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A downtown Denver hotel localizes the guest experience by mimicking its natural surroundings

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09 Jan 2025
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Hospitality
BOOKMARK ARTICLE
A downtown Denver hotel localizes the guest experience by mimicking its natural surroundings
  1. Populus occupies a narrow, triangular site in downtown Denver, Colorado. - Jason O'Rear
  2. Despite its small footprint, the new hotel offers 265 guest rooms of various sizes across its 13 floors. - Yoshihiro Makino
  3. It connects the bustling neighbourhood’s civic, arts and commercial districts, acting as an urban node in the city. - Yoshihiro Makino
  4. Studio Gang looked to Colorado’s natural landscapes for visual inspiration. - Yoshihiro Makino
  5. Punctuated by deep, elongated openings, the building’s sculptural façade evokes the distinctive patterns of the quaking Aspen tree native to the state. - Yoshihiro Makino
  6. The windows vary in size depending on the public or private nature of the rooms they enclose. - Yoshihiro Makino
  7. In guest rooms, the façade’s depth allows the glazed openings to be inhabited by guests, encouraging a more tactile connection with the wall and to the urban and rural landscapes outside. - Yoshihiro Makino
  8. The windows also form part of Studio Gang’s broader environmental strategy, protruding out of the building to provide natural shading while simultaneously guiding rainwater down the building. - Yoshihiro Makino
  9. Inside, the structure has largely been left exposed in order to minimize the need for finishes. - Yoshihiro Makino
  10. In cases where finishes were required, the design firm opted to use recyclable and recycled materials, like reclaimed Wyoming snow fencing for the lobby ceiling and recycled leather veneer in the lifts. - Yoshihiro Makino
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  1. Populus occupies a narrow, triangular site in downtown Denver, Colorado. - Jason O'Rear
  2. Despite its small footprint, the new hotel offers 265 guest rooms of various sizes across its 13 floors. - Yoshihiro Makino
  3. It connects the bustling neighbourhood’s civic, arts and commercial districts, acting as an urban node in the city. - Yoshihiro Makino
  4. Studio Gang looked to Colorado’s natural landscapes for visual inspiration. - Yoshihiro Makino
  5. Punctuated by deep, elongated openings, the building’s sculptural façade evokes the distinctive patterns of the quaking Aspen tree native to the state. - Yoshihiro Makino
  6. The windows vary in size depending on the public or private nature of the rooms they enclose. - Yoshihiro Makino
  7. In guest rooms, the façade’s depth allows the glazed openings to be inhabited by guests, encouraging a more tactile connection with the wall and to the urban and rural landscapes outside. - Yoshihiro Makino
  8. The windows also form part of Studio Gang’s broader environmental strategy, protruding out of the building to provide natural shading while simultaneously guiding rainwater down the building. - Yoshihiro Makino
  9. Inside, the structure has largely been left exposed in order to minimize the need for finishes. - Yoshihiro Makino
  10. In cases where finishes were required, the design firm opted to use recyclable and recycled materials, like reclaimed Wyoming snow fencing for the lobby ceiling and recycled leather veneer in the lifts. - Yoshihiro Makino
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Location
Map pointer P2R5+4J, Denver, CO, USA
Design
Studio Gang
Client
Aparium Hotel Group
Brand
Populus
Floor Area
12,500 sq-m

Located in Denver, Colorado, and designed by Studio Gang, hotel Populus uses statement windows to generate meaningful experiences for guests.

Key features

Populus occupies a narrow, tria

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