With the amount of carbon emissions the world puts out daily, it’s no wonder why we’ve come across a variety of environmental problems. Many have become aware of this, which is why people are jumping on the green movement bandwagon.
Both individuals and corporations are trying to do their best to save the planet. One such example is a hotel that’s underway. People might also notice its unique architecture, one that may remind them of a tree that grows abundantly in Colorado.
The designers of the hotel took inspiration from the aspen tree the state of Colorado so loves so much. Right now, the people behind it are hoping that this becomes the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. because the entire edifice removes more carbon than it utilizes.
Every building starts out with cement-works, smelting, and heavy machinery. With the environment in mind, the whole process can be more expensive, but the new Populus Hotel has spared nothing from its operations from being assessed for unnecessary emissions. Yes, they are that dedicated.
The building’s designed was by Studio Gang in Chicago. Right now, it’s already in its finishing stages. What makes this unique as well is that there’s no parking at all. Hence, they didn’t need to dig deep just to provide the clients with an underground concrete lot. Rather, Populus wants to encourage their future guests to take a bus or train to a city transportation hub right across the street if they want to go anywhere to and from the hotel.
As you take a look at the low-carbon concrete façade and skeleton of the hotel, it is inspired by the aspen bark. The structure has been crafted with a well-insulating material that’s set to reduce energy consumption in a significant manner. The deep-set windows there work the same way as well because they will be able to control the amount of sun that directly enters a room. Guests can take comfort of the fact that not much heat will enter their space.
As for the roof, it has been lined with solar panels. For every ton of CO2 produced from energy use within the building, the hotel will purchase what they look to call “carbon offsets.” This means that the trees that will be planted by a third party in another area will absorb CO2 throughout the plant’s life.
The Populus is a wedge-shaped hotel that will be sandwiched between streets on a corner where the first gas station in Colorado once was. “There’s some sort of poetic justice there,” said Jon Buerge. He is the chief development officer at Urban Villages, the sustainability-focused developer behind the project. He also said, “We’re building the greenest building in Denver, and it has no parking.”
“Internally, we often say if we can show people how to make money doing the right thing to change the world, it can be replicated,” Buerge explained when he talked to Fast Company. “And so our projects are very profitable. We don’t ever come in saying, you know, well, if we use this material, and we reduce our return on investment, is that okay? It’s more saying, we’ve got to justify it. We have to make sure that the decisions we’re making are good for the planet and good for the business.”
The design choices they made was meant to lower the building’s carbon footprint. However, they also won’t be able to totally eliminate it. So, they made plans to invest in reforesting more than 5,000 acres of land just so they can match the 4,397 metric tons of carbon that’s being produced. “We’re going to be planting enough trees to offset that,” he says. “And what we’re now focused on is where can we do that with the greatest impact that also relates to ecological preservation.”
The company has been inspired and now wants to make all of its new projects carbon positive. “If we’re going to address climate change in any sort of meaningful way, we need to figure out how to build buildings that are responsible and that are giving back more than we’re taking,” Buerge stated. “So our goal is to make not only every project we do, but our company itself, carbon positive moving forward. And we want to talk about it because our metric for success is not the handful of projects we build. Our metric for success is in trying to help push the industry in a certain direction.”
The Populus is expected to open next year. The hotel will have 265 rooms, a rooftop terrace garden as well as a dining area that have views out across to the State Capitol building and towards the Rocky Mountains that lie beyond.
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