For more than 100 years, Denver’s Washington Park has been treasured as an urban oasis for outdoor recreation. Now, the new My Block Washington Park Apartments offer a nearby luxury living option that is also a convenient gateway to the nightlife, entertainment and cultural venues of downtown Denver. Adding to the project's upscale urban vibe is a creative and sophisticated façade anchored by RHEINZINK architectural zinc.
The five-story, 107-unit structure features a mix of materials on its exterior, include approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of RHEINZINK 1.0mm pre-weathered graphite-grey Flat-Lock Tiles fabricated by MetalTech—USA, Peachtree City, GA.
Unlike most other multi-family projects in the area, the design of the 98,000 sq. ft. building does not include balconies. “The owner/developer had a different intent,” said Dean Smith, project architect with Shears Adkins Rockmore in Denver. “Rather than individual balconies, they wanted to put the budget into a rooftop deck with robust amenities including marble pool, cabana, fire pit area and fitness club. One of the ramifications is that we had newfound flexibility in how we developed the elevations for the building rather than having to work around 107 balconies.”
The owner/developer plans to hold the building for the long term, according to Smith. “As a result, they were pretty adamant about low maintenance, which led us to the selection of our cladding materials,” Smith said. “What we really liked about the RHEINZINK—in addition to the low maintenance aspect—was the dark, rich color of the graphite-grey.”
The RHEINZINK façade is complemented by the use of a man-made stone panel system as well as selective use of real-wood composite panels at the top of one elevation. “With those three primary materials, you have the warmth of the wood and the nice contrast of the dark graphite-grey with the lighter masonry panels,” Smith said. “Those materials just really work well together.”
MetalTech project manager Michael Love worked closely with the building owner in the selection of the zinc system. “It was a relatively straight-forward job,” Love said, “although the design team wanted the panels to be folded at the corners rather than stopping and using flashing. We find that type of detailing in about half of our Flat-Lock jobs and it creates a good look. The Flat-Lock system is pretty popular out West—everybody really likes its appearance. I love the way job turned out!”
Installation of the RHEINZINK/MetalTech system was completed by Pantheon Associates, LLC, Denver. The Flat-Lock tiles measured 14 ½” x 54”. RHEINZINK’s National Applications Training Manager, Lou Rondeau, traveled to Denver to provide training and detailing assistance to the Pantheon installers.
MetalTech—USA is a long-time RHEINZINK strategic partner and is a premier distributor and specialty fabricator of eco-friendly architectural metals for roofing, rainwater, soffit and cladding systems. For more information, visit www.metaltech-usa.com or call 770-486-8825.
Photographs by Raul J. Garcia