Butterfly Effect

by Mark Robins | March 2, 2020 12:00 am

The goal of the South Lincoln HOPE VI project was to create an energized transit-oriented development (TOD) community a mile south of downtown Denver, characterized by sustainability, cultural diversity and a full spectrum of housing options.

DHA wanted the Mariposa (Spanish for “butterfly”) community to create opportunities for families to stay in the community as they experience greater economic security or mobility. For the senior units in particular, this phase adds the exciting opportunity for lower-income seniors from this community to age in place in a high-quality new building—with easy access to neighborhood amenities and transit. The Mariposa’s architecture does all this while providing a lively viewpoint of urban life and promoting wellness, connections and personality for residents and the community.

The total redevelopment project, especially Mariposa VII, delivers exceptional environmental efficiency and energy performance.

MODERN FAÇADE, NEW LIFE

To accommodate the senior/disabled population, multiple elevators and stairwells were required by code. DHA committed to including a public art component in the building, and Denver-based RATIO|HPA created an 80-foot-tall public art installation by enclosing a planned outdoor stairwell with uniquely designed perforated panels. “Utilizing perforated metal panels, we created an active staircase to encourage building residents to get exercise while acting as a calling card for the building and DHA’s Mariposa development,” says Eric Doner, AIA, senior associate of architecture, RATIO|HPA.

Westminster, Colo.-based Parasoleil was tasked with enclosing the outdoor stairwell in a creative and inspiring fashion to provide privacy screening, practical protection from the elements and a memorable sense of place. “Parasoleil partnered with RATIO|HPA and Denver-based construction firm I-Kota to design, engineer and install aluminum panels incorporating butterfly patterns that employ an artistic blend of movement, light, shadows and colors,” says Uriah Bueller, CEO of Parasoleil. “Ourpattern and metals satisfied the structural spans and the custom nature of the public art requirement. It was designed to be easy to laser cut in modules and easily adapted to fit the designer’s needs.”

Bueller says Parasoleil designed a customized Mariposa pattern to include brand design elements and still maintain a textural, random effect, allowing the success of the project to be driven by both design and structural integrity. The panels include two distinct butterfly patterns, each in a vastly different scale. “The project required 101 panels, including 27 of unique sizes. The panels were 1/8-inch-thick aluminum pattern-cut panels and Parasoleil-branded hex drill screws, all finished with Parasoleil’s Buffalo Dime finish directly mounted to galvanized tube steel support. On the engineering front, the wind-load report required panel support every 24-inch on-center for pattern, wind speeds and building use. Acrylic panels were added by the contractor to effect the LiteBrite color through the pattern.”

GREEN LIVING ENVIRONMENT

DHA has a proven track record of green building, including energy-saving rehabilitations and several LEED accredited new construction buildings. It chose the Mariposa development to act as a testing ground for various sustainable and energy-efficient systems. The building complies with Enterprise Green Communities Criteria and implements several of the optional Enterprise Green Communities Criteria.

The uniquely articulated façade serves not only as a focal point for the Mariposa and its sustainable features, but it also creates a healthy living environment. “The metal envelope provides light, branding and a sense of security, while decreasing the ambient temperature in the summer [due to the perforated air flow through the patterned panels],” Bueller says.

Doner says RATIO|HPA worked closely with national consulting firm Group14, Denver, and Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy’s Energy Design Assistance program to ensure the building met, and exceeded current energy standards and continues the sustainable legacy of DHA in the Mariposa community. “The building utilizes advanced framing technology to reduce construction time and waste. The Frame Cad System [from Douglass Colony, Commerce City, Colo.] is a light-gauge metal framing with long-span metal deck and concrete. Metal panels were manufactured off-site to increase construction speed.”

“Low embodied energy materials manufactured locally were utilized to ensure durability and to lower energy costs,” Bueller says. “Recycled product was used to guarantee lower volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But the real value was in the impact on the quality of living for the apartment residents and hopefully a sense of pride and identity for the community of the neighborhood.”

“The project utilized a ground-source geothermal field under the parking lot, but the unit heat pumps in the building also transfer energy from the cold side to the warm side of the building and vice versa depending on heating or cooling loads,” Doner says. “In addition to the geothermal HVAC system [from Major Heating and Air Conditioning, Wheat Ridge, Colo.], the project also utilizes solar shading [designed by RATIO|HPA] on the west façade, continuous exterior rigid insulation for high-performing exterior walls, low-E windows, a photovoltaic solar array [from EG Power Engineering, Golden, Colo.] for covered parking as well as the option to add to the roof at a later date, LED lighting throughout and low-flow water fixtures.”

The building has a smart site location and is oriented to use passive solar heating/cooling. It has a compact development; density will be greater than 50 dwelling units/acre for the project site. For walkability in a pedestrian-oriented community, multiple connections exist from the development to sidewalks in the neighborhood and across the street from a light-rail station.

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/butterfly-effect-mariposa-7-denver/

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