WILL THE CITY OF DENVER’S NEW STUDY FACILITATE MORE ADAPTIVE REUSE DOWNTOWN?

JNS Adaptive Reuse Project, Art Studios

With so many distressed office buildings in our urban core, plus a dire need for more attainable housing here in Denver, the City of Denver is putting a major emphasis on office to residential conversions. In August, the City of Denver released a study that highlighted 16 downtown office buildings that could be “good candidates” for adaptive reuse housing projects in our city, but does the study really change anything?

As an architecture and interior design firm that has successfully completed a number of adaptive reuse projects over the last 30 years, including residential conversions, we're well-versed in the challenges and implications that come along with tackling an adaptive reuse project.

Although it’s helpful for the City to identify these buildings, it’s what comes after the initial identification that matters. The nuances from project to project make all the difference in whether these conversions are actually feasible vs. possible – and it’s hard to make that distinction in an article or study

Developers who read the study and are inspired to start tackling adaptive reuse projects must deeply consider factors such as cost, complex building codes and building requirements, not to mention the often-difficult task of getting an office owner to agree on a purchase price that makes the conversion feasible. 

Yet, even with this extensive list of complicated implications, there’s still a compelling case to be made for adaptive reuse over ground-up construction.

We must not forget that a city is made up of buildings that have history and define a sense of place. At several key junctures in Denver’s history, most recently in the 1980s, many historic buildings here in Denver were torn down, and the character of our city was completely changed. As a design and development community, instead of immediately jumping to the conclusion that conversions are too difficult, we must advocate for the preservation of our built environment wherever possible.

Further initiative from the City of Denver, such as incentivizing developers to choose adaptive reuse/historical preservation projects, could facilitate real progress towards a more sustainable development future in Denver.  

Producing the adaptive reuse and additional housing that the public clearly wants to see is going to require a clear understanding by both the public and private sector about what these kinds of projects entail and a willingness to collaborate on creative solutions. While this promises to be a challenging process, we are extremely excited about the opportunities we see here in our city.