1900 Lawrence | A Healthy High-rise
As downtown Denver rebounds from the pandemic, a high-rise office building is now under construction that will set new standards for health and wellness, energy efficiency and technology. 1900 Lawrence – with the most new office square footage in 40 years is being developed by Chicago-based Riverside Investment & Development and is comprised of a team of some of Denver’s most talented design, construction and engineering firms that are making this state-of-the-art office tower a reality in the Mile High City.
1900 Lawrence Office is a 1,080,000 square foot project that includes the construction of a 30-story building consisting of more than 700,000 square feet of core and shell office, 375,000 square feet of parking with two-stories below-grade and five-stories above-grade, 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, outdoor plaza improvements and additional amenity spaces. It is designed to establish a new performance standard for occupant wellness and operational efficiency, utilizing cutting-edge technology to evaluate, regulate and optimize the indoor environment.
The team includes Hensel Phelps, Goettsch Partners, Shear Adkins Rockmore (SAR+), MTech Mechanical, Group 14 Engineering, Greiner Electric, ME Engineers, Puma Steel, Extreme Fire Protection, Colorado Cleanup, Coggins and Sons, Jones Lang LaSalle, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, Convexity Properties and Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC.
The building is being designed to meet and surpass the requests and requirements of tenants seeking healthy and energy-efficient office space. It will satisfy both LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certification, and Denver’s Green Building Ordinance, making it the healthiest and most energy-efficient office building in downtown Denver (and perhaps the entire Rocky Mountain Region and beyond). Even Riverside’s home city of Chicago doesn’t have office buildings matching the standards of 1900 Lawrence.
Beyond highlights that include private outdoor balconies, natural daylighting, no-touch elevator and access control systems, a Variable Refrigerant Flow system (providing cooling to individual office spaces), fresh air rates that greatly exceed national standards, floor-by-floor air supply (without recirculation from other floors), a rainwater management system, future-proofing for IT systems, superior landscaping, highly efficient floorplans, insulated and highly transparent glass at the street level and reflective glass on the upper floors, street activation, a desirable downtown address, superior connectivity with the rest of downtown (via bike lanes, bike-share programs, scooters, bus access and pedestrian friendly walkways), 1900 Lawrence also takes engineering to extremes.
Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS): The entire project utilizes dedicated outdoor air handling systems with Energy Recovery and Indirect Evaporative cooling for enhanced energy efficiency. The DOAS system will provide approximately 50% more fresh air (ventilation air) into the building than is required by code, contributing to WELL Building certification points and overall occupant comfort.
Water Source Heat Pumps & Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF): The project utilizes a central Condenser Water System to provide heating and cooling to the building. Water Source Heat Pumps and Water Source Variable Refrigerant Flow equipment is connected to the condenser water system throughout the building to provide all heating and cooling of the spaces. Heat Pump systems provide a high Coefficient of Performance and allow heat to be recovered, thus increasing energy efficiency.
All Electric: The entire base mechanical system is all electric, utilizing 3,600kW of electric boiler capacity for heat injection and XCEL district chilled water for heat rejection. These systems fit with Denver Initiatives to eliminate fossil fuel combustion onsite.
1900 Lawrence is the first project in Denver for Riverside Investment & Development but won’t be the last. The company, which takes pride in delivering projects that establish the highest qualitative standards in the market and enhance the tenant experience for efficiency, technology and wellness, identified downtown Denver as a city that “checks all the boxes” when it comes to opportunity and growth.
“This will be the best development that Riverside has done,” company CEO John O’Donnell said at the groundbreaking in an article in The Denver Post. “Our goal is to create a sense of a place of arrival for the employees of our tenants.”
Chris Payne, Vice President for Riverside Investment & Development (and who grew up in Denver), stated: “Denver continues to be a magnet for talent and has been particularly resilient in its post-pandemic recovery. With a highly educated workforce, a diverse economy, unparalleled access to the outdoors, investment in public transportation, and a commitment to sustainable urban design, Denver is a leader on a national level. We are excited to join the Denver community and contribute to its growth.”
Kourtney Garrett, President & CEO, Downtown Denver Partnership, echoed those thoughts: "I think Mayor Hancock said it best – great cities never standstill. They think big and build for the future. This project is important for Denver as we continue to create a dynamic city center where people want to live, work, and play. To do so, we need to attract talented companies and employees that feed off of versatile, sustainable, and amenity rich office spaces such as 1900 Lawrence."
Renderings in this feature are courtesy of VOCA Public Relations, SAR+, and the project team.
Feature written by: Paul Suter, Suter Media Relations
Viewpoints from members of the 1900 Lawrence project team:
“The 1900 Lawrence Project will do more than change the Denver skyline. It’s impact to the ground level of this city block will be the true influence of this building. The personal and professional growth of all the people involved in the construction of this building, is an undeniable benefit that will be added to the Denver workforce.”
- Nathan Blaskowski, Project
Superintendent, Hensel Phelps
“The MTech Team is thrilled to be part of the Design and Construction Teams for this landmark project in Denver. We are grateful to Riverside Investment & Development and Hensel Phelps for placing their trust in us as a Design-Build partner and to Goettsch Partners for integrating us into the Design Team. The spirit of partnership and collaboration is alive with this team and is the driving
force for this project becoming a reality.”
- Edmond Thompson, P.E.,
Preconstruction Manager, MTech
“The building is designed to emphasize a seamless integration between the interior and exterior environments. The shifts in the building massing open up 11 private terraces that feature views of the Front Range, Coors Field and Skyline Park.”
- Joachim Schuessler,
Principal, Goettsch Partners
“The 1900 Lawrence tower will elevate the Class A Office expectations and raise standards associated with Design, Development and Construction for others in the Denver market. The bar will rise when the future tenants and their visitors are able to see the full vision that
is 1900 Lawrence, and all it has to offer in it’s mid-2024 delivery. The 1900 Lawrence team relationships forged at the start of this project will last far longer than the Design/Construction duration, and it is incredible to be able to work together with all stakeholders on skyline changing projects in my hometown.”
- John Naccarato,
Project Manager, Hensel Phelps
