The client’s goal was to respect this building’s colorful past—it was originally a brothel, and later a machine shop—and salvage as much of the industrial structure as possible while modernizing the interior for a local Denver business. Raw materials were preserved and new circulation routes—including two cantilevered, folded steel-plate staircases and a catwalk—were added. An interior courtyard brings light into an otherwise dark space.
Jury: “This project’s expression of the best of what the original machine shop building had to offer is superbly celebrated with the architecturally honest palate of brick, steel, concrete, and glass.”
Client: “The building is wickedly popular with everyone who enters it. Requests to use the space for meetings, charitable events, wine tastings, etc., are an everyday occurrence. On multiple occasions, people have requested jobs and dropped off their résumés for the chance to work in the building. At the end of the day, the effect the building has on me, my employees, and the people who visit is exactly what we were going after.” —Bill Armstrong, owner, Armstrong Oil and Gas
