CREJ

78 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2020 / Natural Selection: Platte Fifteen / N ature has a way of absorbing differences between people – a passive, smoothing con- stant that seems vitally inherent to what it means to be natural. The warmth of the sun, thewhisper of thewind, the cool of a breeze, the essence of nature is both ethereal and tangible. As structure, purpose and possibility continue to evolve in commercial building construction, savvy devel- opers have come to recognize the need and benefits of in- tegrating nature’s regenerative powers into the places we live, work and play. Harnessing the power of nature through sustainability and Craftmanship, Platte Fifteen has arrived as a pioneer of progress with a new take on old means. “As developers, Crescent’s objectives are to create build- ings that add value to communities and customers today and many, many generations into the future,” says Conrad Suszynski, co-CEO of Crescent Real Estate LLC. Suszynski and the Crescent team’s latest contribution to community comes in the form of Platte Fifteen, a 156,915-square-foot mixed-use office property that now commands attention at the corner of 15th and Platte streets just west of the conflu- ence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. “The com- mon connection between our developments is that we seek special locations and strive to create buildings that can’t be easily replicated or replaced.” At a glance from the street, the sleek glass and brick edi- fice is proud and elegant yet at only five stories tall seems a willing transitional figure between neighborhood and city. A hidden gemand something of a first, only upon entry does Platte Fifteen’s unique character begin to reveal its true nat- ural splendor. “Exploring the use of mass timber is great environmen-