The Byron G. Rogers Federal Office Building in downtown
Denver was built in 1965 and houses several United States government agencies.
The 18-story, 495,000 SF building will be completely modernized, with funding
by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The over-arching goal for the
renovation is the establishment of a new standard for rejuvenating public
buildings. It will ultimately be one of the safest and most energy efficient
high-rise office buildings in the nation, attaining LEED Platinum certification.
The building is a part the US General Services
Administration's portfolio of mid-twentieth century modern structures. Great
care will be taken to preserve its character while meeting the highest criteria
for efficiency. The exterior envelope will have dramatically improved thermal
performance, with new glazing and insulated walls. Capitalizing on the
orientation of the building, the HVAC system will employ innovative strategies,
including the transfer of warm and cool air from one side of the building to
the other, storage of daytime heat for re-use at night, chilled-beam
technology, ventilation air recovery systems and LED lighting, putting this
building on the path to meet 2030 Net Zero benchmarks.
Among the many other improvements, the steel structure will
be reinforced for blast resistance, to protect it from progressive collapse,
and to meet current seismic requirements.
The new offices will also meet very high ambitions for a
truly contemporary workplace. Open offices located at the perimeter will allow
daylight to enter the interior. Closed spaces will have extensive glazing to
provide daylight access and views, and high ceilings and light shelves will
reflect daylight to the interior. Finishes throughout will have a high-recycled
content.
The $129,000,000 project is being delivered under a
design-build contract, led by Mortenson Construction, and will be ready for
occupancy in early 2013.
Seth Rosenman,
Principal-in-Charge for HOK (Conceptual Design);
Bennett Wagner and
Grody, Architect-of-Record.
