Alexandra Durkee
Creating an undeniably unique office product
What do you love the most working on a T3 project?
The T3 construction site is truly eye catching when you drive or walk by it. The exposed timber columns and structure that you see at our site really contrast against the other concrete/steel buildings under construction in the neighborhood. Construction progresses quickly on a weekly, and even daily, basis. Since the timber columns/beams/panels are fully assembled up in Canada and then delivered to our site, construction for timber buildings moves faster than it does for concrete/steel buildings.
What do you love the most working on a T3 project?
The T3 construction site is truly eye catching when you drive or walk by it. The exposed timber columns and structure that you see at our site really contrast against the other concrete/steel buildings under construction in the neighborhood. Construction progresses quickly on a weekly, and even daily, basis. Since the timber columns/beams/panels are fully assembled up in Canada and then delivered to our site, construction for timber buildings moves faster than it does for concrete/steel buildings.
Pairing high-quality finishes and features of a Class A office building with a refined industrial design creates an undeniably unique office product. I love seeing others’ reactions when touring them through the building for the first time. Compared to a typical concrete/steel office building, a heavy timber building creates an entirely different sensory experience for users – the smell of wood, aesthetic of the structure, and feeling of warmth.
What is special about T3 RiNo?
This is the first T3 where we’ve taken the timber to the exterior of the building, meaning the columns on the exterior of the building are exposed timber instead of being clad in a protective material. This was a design decision that we made with our architect team, Pickard Chilton and DLR group, and we think it creates a unique street presence, particularly for an office building.
Pairing high-quality finishes and features of a Class A office building with a refined industrial design creates an undeniably unique office product.
Alexandra
We also have over 8,700 square feet of outdoor terraces that are spread throughout the building, providing each tenant with access to the outdoors, which is a huge demand driver in Denver. We have over 12,000 square feet of amenity space in our building inclusive of a large conferencing center, fitness center with showers/lockers, and hospitality-driven social areas. Large floorplates averaging 45,000 square feet provide tenants with the ability to consolidate teams on one floor.
Its location in the River North Arts District (“RiNo”) is also an exciting and unique submarket in Denver. RiNo is home to the city’s top restaurants, breweries, shopping and art galleries.
How does T3 RiNo bring environmental and social sustainability to the workplace?
Its location directly across from the light rail station, along with bike storage for 100+ bikes, provides eco-friendly transit options for tenants to get to and from the office.
Nordic, our timber supplier out of Quebec, ensures that no waste is involved with chopping down trees. They use the discarded ‘scraps’ for other purposes (heat and electricity generation, paper production, etc). Additionally, for every one tree that is cut down for a T3, three new trees ultimately replace it.
We are aiming for LEED Gold, WIRED Platinum, WELL certifications as well as ENERGY STAR labels.
We’re engaging local artists to paint over 6,000 square feet of murals throughout our building in an effort to engage with the local River North Arts community. We also worked with Mile High Workshop to repurpose our used construction banners and create them into over 250 tote bags. Mile High Workshop is local to RiNo and employs local individuals who are rebuilding from addictions, homelessness and incarceration.
The natural wood inside of a T3 can lower pulse rate, blood pressure and autonomic nervous activity, producing a calming effect from biophilia for our tenants.
What has been the most challenging part of building a T3 project?
Navigating mass timber-specific code requirements with our design team and the City. Our T3 is the first “Type IV” construction in Denver. Our construction managers (Michael Bjes & Chris Kalmbach), in tandem with our architect team (DLR Group as Production Architect & Pickard Chilton as Design Architect), have been instrumental in working with the City to navigate certain requirements and creatively design around them.
Get to Know Alexandra
What brought you to Hines?
Hines is a highly respected company globally, which is what initially caught my attention since I wanted to learn from the best in the industry. Throughout the interview process I also realized that Hines has a unique culture that felt entrepreneurial in nature and encouraged younger team members to take on more responsibility. Despite being a global company, it’s still a family office at its core, and leadership really focuses on mentorship and long-term retention of their employees.
What has your career path looked like within Hines?
I was initially hired as a Senior Analyst, splitting time between the Colorado development team and the Southwest regional Acquisitions team. From there, I had the opportunity to focus all of my time on development when the T3 RiNo project kicked off and I was promoted to Project Manager of the development.
Want to join Hines?