Denver's architectural marvel now declared among world's most breath-taking structures
The Populus Hotel: A Sustainable Architectural Marvel in Denver, Colorado
The Populus Hotel, a 13-storey structure in Denver, Colorado, is making waves in the world of sustainable architecture. Designed by Studio Gang, this striking snow-white building with 265 rooms and two restaurants boasts a design that is organic and sculptural, creating a structure that feels almost alive.
The hotel's exterior draws inspiration from the quaking aspen, an iconic tree in Colorado. The facade features a series of irregular, ovoid windows, some up to nine metres tall, resembling the trunks of aspen trees. The building rises from a triangular plot, adding to its unique silhouette that stands out against the city's urban landscape.
The Populus Hotel incorporates several sustainable and eco-friendly features, aiming to make it the nation's first carbon-positive hotel. These features include the use of concrete mix with fly ash, reducing the amount of cement needed and cutting carbon emissions from the building material itself. The bare concrete interior finish eliminates the need for additional finishing materials, reducing resource use.
Reclaimed materials are used throughout the hotel, with some ceilings featuring reclaimed wood, desk surfaces having recycled leather, and elevators sporting recycled materials. The window design for thermal management includes upper window "lids" that block direct sun to keep rooms cooler naturally, reducing reliance on air conditioning, and guide rainwater away from the building walls.
The deliberate omission of onsite parking discourages car use and traffic, encouraging guests to use greener transportation alternatives in the urban environment. The hotel's commitment to sustainability is further reflected in its Façade inspired by Aspen tree patterns, using reclaimed and eco-friendly materials in its construction.
These efforts reflect an architectural strategy grounded in material efficiency, adaptive environmental design, and transportation sustainability, all aimed at achieving a carbon-positive footprint. The hotel offsets more carbon than it emits during construction and operation.
Inside the Populus Hotel, the windows double as seating, benches, and serene lookout points, offering breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains. This American hotel is one of the five most spectacular finalists for the World Festival of Architecture (WAF) 2025.
The WAF 2025, scheduled for 2025, received a total of 780 projects. Only 468 projects were selected as finalists, with the United States and China among the countries with the most finalists. The winners of the WAF 2025 will be announced on 12 November in Miami.
Urban Villages, the hotel's developer, plans to plant more than 70,000 trees to offset the energy used by the Populus Hotel once it is open. This initiative, noted by Jon Buerge, Chief Development Officer at Urban Villages, aims to grow into a forest spanning over 5,000 hectares.
With its commitment to sustainability, ecological responsibility, and thoughtful aesthetics inspired by local natural heritage, the Populus Hotel is truly a beacon of sustainable hospitality design.
The Populus Hotel's lifestyle incorporates a home-and-garden approach to sustainability, with its exterior resembling the quaking aspen tree and interior featuring reclaimed wood and recycled materials. In addition, Urban Villages, the developers, aim to offset the energy used by the hotel by planting over 70,000 trees, growing into a forest spanning over 5,000 hectares, reflecting en-vols that extend beyond the hotel's walls.
