Summer is not the time for leaf peeping in Colorado, but it might be the time to consider aspen trees. Populus, billed 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 fall colors.
The hotel combines eco-friendly construction, materials, and collaborations with agricultural and forest partners to achieve its carbon-positive goals. The hotel’s carbon footprint is offset by planting trees in the mountains, sequestering more carbon than the building emits throughout its lifecycle, according to the developers.
Courtesy of Studio Gang
A rendering of the planned Populus building as viewed from street level. Populus will have two restaurants, one on the ground floor and one on the rooftop with a garden terrace and bar open to the public and hotel guests. Urban Villages believes it will the first “carbon-positive” hotel in the U.S., meaning that it will more than offset the carbon used to build and run the hotel. (Photo courtesy Studio Gang)
Designed by Studio Gang and developed by Urban Villages, Populus will have 265 guest rooms labeled as Grove or Aspen rooms, except the Pando Suite on the top floor. (Pando is the name of what many consider to be the world’s largest living organism, an Aspen grove in Utah.)
Every room will include “Aspen-eye-shaped windows” to take in the city views (and perhaps even some distant mountain views to the west) surrounding the hotel. Some windows provide a spot to nestle, described as a “hammock” like one might hang from tree branches.
Prices for the rooms will start at $299.
There will also be two on-site restaurants: Pasque, named after a wildflower, on the ground floor; and Stellar Jay, on the rooftop. Ian Wortham, who previously worked for Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, will be the executive chef in the kitchens at both.
Check the hotel’s website for upcoming events, including guest speakers or curated culinary experiences. These events will take place in rooms that function as coworking or meeting spaces by day and become social venues when needed.
The idea is to feel connected to nature while in the city, so guests will notice that the lobby mimics a forest floor, and the guest rooms have wood accents and earthy color palettes, according to the hotel’s owner. Some details have been made available about unique design elements, such as the lobby’s hanging sculpture, which was made from the root structure of mushrooms and is called The Reishi Tapestry; a wood-shingled wall in reception that used beetle-kill trees; a Colorado Rio Grande Cottonwood log desk in reception; and distressed wood slats on the lobby ceiling sourced from reclaimed Wyoming snow fencing.