Work on Emerald Workshops, a new mixed-use campus in Frederick, Colorado, is now underway.
Designed by Paul Andersen of Independent Architecture, this development of 56 customizable units over eight buildings fosters a social commercial environment that bridges the gap between an urban main street and spacious rural landscape.
Reimagining the region’s traditional Western false front vernacular, the design creates a bold architectural point of reference for Colorado. It’s shingled exterior, meanwhile, gives the facade a visually striking graphic pattern.
Emerald Workshops is a new typology designed to meet changing needs in retail, work and the city. Its light-industrial/office zoning allows for flexibility of use, capable of housing a variety of entrepreneurial ventures. The units’ 26-feet-high ceilings can accommodate industrial equipment or a mezzanine level. This allows units to adapt to myriad purposes: whether a mechanical workshop, cross-fit gym, makerspace, office or fulfillment center.
The campus is ideally located just 20 minutes from Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins, and in close proximity to I-25, on Hwy-52. Just minutes away from the new Amazon fulfillment center along I-25, the property’s accessibility in this fast-growing part of the United States makes it the ideal hub for emerging entrepreneurs, innovators and retailers.
More than simply an aggregation of warehouses, this mixed-use property has also been meticulously designed to encourage social interaction. Large-scale windows and operable glass garage doors punctuate the building, encouraging visual interaction among tenants and visitors. The parking lot — usually a design element obscured from view — is reimagined as a space for social encounters that can accommodate more than just cars. Its planters and benches have power sockets and lights so that, on sunny days, the working day can continue outside.
Architect Paul Andersen of Independent Architecture says: “The buildings are a new take on Colorado’s historic architecture. They combine the false front commercial architecture of the Old West with industrial construction that has been common since the 1960s. We selected materials for their timelessness, durability, and clean details — in the buildings and the surrounding landscape. The effect of our design approach is to strike a balance between familiar and new architecture, to make a place that is deeply connected to our region and, in its own subtle way, unlike any other commercial project.”
Andrew Ghadimi, partner at Emerald Management, the project developer based in Boulder, Colorado says: “The Denver and Boulder metro area is becoming increasingly unaffordable. With the Emerald Workshops, we were inspired to provide the fastest-growing region of Colorado with unique and affordable space. We aim to cater to a wide spectrum of the community, from traditional workshops to digital entrepreneurs.”
Units are now available for rent or sale. Occupancy will begin in May 2019, and full completion of the project is scheduled for August 2019. Visit emeraldworkshops.com for a complete overview of the project and pricing.
ABOUT INDEPENDENT ARCHITECTURE
Independent Architecture is a Denver, Colorado-based architecture office with projects around the U.S. Its personnel approach each project with a mix of curiosity, intellectualism, and experience that enables them to create thoughtful and unusual environments. Paul Andersen founded Independent in 2009. He shapes the office’s agenda and practice, conducting design projects in professional and academic contexts. He was appointed a Fulbright Specialist in Architecture, teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has previously been on the architecture faculties of the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Cornell University.
ABOUT EMERALD MANAGEMENT Since the early 1980s, Emerald Management has proudly operated in and around Colorado with one simple goal: to make it possible for hardworking business owners to find the commercial
