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Populus – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Winner
May 12, 2025
Photo By JASON O’REAR
Populus crafts an engaging guest experience centered on mindful hospitality through its 265 guest rooms, flexible meeting and event spaces, and two distinct restaurants.
Photo By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO
As the country’s first carbon positive hotel, Populus goes beyond net-zero to help the planet regenerate and thrive.
Location: Denver, Colorado
Developers: Urban Villages
Designers: Wildman Chalmers Design; FOWLER Architecture and Design; Studio Gang
Site Size: 0.2 Acres
Populus opened in Denver in October 2024, as a 13-story, 130,000 square foot hotel that blends nature-inspired design with environmentally conscious hospitality to put the health of the planet first. Intentionally designed to reconnect guests to nature, it features 265 modern guest rooms, a ground floor restaurant, flexible event spaces, coffee bar, a signature rooftop bar and restaurant and an iconic Aspen tree-inspired design by AD100 architecture firm, Studio Gang. Each detail within Populus, from its construction to its interior design, is intentionally designed with sustainability at the forefront to leave the planet in a better place.
The project was concepted and developed by Urban Villages, a leading real estate developer and environmental steward who understood that consumers are seeking more sustainable hotel options. As the first carbon positive hotel in the US, Populus offsets both its embodied and operational carbon footprint through reforestation and local silviculture efforts through the purchase of certified nature-based carbon credits. In addition, the hotel, turns all food waste into compost, amongst other sustainability initiatives. The forward-thinking project has not only become a coveted gathering space for Denver locals and visitors but is helping to lead the entire real estate and hospitality industries towards a greener future.
Photo By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO
The airy, light-filled guest rooms at Populus allow the views to take center stage and provide sightlines to the heart of downtown Denver or the surrounding Rocky Mountains – uniquely representing Populus as both a vibrant, urban destination and one deeply rooted in the surrounding.
Populus features a striking and distinctive exterior designed by Studio Gang, inspired by Colorado’s native Aspen tree. The hotel’s defining element is its windows of varying sizes, intentionally reflecting the “eyes” of a Populus Tremuloides, the iconic species that inspired both the name and essence of the hotel.
Inside, guests are welcomed into a light-filled lobby designed to evoke a forest floor with layers of textures, natural palettes, and local artwork, creating a strong sense of place. Also located in the lobby is a public cafe, and adjacent is the all day restaurant and bar, Pasque, offering an intimate yet spacious atmosphere, with expansive 30 foot windows framing city views.
The second floor represents the understory of a tree and offers flexible meeting rooms designed for work, celebration, and relaxation. As guests move up to the guest room floors, the hallways are designed to embody the branches and trunk of a tree, with the core, or ‘trunk’ intentionally dark and quiet, creating a striking contrast to the light-filled guest rooms, which feature large windows that range in size.
Photo By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO
Located on Populus’ “forest floor” inspired by the understory of an Aspen grove, Pasque balances a mindful menu with a culinary reverence for seasonality. Its nature-based dishes include an array of fresh, plant-based ingredients complemented by proteins from both land and sea, with each ingredient thoughtfully selected from partners who share Pasque’s values of quality and integrity.
Perched at the top of Populus is Stellar Jay, the hotel’s vibrant rooftop bar designed to mimic the canopy of a tree. The space blends intimate seating with larger communal areas, including a spacious rooftop balcony offering panoramic views of the Denver skyline and Rocky Mountains.
Populus’ design focuses on creating a sense of connection— both between spaces and with the surrounding environment— while maintaining functionality for all types of travelers.
In 2015 Urban Villages bid on Populus’ current plot of land, pitching the city of Denver on its sustainable vision to not only build the first carbon positive hotel in the US, but also to share its vision to revitalize the Civic Center Park neighborhood. Urban Villages understood that building a lively new hotel with restaurants and a coffee shop would drive locals and visitors to the neighborhood, breathing needed new life into downtown Denver. Populus is located at the site of Colorado’s first gas station but chose to be the first new-build hotel in downtown Denver without any onsite parking, drastically changing the narrative of the busy intersection.
Photo By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO
Stellar Jay’s terrace offers dramatic views that overlook the best of Denver’s architecture and the city center, including the Colorado State Capitol, Denver’s City Hall, and expansive Civic Center Park.
In developing Populus, Urban Villages prioritized making the most sustainable decisions possible each step of the way. This presented challenges and delays in receiving approvals for certain low-carbon building materials, approvals for the distinctive aspen tree inspired design, and more. However, each detail was critical in making the project a reality, and ensuring the project’s vision reached its full potential.
To rally the community and honor each milestone, the Populus team hosted locals and key partners for ceremonies throughout the development. The first standout milestone was the groundbreaking on Earth Day of 2022, followed by a topping-off ceremony where the team members signed the final beam before raising to the top of the building, then finally, the ribbon cutting ceremony upon opening, which was attended by Denver’s mayor – who called Populus an “icon of the new West” – and local community leaders.