CREJ

80 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2020 / Natural Selection: Platte Fifteen / concrete delivers a 30-by-30-foot grid of open span office space. This spatial freedom allows owners to easily parti- tion floor plates into various configurations initially and flexibly in the future. “The design challenge was in planning a modern office in this 30-by-30-foot grid spacing as efficiently as possible, in a material that was assumed to be more expensive,” says Anastasi. He points out that occasionally, choosing a more expensive component can drive substantial savings in labor or ancillary systems. Only through a comprehen- sive team preconstruction effort can mass timber’s cost competitiveness be realized. Despite the shared success on the Loading Dock, on Platte Fifteen, initial costing came in approximately 15% over budget – a delta tied in many ways to unfamiliar means, methods and materials. The entire team came together to solve equations like how to decrease the number of structural connections or simplifying the design and fabrication of attachment components to assemble the structure. “Our responsibility is to analyze each factor that should be considered and deliver these in a way that allows each discipline to make easy decisions,” continues Anasta- si. “Working with each consultant, Adolfson & Peterson Construction and with Nordic, in an integrated design approach, the team collaborated thoughtfully and holis- tically on how each decision impacted cost and the final product.” Taking cues from the activity fostered by revitalized surroundings, the building deftly mixes brick and trans- parency in a modern interpretation of the historic streets- cape. A retail wrap along the base is tucked beneath a cov- ered paseo, ensuring the energy of Platte Street turns the corner. Window patterns derived from studies of neigh- borhood buildings are punched into the hand-selected red brick, subtle nods to context that enhance presence by acknowledging place. As Platte Fifteen’s first tenants arrive this spring, the building readies for the day-to-day realities of being a working member of the community. Crescent is already putting pen to paper and concept to calculator on the lot across the street; a property they own and plan to devel- op as mixed-use office and retail. Asked about what makes Platte Fifteen a distinct presence in Denver’s ever-grow- ing tapestry of in-fill architecture and Suszynski shares multipronged confidence. “People working here will enjoy a warm inviting atmo- sphere naturally enriched by the use of mass timber, but that is hardly even the beginning of the sustainability sto- ry,” says Suszynski. “This building will actually store 1790 metric tons of carbon dioxide within the wood. Another 3,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emis- sions will be avoided for a total potential carbon benefit of 5,580 metric tons. In short, we have proven that wood is a cost-viable, sustainable structural option with regenera- tive benefits for mid-rise commercial construction. That’s a genuine evolution, that’s a big deal.” \\ ABOVE: Punched window patterns and hand-selected brick tones take cues from area precedents.