CREJ

March 2020 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 79 / Natural Selection: Platte Fifteen / tally and cre- ates wonderful- ly warm, natural, biophilic spaces that enrich human experi- ences,” says Suszynski. “It may not be best for ev- ery location or product type but here mass timber is fun- damentally what makes this building special.” Modern mass timber is made from young, sustainably harvested trees. Early growth trees are cut into strips of wood that are laminated togeth- er at alternating angles to form a reliable, high-density composite. The finished block of wood is every bit as strong as the heavy tim- ber logs commonly used as structural columns before the mass production of steel but is derived from young, easily replenished trees. Structurally, the finished members retain the strength of steel yet are five times lighter than concrete. “In partnership with OZ Architecture, Crescent has been expanding our understanding of mass timber through a series of projects, stretching back to the Loading Dock in Boulder,” shares Suszynski. There, mass timber was in- tegrated into the walls, floors, and structural columns of a 36,000-sf office development. At Platte Fifteen, mass timber is fundamentally the basis for the building as well. Coor- dinated correctly, mass timber offers a single-source struc- tural solution composed of prefabricated columns, beams, walls and floors that aremanufactured off site in controlled conditions and then assembled akin to building blocks on site. “Modernmass timber presents an opportunity to push de- sign beyond previous precedents, to build better,” says Joe Anastasi, project architect with OZ Architecture. Like many in the field, Anastasi thrives on a good design challenge and in this case believes in mass timber’s capacity to deliver a unique solution and experience. The challenge for design- ers and builders, of course, is using the innovative material in a way that delivers the premium, modern, city-worthy wow-factor architecture the site commands at a cost and schedule that competes financially with concrete and steel. “The solution to the cost component is holistic,” says Suszynski. “From site orientation to connection points, OZ, KL&A and Adolfson & Peterson Construction considered ev- ery detail and dimension searching for efficiencies until no stone was left unturned.” The realized vision for Platte Fifteen begins with old de- velopment wisdom, that if quality is created at an excep- tional but underutilized location, achieving profitability is well within reason. Making the proforma work at Platte Fifteen came down to column placement, simple solutions and elegant details. A modern office building in steel or OPENING ART: From the corner of Fifteenth and Platte, the new midrise office property declares a proud presence. LEFT AND RIGHT: Open and alive, mass timber offers opportunities to enhance space naturally. BOTTOM: Punched window patterns and hand-selected brick tones take cues from area precedents. PROJECT TEAM DEVELOPER: Crescent Real Estate LLC GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Adolfson & Peterson Construction ARCHITECT: OZ Architecture STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: KL&A