CREJ

February 17-March 2, 2021 - Page 3AA www.crej.com Construction, Design & Engineering Brinkmann Constructors acted as a turnkey design/ builder for new fabrication and office facility at 6350 W. 56th Ave. An expansion of the Barber Nichols manufac- turing facility, the 1.8-acre site is adjacent to the exist- ing location in Arvada. The project was completed in December. The Brinkmann team worked directly with Bar- ber Nichols’ president and operational staff to ensure the needs of the facility were being fully vetted and incor- porated into the design in the most cost-efficient manner all while taking into consid- eration the evolution of the growing business, accord- ing to Dan Feagans, project director for Brinkmann Con- structors in Denver. Ware Malcomb is the archi- tect for the project. It includes a roughly 13,000-square- foot, two-story office build- ing, which will house the engineering staff along with about 20,000 sf of fabrica- tion space that will include machining tools, overhead cranes, compressed air, buss gutter system and storage mezzanine. “A tremendous amount of coordination was required in order to find the best solu- tions for the floor slab on grade as the machining tools require extremely high toler- ances to be met and are sen- sitive to joint layout,” Fea- gans said. s Brinkmann, Ware Malcomb deliver expansion project Co-developers Confluent Senior Living and MorningStar Senior Living are developing the partnership’s latest urban infill community, located in Denver’s historic Observatory Park neigh- borhood. Shaw Construction broke ground on the project last month. Hord Coplan Macht is the architect, while Thoma-Holec Design is the interior designer. Planned for completion by summer 2022, MorningStar at Observatory Park represents one of the partnership’s new- est senior living communities designed to establish a unique “Whole Health Standard” in the industry, offering 81 licensed units for assisted living and memory care that will incorpo- rate the latest in healthy building technologies while enhancing resident comfort and quality of life. MorningStar at Observatory Park will be located at 2100 S. Josephine St. and will mark the development partners’ 13th joint venture across five states. Resi- dentswill have convenient access to local parks, golf courses, the University of Denver, shopping and dining, medical centers, Interstate 25, Washington Park, Platt Park, Cherry Hills, Cherry Creek and more. “We celebrate this milestone and express our gratitude to all parties involved – from the pre- vious landowners to our banking and investment partners to our design and construction teams – all of whom have worked alongside us with unwavering support in times of uncertainty to keep this project active and thriving,” said Marshall Burton, president and CEO of Conflu- ent Development. “Across the industry, many senior living projects ground to a halt last year as credit tightened and inves- tors expressed concern about viability. This groundbreaking is a testament to the quality of the community, but also to our collective team’s strong, proven track record, commitment to col- laboration and mutual trust.” The five-story building will offer 58 assisted living and 23 memory care suites as well as 47 underground parking spaces. The property will feature an ele- vated courtyard, outdoor dining area, spa, wellness center and rooftop terrace with striking city and mountain views. As their health dictates, assisted living residents will be offered person- alized support with the activities of daily living through 24-hour staffing and full-time licensed nurses. “This project offers an incom- parable opportunity for local residents who wish to age in place or draw closer to family, to remain tied to the fabric of their community,” said John Reinsma, managing director at Confluent Senior Living. “Our new ‘Whole Health Standard’ serves as the basis of design for MorningStar at Observatory Park to protect residents and communities from annual or generational health challenges.” s Shaw breaks ground on senior living urban infill project in Denver’s Observatory Park Swinerton recently completed a series of renovations to Gran- ite Tower, the 31-story Class A office building at 1099 18th St. in downtown Denver. Granite Tower is owned by KBS REIT II. The improvements serve to activate the building’s street- level space to invite interac- tion with downtown Denver’s local community, in addition to providing a full slate of new indoor/outdoor amenities to enhance the tenant experience at the property in preparation for a post-pandemic environ- ment, according to Giovanni (Gio) Cordoves,Western region- al president for KBS. “Our goal with the renova- tions to Granite Tower was to deliver office space that serves the needs of today’s top ten- ants,” said Cordoves. “The ren- ovations we have completed at this iconic property enhance its appearance and functionality while increasing its value sig- nificantly in a vital and thriving central business district.” As Denver’s downtown core has boomed, companies have come to expect high-end ameni- ties in their office space in order to attract and retain top talent for the long haul, according to Tim Helgeson, asset manager for Granite Tower and senior vice president for KBS. “New Class A commercial offerings like Granite Tower are redefining amenity norms and luring long-term tenants from aging assets,” Helgeson said. The renovations give both tenants and pedestrians in this market even more reason to return to the building time and again once the pandemic is behind us.” To complete the renovations to Granite Tower, KBS tapped architecture, engineering, plan- ning and interiors firm DLR Group and architectural firm Alan Colussy Architecture LLC to align the property competi- tively with nearby comparable assets, according to Jessie John- son, architect and principal with DLR Group. The upgrades included: a new entry, with an entirely reimag- ined glass lobby welcoming tenants and visitors; refurbished lobby with minimalist furnish- ings to extend the streamlined lighted lobby and emphasize access to a new low- and high- rise dual-elevator core, as well as large-format marble-look tile that fits over the existing pink granite; a densely furnished retail/café space revealed by an operable partition in the lobby; a new bike-storage area acces- sible directly from a secondary entrance off the sidewalk; and a 12,000-square-foot full-level ten- ant-amenity center on the third floor, featuring a central lounge fronted by a massive glass wall opening to a 700-sf outdoor deck flanked by conferencing and fitness space. The confer- encing facilities flex easily to numerous configurations with movable partition walls, while the fitness facilities feature spa locker rooms. “After these improvements, what was formerly dark and dated at Granite Tower’s street level is now a new, modernized experience that is light, bright and expansively streamlined,” Johnson said. “The building is now open and welcoming to pedestrians, visitors and ten- ants as well as visually pleasing from the interior and exterior.” The perception of this prop- erty has changed fundamental- ly with the recent renovations, according toAlan Colussy, prin- cipal member of Alan Colussy Architecture LLC. “We delivered an expansion in the lobby, creating a lantern effect so that during the day- time it captures light and at night time it takes on an internal illumination that allows it to glow and come alive,” Colussy said. “The new amenities afford the building a clean, crisp and contemporary look that sup- ports the property’s updated functionality. The changes also truly resonate with tenants, who increasingly bike to work and can now enter the build- ing securely and go up to the new fitness room to shower without having to use the main entrance.” Originally built in 1984 as part of a four-tower block and for- merly known as Stellar Plaza and Plaza Tower, Granite Tower today covers two city blocks and features 593,527 sf of office space. The LEED Gold certified property features a 774-space, three-level parking structure with 615 spaces dedicated to its office tenants. Columbine Engineering pro- vided MEP services while Mar- tin/Martin Consulting Services handled structural and civil engineering. s KBS completes $11 million renovation to iconic 31-story Granite Tower The improvements serve to activate the building’s street-level space to invite interaction with downtown. The two-story office building will house the engineering staff. MorningStar at Observatory Park will mark the development partners’ 13th joint venture across five states.