16 Chestnut
Denver
BEST PROJECT

Owner: Invesco Real Estate
Developer: East West Partners/Starwood Capital Group
Lead Design Firm: Gensler
General Contractor: Saunders Construction
Structural Engineer: S.A. Miro Inc.
Civil Engineer: Martin/Martin Inc.
MEP Engineer: Swanson Rink
Interior Design: Acquilano Leslie
Landscape Architect: 360 Design
Subconsultants: Ace Inc.; CPP Inc.; Encore Electric; Geiler and Associates; Studio NYL; VDA; WSP; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

The 250-ft-tall, 650,000-sq-ft 16 Chestnut is one of the final buildings to be constructed in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood. The iconic tower completes the area near the Millennium Bridge, the gateway to downtown from the west side. The building houses high-profile tenants Davita and Slack—bringing nearly 2,000 new workers to the area.

The 19-story, LEED Platinum building has two levels of underground parking and five levels of above-ground parking. It also features an 8,000-sq-ft fitness center and yoga studio, an 8,000-sq-ft terrace on the 12th floor, first-floor retail space, two lobbies and a bike box—a secure storage room for up to 30 bikes that also has a bike-repair station.

The building was crafted to convey a timeless elegance, balancing a modern, full-height glass curtain wall with a rusticated precast base, reflective of the historic roots of Denver architecture. The two lobbies create the feeling of two separate buildings to respect the individual identities of each tenant. 

The building has no true back, since the 16th Street Mall Ride buses and light rail arrive on the west side. The proximity of transit options required the team to balance the service functions of the building with a street-level presence that engages pedestrians from every side, including an articulate louver design to mask elements that might seem back-of-house in nature.

The zero-lot-line site forced the team to create an hour-by-hour delivery board and establish a plan for proactive communication among subcontractors. The just-in-time deliveries included steel being hoisted straight off the truck and put into place.

When 16 Chestnut was one year into construction, DaVita officially came on board as a tenant, ready to build out floors eight through 19. That added another construction team, owner and design team to the mix as well as the need for significant structural changes to the core-and-shell design while the building was still under construction.

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