Global Awards for Excellence: Denver Union Station

By connecting the Denver metropolitan area with the rest of Colorado—and the world—through multiple modes of transportation, Denver Union Station has transformed a vacant neighborhood and created a global touchstone for large-scale mixed-use projects.

Developers:Union Station Neighborhood Company (an equal partnership between East West Partners and Continuum Partners), Trammell Crow Company, and Union Station Alliance Designers:AECOM; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and Hargreaves Associates Overall size:19.5 acres (8 ha)

Since 2014, the year in which its initial phases opened, the Union Transit Station project in Denver has succeeded as its stakeholders had envisioned, integrating disparate elements into a cohesive, inviting urban center. Some 19.5 acres (8 ha) of new office, retail, and residential development surround the newly renovated Union Station, where multiple modes of transportation converge at new bus, light rail, and passenger rail facilities—all of which are integrated with shops, restaurants, a boutique hotel, and inviting public spaces. By connecting the Denver metropolitan area with the rest of Colorado—and the world—through multiple modes of transportation, Denver Union Station has transformed a vacant neighborhood and created a global touchstone for large-scale mixed-use projects.

The Denver Union Station redevelopment project has set new standards for sustainability, realizing the city’s vision for sustainable development through its Greenprint Denver plan. With strategic organization of the site’s multimodal transportation elements, the project provides a fully integrated network of transit connections and public spaces while catalyzing private development. The presence of several new transit modes as well as a transportation facility with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification—along with a future LEED Neighborhood Development designation for the mixed-use neighborhood and individual LEED certifications for privately constructed buildings—creates a sustainable development.

Daniel Lobo is the Senior Director of Awards, Education and Advisory Group, for the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research institute that focuses on issues of land use, real estate and urban development. The mission of the Institute is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Prior to joining ULI Mr. Lobo was an independent consultant working as project manager for a variety of urban and research initiatives, in particular facilitating open cultural urban interventions internationally, and new media research. Earlier he worked extensively as project manager for the Center for Communities by Design at the American Institute of Architects, and as Urban Designer at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill LLP. He holds a MSc City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics, and a BA (Honors) from the School of Architecture and Interior Design at London Metropolitan University.
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