In Colorado’s variable climate, building a 100,000 sf. multi-tenant office building that is “all electric” is quite a challenge, and producing most of the energy for the building onsite only adds to the complexity. Finally, developing a new “Green Lease” structure that balances sustainability with tenant requirements complicates the process even more. That was the charge we gave ourselves for the development of Boulder Commons.

As we were completing the design and beginning construction on our 3200 Bluff Street multifamily project, the world changed before our very eyes. As a result, our design changed with it.

While we generally build for our own investment, we were intrigued when Vaisala, a Finnish manufacturer of environmental measure instruments, came to us to see if we would be interested in developing a building for them in the US. The building would reflect their environmental and employee-focused values, which had already been demonstrated in their Helsinki Headquarters.

One of the most important ideas that has been reinforced in the past two or three years is the importance of connecting the inside spaces we develop with the outdoors. In our designs, we create these connections with intention, since we know the real value of private and semi-private open spaces.

By the end of 2022, we will be under construction on the last group of buildings in a portfolio of over a dozen “all-electric” buildings containing multifamily, office, and retail space. As a result of those experiences, we have found that there is no reason for us to ever develop a fossil fuel-powered building again.

The Boulder Transit Village is a unique partnership between our firm, the City of Boulder, and Boulder Housing Partners, the City’s affordable housing developer. Decades in the making and approaching full completion in the coming years, the project has already created one of the most interesting, appreciated, and dense urban zones in the City of Boulder.

When we tell people that we are “reformed onsite Net Zero Energy folks”, we get some interesting looks. But it does help to get people’s attention and start a conversation. Don’t get us wrong, we build “all-electric” buildings and don’t see the need to build buildings powered by fossil fuels ever again. We have also put a lot of solar panels on our buildings - unique vertical solar walls and roof-mounted solar installations.

Over the past several years, our team has spoken at dozens of high-performance building conferences, taught a wide variety of classes and webinars for university students and professionals, and juried national award competitions. People often ask the question, “Why share knowledge that helps to educate your competitors?”. It’s a fair question.