Graduate Capstone Studio VI - Sustainable Steel Design

Professor:

Alexander Osman Attmann, AIA

Link15 is a one-million square foot LEED Certified high rise located at 901 Champa street in the heart of Downtown Denver.  The building is committed to re-invigorating a historically vibrant Performing Arts District. Once home to dozens of movie theaters and restaurants, Link15 strives to bring back excitement and activity to the district with the introduction of mixed-income residents, businesses and freelancers, shops and restaurants all focused on engaging and supporting the local population and economy.   

Link15 derives its form and appearance from an interpretation of Denver’s past and future infrastructure, building code and climate. The design focuses on performance and adaptability. The building is programmed as mixed use with residential, hotel, office, retail and parking levels. Each floor is programmed to withstand all phases of the economy.

A focus on integrating local infrastructure will reduce traffic jams on the city’s major thoroughfares while simultaneously encouraging pedestrian travel on previously forgettable sidewalks. The site, 901 Champa, acts as a link between two major pedestrian thoroughfares, the 16th Street Mall and the Theater District Promenade. By activating the ground floors Link15 will encourage extended foot traffic and promote pedestrian activity in a previously neglected area.

Denver’s building code played a paramount role in creating the building’s appearance: the use of setbacks and zones of influence provided a framework which was then draped with a double skin facade enhancing the buildings sustainable technologies. This building utilizes passive heating and cooling with long span, double thickness concrete floor slabs to maintain a comfortable environment in Denver’s comprehensive climate.