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Architects: Dynia Architects
- Area: 55 ft²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:JC Buck, Stephen Dynia
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Manufacturers: Amerimax, Clopay, Corrugated Industries
Text description provided by the architects. Housing development in Denver is booming, especially in the newly revitalized River North (RiNo) neighborhood of Denver. Unlike the majority of apartment buildings in the area, Dynia Architects’ Freight Residences rejects the typical models of development. The building has a sense of intimacy and privacy, reduces the homogony of multifamily development, and targets the underserved urban family market.
Freight Residences is the newest addition to the mixed-use TAXI development, situated between the train tracks and the Platte River in RiNo. The building is Dynia’s fourth completed project on the site, with two more to be scheduled for completion by 2018. This 48-unit, four-story urban housing development was designed for professionals and young families with urban sensibilities. The one-, three-, and four-bedroom units are configured as a stacked, repeating module of 18-foot sections. All but the one-bedroom units offer two floors of living space with through-unit ventilation and light infiltration. Each unit has an operable glass garage door that opens the living spaces to the gardens on the first floor, generous private balconies on the fourth floor, and to incredible mountain views to the west from the third floor one-bedroom units.
This urban residential block is unconventional, having a single corridor located on the third floor providing access to the one-bedroom and three-bedroom top floor units. Generous windows at each end of the hallway offer a street-like experience. The four-bedroom units are accessed through private entrances on the first floor of the building, either from the car-port parking area in the back or through the garden terraces on the front of the building. This configuration of the first and second floors offers privacy and creates a row house sensibility rather than the feel of a double loaded apartment block. These two-story units allow light and air to flow from east to west on each floor.
The utilization of day lighting and natural ventilation has positive health benefits while reducing energy costs. The building’s HVAC systems use efficient domestic hot water heaters and energy efficient fan coils. On site storm water detention basins are built into the landscaped terraces off of the east side of the building providing natural irrigation and filtering excess water.
Freight Residences taps into the amenities serving the entire TAXI campus. The site features a unique shipping container pool, fitness center, multiple community gathering areas, green spaces, a restaurant, coffee shop, and an early childhood education facility. The creative recreation room on the ground floor of Freight Residences is an additional amenity space for the building and the surrounding TAXI community. Separated from the elevator vestibule by a hanging plastic strip curtain door, the creative recreation room was designed as a learning and play space. The vibrant orange room features a large garage door, connecting the space to the outdoors.
Freight Residences is clearly a unique and innovative building. It’s location, design features, and sense of community appeal to its tenants. The building has become fully occupied in less than six months from its doors opening to residents.
Products Information. Light and height are central to the Dynia planning strategy; operable walls of windows or garage doors are incorporated into most projects. At the recently completed Freight Residences, located on the TAXI campus in RiNo, the garage doors on all levels connect interior spaces with the outdoors in a city with a passion for outdoor activity. Generous private balcony spaces provide an additional outdoor room with iconic mountain or urban views. These elements also allow for through-unit ventilation and ample light infiltration. Garage Doors by Clopay.
Located along the Rocky Mountain Range, Freight Residences is heavily exposed to the elements. As an exterior material, whether corrugated or flat, steel siding is impervious to weather and offers maintenance free durability. Corrugated Steel Siding by Corrugated Industries.
Amerimax vinyl windows include tilt-turn and fixed unit types, with excellent U-values.
