Zero Energy
The iconic Populus Hotel is on-track to become the first carbon positive hotel in the United States. Located in Denver, Colorado’s Civic Center Park neighborhood, the 135,000-square-foot, 13-story building is targeting LEED Gold certification. The mixed-use hospitality complex includes a large lobby, café, restaurant, retail, public green-roof terrace, and 265 hotel rooms.
CMTA delivered an all-electric MEP design for the project. Our high-performance strategies included a Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) with heat recovery, an energy-efficient HVAC system, a high efficiency air-cooled chiller with water-side economizer, and state-of-the-art lighting controls. Inspired by the pattern of aspen tree bark, the design team collaborated to create unique "lidded" windows that echo the tree’s eye-shaped marks while providing shade to improve the building’s energy performance.
To reduce the hotel’s embodied carbon and total carbon footprint, Urban Villages utilized greener concrete compound during construction and has committed to funding the planting of 70,000 trees. Through carbon reduction strategies incorporated in the construction, design, and operation of the project, the hotel's carbon footprint is reduced by 467.3 Metric Tons of CO2e annually.
