Populus Hotel
Denver
Construction specialty
Sent by: Electric hunting
Region: ENR Mountain States
Owner: Urban Villages
Main design company: Study Room
General contractor: The Beck Group
Electrical contractor: Electric hunting
Nothing would disrupt the feel of a grove of Aspen trees more than exposed electrical infrastructure. That’s one reason why the construction team for the Populus Hotel, a 13-story hotel in Denver designed to resemble the eyes of the area’s iconic trees, employed precision and close coordination among all construction and design partners.
“Extensive coordination with the structural engineer had to take place for all of our penetrations and on-site elements to avoid affecting the structural integrity of the building, while trying to conceal as much of the electrical infrastructure as possible,” says Tony Franklin, senior project manager at Hunt Electric.
“Planning and coordination of duct/cable routing had to be taken into account where plasterboard walls or ceilings would normally be hidden.”
Hunt used building information modeling (BIM) as well as GPS-guided design tools to place ducts and devices within the curves of the concrete, ensuring that all elements conformed to the project’s quiver-inspired geometry.
With an element of the natural world serving as the main design inspiration, it’s only natural that the hotel focuses on minimizing its environmental impact. Intelligent lighting controls, daylight harvesting and energy management systems are designed to improve guest comfort while reducing the building’s carbon footprint, Franklin says.
Due to the strict site constraints, major equipment such as the generator and switchgear were painstakingly lowered through the lift shaft, a feat of logistics and teamwork.
Despite the challenging conditions, Hunt Electric recorded more than 55,000 hours of work without a lost time injury.
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new intelligent AI search tool.
Ask ENR →
