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Denver Water Operations Complex Redevelopment

Denver Water is Colorado¡¯s oldest and largest water utility. The public agency is a champion for sustainability and water conservation efforts. The utility also takes great pride in offering its employees a superior, happy, and healthy work environment.

When it came time to modernize their 36-acre operations complex, Denver Water hired our team as the master campus architect to help them push the boundaries of what is possible on a contemporary campus.?The administration building, the heart of the complex, is LEED-NC Platinum certified and Net Zero Energy. Its sustainable features include onsite solar, a radiant slab powered by the complex¡¯s central utility plant, a high-efficiency triple pane-glazed window system, and biophilic design. The additional seven buildings on campus, also designed by Ãë²¥, earned Gold and Silver LEED certification.

Perhaps the most pioneering aspect of the campus is how it addresses water sustainability. Denver Water has developed a holistic plan, titled One Water, for water efficiency and reuse that promotes the correct water source for the correct use. The administration facility¡¯s two most innovative One Water strategies are the high-volume rainwater capture for irrigation, and onsite wastewater treatment and recycling for restroom and irrigation purposes. The implementation of these systems is a first in Colorado, clearing the way for other new developments to work on their own One Water solutions.

The project has been honored with a Platinum Award from the Building Design + Construction?2021 Building Team Awards, a 2021 National Grand Conceptor Award for Engineering Excellence from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and a 2021 Merit Award for Energy & Environmental Lighting Design from the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).