from scratch' taking shape in Saudi Arabia
The new King Abdullah Economic City was conceived to diversify the kingdom's oil-dependent economy by focusing more in its shipping industry.
Green | Apr 7, 2015
USGBC survey shows Fortune 200 companies prioritize green building
The world’s top-performing companies are prioritizing sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts, and a majority of them are using LEED to achieve their goals, according to the new survey.
Office Buildings | Apr 1, 2015
Facebook opens Gehry-designed headquarters: ‘The largest open floor plan in the world,’ says Zuckerberg
Employees have started moving into Facebook’s new headquarters, a 435,555-sf building in Menlo Park, Calif., whose famed architect Frank Gehry describes as “unassuming, matter-of-fact, and cost effective.”
Office Buildings | Apr 1, 2015
IBM's supercomputer Watson finds new home in Manhattan's Silicon Alley
The new headquarters for the former Jeopardy champ was conceived as a showcase for Watson’s capabilities, and as an inspirational workspace for Millennials and idea generators of all ages.
Office Buildings | Mar 29, 2015
Chance encounters and the ‘action’ office: Do collisions spark innovation?
Google, Facebook, Samsung, and Tencent have all unveiled plans for “action” offices designed to get their people moving, interacting, huddling, collaborating—all in the name of innovation.
Codes and Standards | Mar 12, 2015
Energy Trust of Oregon offers financial incentives for net-zero buildings
The organization is offering technical assistance along with financial benefits.
BIM and Information Technology | Mar 11, 2015
Google plans to use robots, cranes to manipulate modular offices at its new HQ
Its visions of “crabots” accentuate the search-engine giant’s recent fascination with robotics and automation.
Modular Building | Mar 10, 2015
Must see: 57-story modular skyscraper was completed in 19 days
After erecting the mega prefab tower in Changsha, China, modular builder BSB stated, “three floors in a day is China’s new normal.”
Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015
Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose
Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.
Office Buildings | Mar 7, 2015
Chance encounters in workplace design: The winning ticket to the innovation lottery?
The logic behind the push to cultivate chance encounters supposes that innovation is akin to a lottery. But do chance encounters reliably and consistently yield anything of substance?