DENVER (June 30, 2023) – Urban Villages, a leading real estate developer and environmental steward, is pleased to announce that Populus, the first carbon positive hotel in the United States, has topped out. The milestone marks the completion of vertical structure for the 13-story, 265-room hotel which will open in Denver in Spring 2024. Managed by Aparium Hotel Group, Populus features a distinctive Aspen tree-inspired design by architecture and urban design practice Studio Gang and will offer a rooftop restaurant and bar with stunning mountain and city views. As the country’s first carbon positive hotel, Populus’s carbon footprint will be offset through forest and agricultural collaborations that will sequester more carbon than the building emits. By doing so, Populus will serve both as an architectural landmark for the Mountain West as well as a new milestone for the future of sustainable travel.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate this milestone for Populus and to be one step closer to the opening of the country’s first carbon-positive hotel,” says Grant McCargo, Urban Villages’ Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Populus will provide Denver and the nation with a stunning hotel that breaks the boundaries of sustainable hospitality, all thanks to our dedicated team and partners, who have been working tirelessly to make this project a reality.”
“We hope Populus will serve as a model for how the real estate industry can more directly address the urgency of climate change while also meeting the preferences of today’s eco-conscious traveler,” said Jon Buerge, President and Partner at Urban Villages. “Buildings currently account for 45 percent of greenhouse emissions in the United States; we need a new way to build. We hope the transparency with which we are sharing our ever-evolving efforts to reduce the building’s carbon footprint during construction and operations and to establishing creative, local ways to sequester additional carbon off-site, will empower other developers to take a more sustainable and holistic approach.”
Carbon-Positive Commitment
Urban Villages broke ground on Populus on Earth Day of 2022 with a public commitment to make the development “carbon positive”. The company defines this as a commitment to sequester more carbon in biomass and soil than the combined embodied and operational footprints of the building across its entire life cycle. This will be achieved through a combination of sustainable design and construction techniques, for which the building is targeting LEED Gold certification, in concert with robust ecological sequestration efforts offsite.
Urban Villages will offset the “embodied carbon” of the building – the carbon emitted during the creation, transportation, installation, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal of the materials used to build the hotel–by planting over 70,000 trees in Gunnison County, Colo. Planting trees was selected in place of a more traditional approach of purchasing carbon credits because it reflects Populus’s tree-inspired design and for its capacity to raise local awareness and accountability in Colorado. Beyond offsetting the building’s footprint, this approach will also support and fortify biodiversity within the alpine ecosystem: Urban Villages partnered with One Tree Planted vis-a-vis the United States Forest Service to re-introduce Engelmann Spruce, a primary tree species that was diminished by beetle kill. The trees, which have already been procured, will be planted in early summer 2023.
In addition to Populus’ carbon sequestration strategy, Urban Villages is using innovative solutions to significantly reduce carbon throughout the development and ongoing operations of the hotel. Urban Villages worked closely with Studio Gang and the general contractor, The Beck Group, to limit the carbon footprint of the building during design and construction. This includes utilizing Holcim’s innovative ECOPact™ low-carbon concrete mix, which offers a minimum of 30% lower CO2 emissions compared to standard concrete. By using ECOPact for Populus’ development, the embodied carbon of the concrete is expected to be 765 tons less than traditional concrete, a 24% reduction in CO2 emissions of the total concrete volume, minimizing the hotel’s carbon footprint without compromising performance. Further design elements that improve the building’s environmental performance include a continuously insulated façade system that features a GFRC rainscreen, “Aspen-eye” window lids that shade the building, mechanical systems that employ heat recovery, and guest rooms designed with minimal furniture and finishes.
To further reduce carbon profiles, Populus is intentionally built without any onsite parking – Denver’s first new-build hotel without it – as parking garages are built of carbon-heavy steel and reinforced concrete. Similarly, the hotel’s central urban location close to public transportation means its guests will emit less carbon traveling to and from the hotel once it opens. Populus was designed with longevity in mind, employing highly durable materials that anticipate continuous use both now and in the future. Throughout its lifecycle, it will be significantly less impactful to the environment than more traditional real estate projects conceived for rapid cycles of capitalization and disposition, which typically require carbon-intensive demolition, renovation, and even reconstruction.
Beyond offsetting the building’s footprint, Urban Villages and its partners will also ensure that the hotel upholds its carbon positive status throughout its lifetime by tracking, reducing, and offsetting the carbon emissions of its operations – including energy use, team member and guest transportation, food sourcing and transport, and more. Urban Villages is currently assessing processes and partnerships to reduce the operational carbon footprint, with a goal of utilizing 100% renewable energy, sourcing food through regenerative agriculture partnerships, and landfill diversion programs that strive for 100% recyclable and compostable waste streams. They are also currently exploring ways to continue to sequester carbon over time to offset operational carbon emissions, including through soil sequestration via regenerative ranching and agricultural practices.
High-Design Hospitality and Dining
Destined to become a lively new social hub in downtown Denver, Populus will feature 265 modern guest rooms, a ground floor restaurant, flexible event spaces, a coffee shop, and a signature rooftop bar and restaurant offering unobstructed views of the mountains, city skyline, and Civic Center Park. The hotel and all its dynamic social areas will be managed by Aparium Hotel Group, a world-class hotel operator focused on market-leading independent lifestyle hotels, restaurants, and bars. The building itself is designed by Studio Gang, the world-renowned architecture and urban design firm founded and led by MacArthur Fellow and WSJ. Magazine’s 2022 Architecture Innovator Jeanne Gang.
Studio Gang’s design, which is informed by the characteristic patterns found on Colorado’s native Aspen tree – Populus Tremuloides, provides visitors with a deep connection to nature. Passing through the ground-floor entrance, guests will be greeted by double-height lobby and amenity spaces featuring windows up to 30 feet high. The first floor will also include a public restaurant, a coffee shop. A grand staircase leads to the second floor, which hosts flexible areas that can accommodate business meetings, co-working areas, weddings and celebrations, or pop-up events. On the top floor, a series of hospitality-style suites will also be available for private social or corporate events. Finally, Populus’ rooftop – which includes a signature restaurant, outdoor bar, and an expansive garden terrace – will serve as a coveted public gathering place for hotel guests and locals to drink, dine, and relish in the 360-degree views of Denver’s parks, downtown skyline, and neighboring Rocky Mountains.
“At Aparium, our mission is to create one-of-a-kind hotels, each leaving an indelible mark within its community. We are thrilled to partner with Urban Villages on Populus, the pioneering carbon positive hotel in Denver and beyond,” says Mario Tricoci, CEO and Founder of Aparium Hotel Group. “Through our dynamic approach to programming, collaborative local partnerships, and unparalleled food and beverage experiences, we will continue to redefine the boundaries of excellence in the industry with Populus. With its breathtaking design, positive ecological undertaking, and the one-of-one experiences that are synonymous with Aparium, Populus is destined to become a must-visit landmark not just for Denver, but for the entire country.”
Populus is located at 14th Street and Colfax Avenue in Denver. For more information, visit urban-villages.com/portfolio/populus/ or follow along at @Urban.Villages.
