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/ Patrinely / Our intent was to make an active urban edge that enhanc- es the energy and vitality of this section of downtown in proportion, beauty and amenity.” Visually distinctive from a distance for the dramatically divergent, crown-like conclusion to its skyward elevation, Block 162 makes an indelible mark on the city’s form in more ways than one. At the street level, a fully transparent lobby is wrapped in a cable net glazing system and animat- ed by interactive art that sways in response to real-time data readings from a wind power farm in Eastern Colora- do. Hand-selected statuary marble from a quarry near the Tuscan port town of Forte dei Marmi graces the lobby. Modern office design has come a long way, and quality office properties being built today benefit from all that architecture has learned about maximizing floor plates and sustainability. However, to be exceptional a building must go beyond being attractive, efficient and sustainable. Block 162’s office floor plates are completely column-free, offering unimpeded spatial flexibility and efficiency to of- fice tenants of virtually every size or lease profile. The 10- foot clear floor-to-ceiling glazing is standard on all floors, with 12-foot clear glass on level 30, and 13-foot-6 windows on level 11. “The Sky Terrace on level 11 is where Block 162 distin- guishes itself as best in class,” says Scasserra. Here tenants enjoy a pie-in-the-sky indoor/outdoor office resort. The spacious fitness center, sumptuous lounge, tech-forward conferencing facility, and pre-event spaces are contiguous. And 110-linear feet of operable sliding glass walls allow im- mediate accessibility to Denver’s 300-plus days of sunshine year-round from every area. “This is about placemaking in- side the building, an amenity level of exceptional flexibil- ity – a dynamic social living room for the building’s entire population useable in many ways simultaneously.” Built on a tight urban site at the intersection of com- merce and culture, even prior to the pandemic, Swinerton had its hands full with Block 162. When the pandemic hit and all but essential services were shut down in March 2020, Swinerton’s Rocky Mountain leadership challenged project managers on every project to develop a site-spe- cific COVID response. The 35-page response developed in three days by the Block 162 team was so complete that it became the basis for Swinerton’s overall plan used on every job site. Combined with the already-established re- mote collaboration between teammembers in Denver and Houston, Block 162’s COVID-19 response plan allowed the site to resume in just three days. Once construction contin- ued under the new pandemic protocols, there was no time loss of any sort despite a daily workforce of more than 300 working on a site of just over an acre in size. Delivering a 30-story high-rise on a constricted site re- quires critical path scheduling and management border- ing on obsession. Swinerton’s scheduling effort solicited input and required accountability from the entire pool of subcontractors. Grouped-trade schedules were supported by sub schedules for the superintendent and every assis- tant superintendent, for the core and shell, amenity level 11, hardscaping, stair towers, and elevator shafts. Composed of a massive concrete base rising from three levels below grade to 11 stories above, topped by 20 stories of structural steel, one of the more unique scheduling chal- lenges revolved around the building’s 17 different elevator shafts, five that traverse the concrete podium. Originally, plans called for the core structure and the flat plates of each of the lower floors to be poured in sequence. Swiner- ton worked with structural engineers in Cardno’s Houston office to modify the design solution to allow the concrete core structure to precede the floor plate by up to 10 floors to expedite sequencing and improve the critical path. Manpower also was a big issue, even before COVID-19. At several different peaks, the job site headcount reached up to 400 people working on the site simultaneously. Encom- passing dozens of trades, the workforce was continually evaluated and supplemented when needed. “There have been many trying moments with the chal- lenges COVID-19 presented for safely executing such a sig- nificant investment in a tight-site, vertical development,” finishes Haltom. “I have nothing but trust and admiration for both Gensler and Swinerton. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, they can get it done, no matter what.” \\ Bob Dickey Photography December 2021 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 95
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