World-renowned architectural marvel, recently unveiled in Denver, declared among the most awe-inspiring structures globally
Studio Gang's Populus Hotel in Denver Aims to Set Sustainable Luxury Standard
The Populus Hotel, a 13-storey building designed by Studio Gang in Denver, Colorado, is making waves in the architectural world. The hotel, with its 265 rooms and two restaurants, is one of the five most spectacular finalists for the 2025 World Festival of Architecture (WAF).
The hotel's design is organic and sculptural, resembling the quaking aspen tree, an iconic tree in Colorado. The biomorphic structure rises from a triangular plot, with one restaurant on the ground floor and another on the rooftop garden. The hotel's striking, snow-white silhouette stands out in Denver's urban landscape.
Studio Gang's Populus Hotel aims to become the nation's first carbon-positive hotel. This goal is achieved through several strategies. The design is inspired by the Colorado aspen tree, with a facade resembling the aspen’s eye-shaped bark. The hotel also incorporates carbon-positive construction and operational techniques, though specific technical details are not provided. Every booking at the hotel helps support its sustainability mission.
Jon Buerge, Chief Development Officer at Urban Villages, explained this initiative in an interview with Moka Magazine. Urban Villages, the hotel's developer, plans to plant more than 70,000 trees and continue planting trees in the future to offset the hotel's energy use.
Inside the Populus hotel, windows serve as seating, benches, and serene lookout points, offering views of the Rocky Mountains. The facade features a series of irregular, ovoid windows, some up to nine metres tall.
The Populus hotel is not alone in its ambitious goals. Australia, Canada, Singapore, and Turkey are also among the countries with a significant number of finalists for the 2025 WAF. A total of 780 architectural projects were submitted for the event, and the field was narrowed down to 468 finalists. The winners of the 2025 WAF will be announced on 12 November in Miami.
The forest resulting from this initiative is expected to cover over 5,000 hectares in the long run, setting a new standard for sustainable luxury in the architectural world.
The Populus Hotel, with its focus on sustainable living, is set to establish a new standard for sustainable luxury in the architectural world, as it aims to become the nation's first carbon-positive hotel. Urban Villages, the hotel's developer, plans to plant more than 70,000 trees, creating a forest that will cover over 5,000 hectares in the long run, contributing positively to home-and-garden and lifestyle sectors, and promoting sustainable living.
