Summer isn’t the time to admire the leaves in Colorado, but it might be the time to think about aspens. Populus, touted as the country’s first carbon-positive hotel, is set to open soon at 240 14th St. (and you can make reservations starting in September), just in time for the fall colors.
The hotel combines environmentally friendly construction, materials and collaborations with agricultural and forestry partners to achieve its carbon-positive goals. The hotel’s carbon footprint will be offset by planting trees in the mountains, sequestering more carbon than the building emits over its entire life cycle, according to the developers.
Courtesy of Studio Gang
A rendering of the proposed Populus building as seen from the street. Populus will have two restaurants, one on the ground floor and one on the roof with a garden terrace and bar open to the public and hotel guests. Urban Villages believes it will be the first “carbon positive” hotel in the U.S., meaning it will more than offset the carbon used to build and operate the hotel. (Photo courtesy of Studio Gang)
Designed by Studio Gang and developed by Urban Villages, Populus will have 265 guest rooms, branded as Grove or Aspen rooms, with the exception of the top-floor Pando Suite. (Pando is the name of what many believe to be the world’s largest living organism, an aspen grove in Utah.)
Each room will have “aspen eye-shaped windows” to take in views of the city (and maybe even the mountains to the west) that surround the hotel. Some windows will offer a snuggling option, described as a “hammock” like one might hang from a tree branch.
Room prices start at $299.
There will also be two restaurants on-site: Pasque, named after a wildflower, on the ground floor and Stellar Jay on the roof. Ian Wortham, who previously worked for Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, will be the executive chef at both restaurants.
Check the hotel’s website for upcoming events, including guest speakers or select culinary experiences. These events take place in spaces that serve as coworking or meeting rooms during the day and become social gathering places when needed.
The idea is to make guests feel connected to nature while in the city, so according to the hotel owner, guests will find the lobby is modeled after a forest floor and guest rooms feature wood accents and earthy tones. A few details about unique design elements were revealed, such as the lobby’s hanging sculpture made from mushroom roots called the “Reishi Tapestry”; a wood-shingled wall at the front desk made from beetle-infested trees; a desk made from Colorado cottonwood logs at the front desk; and weathered wood slats on the lobby ceiling made from reclaimed Wyoming snow fencing.
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