Denver, Colorado, USA
Built on an underutilized corner in Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood, the GoSpotCheck Headquarters by Tryba Architects restores a critical gap in the urban streetscape.
The project was awarded with a 2021 Green Good Design® Award by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum.
The 16,000-square-foot expansion of the adjacent historic Rocky Mountain Seed Building meets GoSpotCheck’s need for more space while contributing to Denver’s richness, walkability, and distinctive downtown community.
The site’s prominent position suggested a new addition could become a lantern for the neighborhood, marking an important gateway into LoDo from both the south and east.
Likewise, the site’s panoramic views of the Front Range inspired the design team to give building occupants a strong visual connection to the natural environment.
This concept ultimately led to a distinctly different approach to the design than the solid masonry buildings typically found in the neighborhood, instead, it led to employing a modern, predominately transparent building—one of the first of its kind in LoDo.
The fully integrated hybrid timber and steel structure intentionally exposes the building’s inner workings —recycled steel beams, raw glulam beams, and tongue-and-groove wood decking.
Exposed structural wood glulams utilized for their renewability, fire resistance, and beauty contribute to a contemporary industrial aesthetic characterized by natural light, transparency, and warmth, reflecting the company’s startup culture.
All eight pieces of the building’s innovative custom-designed steel curtain wall were fabricated offsite, significantly reducing the construction schedule and allowing for a high level of attention to quality and detailing of this defining element of the project.
A wide central stair brings natural light to the open floor plans and increases circulation between upper and lower levels, providing vertical access and promoting physical activity and transparency.
The top-floor mezzanine features an L-shaped deck with views through LoDo to the Rocky Mountains beyond, while the ground level co-working / event space facilitates collaboration and engagement with a direct visual connection to the sidewalk plantings and surrounding street life.
The design and construction techniques intentionally allow for flexibility of program as well as disassembly, providing an opportunity to adapt the space for a growing company and future alternative functions.
Working closely with the developer and Lower Downtown Design Review Board, this building was crafted with a deep commitment to the context of its surroundings. It sets a new standard for how urban infill projects can seamlessly integrate into historic districts at any scale while making use of modern methods and sustainable materials.
Project: GoSpotCheck Headquarters
Architects: Tryba Architects
Client: Seed Building Acquisitions, LLC.
General Contractor: Hyder Construction, Inc.
Photographers: James Florio and Sam Adams
