In early May, the Denver Art Museum unveiled a new exhibit titled Biophilia: Nature Reimagined. Organized by Darrin Alfred, Curator of Architecture and Design, the exhibit featured digital installations, furniture pieces, models, and other works by contemporary designers that focus on how human design is intertwined with the natural world¹. The Member Preview Event for the exhibit was accompanied by a talk by Dixon Lu, the Associate Principal of MAD Architects, which provided more insight to their project in the RiNo Art District in Denver: One River North². The new luxury apartment development was completed earlier this year and features a vaguely organic facade, quickly becoming a neighborhood landmark - an Uber driver once asked me if I knew anything about the building when we drove by it. After the talk, an audience member asked about the project’s sustainability practices, which was met with a deflated explanation.
While the exhibit had moments that felt unfocused in tackling such a broad subject, Biophilia prominently featured models, renderings, and diagrams of architectural works that bring nature into their design. The exhibit included models of the Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center in China by MAD Architects, Metropol Parasol in Spain by J. Mayer H., and Populus by Studio Gang. Centered in the gallery, the model of Populus allowed visitors to come face-to-face with a recognizable facade, which was under construction just down the street.
The Member Preview Event competed with the vibrant Cinco de Mayo Festival held in Civic Center Park that same day, just outside the museum. At this time, the Populus Hotel was already making its presence known in the Denver skyline, notable for a facade that mimics the patterns on aspen trees. Aspens are native to Colorado and widespread, bringing tourism in the fall months with what Coloradans (unironically) call “leaf peeping” to see their vibrant, changing colors. As someone who grew up outside of Colorado, I was fascinated with aspens and their growth patterns when I moved to Denver - a group of aspen trees share one extensive root system, and are part of a singular organism. This feels appropriate for Populus, which joins a campus of other architectural gems, including the Denver Public Library by Michael Graves, the Denver Art Museum by Daniel Libeskind and Gio Ponti, and the Clyfford Still Museum by Allied Works Architecture. Studio Gang finds itself in good company in Denver’s Cultural Center, with Populus visible from many points in the city. Above the tents, scents, and crowds at the Cinco de Mayo Festival, the white, aspen-eyed facade peeped above the Colorado State Capitol Building.
The design for the Populus was unveiled in December 2020, with detailed renderings that were later included in the Biophilia exhibit³. The aspen facade creates rhythm and depth, while also blurring the floor plates of the 13-story hotel. An unrolled elevation reveals a type of modularity with the windows as well, where groupings become recognizable as a flattened drawing, but flow organically onto the building⁴. The facade design also lends itself to the triangular site, with frontage on three prominent streets in Downtown Denver. The windows, looking like eyes or portals, reach a height of 30 feet on the ground floor, giving a glimpse into public uses on the ground floor including a restaurant, lobby, and coffee shop. Guests on the upper levels are granted views of Downtown Denver and the Rocky Mountains to the west, and the windows become occupiable as seats, creating more permeable space between the hotel and the city beyond.
Studio Gang is no stranger to a skyline. The Aqua Tower in Chicago exemplifies their skill with facade design, earning its place on architectural case study lists and boat tours along the Chicago River. Populus is Studio Gang’s first project in the Southwest, with offices in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Paris. Founder Jeanne Gang’s latest work focuses on the concept of architectural grafting, and how it can promote more sustainable design practices⁵. With little to graft onto at the existing, constrained site in Downtown Denver, Populus became a sustainable case study in its own right as the first carbon positive hotel in the country⁶. A carbon positive building removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits in construction and operation, going beyond net-zero or carbon neutral construction. The design team achieved this by incorporating locally sourced materials, reducing carbon emissions created during transport, as well as being conscientious of carbon in the materials themselves; the use of fly ash reduces the amount of cement in the concrete structure. The building is targeting LEED Gold certification, and sustainable practices are prominent throughout the design and use of the building.
At the Cinco de Mayo Festival, a series of lowriders and classic cars, immaculate and shining, were on display in front of the entrance to Populus as it was under construction. The lowriders were displayed with reverence and care, with some featuring memorials for family members and harm reduction resources. A dog named Loca sat proudly as friends took photos of minitrucks with dancing beds. In that moment, it felt like Populus was living up to its name, serving as an effective backdrop for bustling community activity. In a rapidly growing city it becomes increasingly important to examine how new developments can be used by the community, organically, and provide for future communities through sustainable design. Even unfinished, the project asserted a quiet confidence in its presence as a new part of the Denver skyline.
The Biophilia exhibition at the Denver Art Museum ran from May 5 to August 11, but an extensive Online Exhibition Guide allows you to see the works from anywhere⁷. Populus opened officially on October 15, just in time with the aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaves changing color for the season.
Aryana Leland is a designer based in Denver, Colorado. She studied Architecture + Art History at Cal Poly Pomona, and her current interests are new recipes, walkable cities, and books from the library.
¹ “Biophilia.” Denver Art Museum. https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/biophilia.
² “Talk with Dixon Lu, Associate Partner of MAD Architects.” Denver Art Museum. https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/calendar/talk-dixon-lu.
³ “Studio Gang Completes Populus, a New Hotel and Social Hub in Downtown Denver.” Studio Gang. https://studiogang.com/now/studio-gang-completes-populus-a-new-hotel-and-social-hub-in-downtown-denver/.
⁴ “Populus.” Studio Gang. https://studiogang.com/projects/populus/.
⁵ “The Art of Architectural Grafting.” Studio Gang. https://studiogang.com/publications/grafting/.
⁶ Han, Gregory. “Populus Opens in 2024 as the Nation’s First Carbon Positive Hotel.” Design Milk, December 13, 2023. https://design-milk.com/populos-opens-in-2024-as-the-nations-first-carbon-positive-hotel/.
⁷ “Biophilia: Nature Reimagined Exhibition Guide.” Denver Art Museum. https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/biophilia-exhibition-guide.