REI, Flagship Store

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Received Award Recognition from American
Institute of Architects National Trust for
Historic Preservation Merchandising organizations
REI, Flagship Store Denver, Colorado
Notes from the Project Team REI could have
built a sprawling new facility, but it chose to
honor this piece of Denvers past instead.
Denver Historical Society

• Sustainable Sites
• Site Selection REI renovated a 1901 Denver
  tramway power company building rather than
  utilizing new construction. Renovation resulted
  in grants from the historical society and
  valuable tax credits from the city of Denver.
• Educational Model Exemplifies the idea of
  recycling and is an example to all.
• Historical Preservation Maintains the historical
  character of the downtown Denver area.
• Resource Protection Native landscaping and
  minimal parking maximizes site sustainability and
  appeal.
• Water Efficiency
• Water Low flow and sensor activated lavatories
  and toilets.
• Irrigation Indigenous plants reduce watering
  requirements.
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Passive solar design original orientation of the
  building maximizes winter sunlight.
• Day Lighting large windows, open floor plan, and
  skylights.
• HVAC Water based cooling system reduces chemical
  cooling requirements
• HVAC Automa.ted system maximizes favorable
  exterior conditions with a self regulating
  economizer system.
• Materials and Resources
• Recycled Content Building itself, heavy timbers
  from a mine in Oregon, Roofing from a warehouse
  in Seattle, floor decking from an old bowling
  ally, and more.
• Porous Concrete Sidewalks and part of parking
  lot reduce runoff through the use of porous
  concrete.
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• VOC management Low or no VOC materials used
  throughout.
• Air Exchange Buildings air exchanged once per
  hour.

Owner Recreation Equipment Inc. (REI) Project
Team Architect Mithun, Inc. M.Engineer Robin
son, Inc. P. Manager Hensel Phelps Contractor
Hensel Phelps Building Statistics Originall
y Constructed 1901 Renovation
Date 2000 Cost 47 M Size 125,000 gross
square feet Building Type Retail space Annual
Energy Savings Approx. 20 less than that of
a similar sized building
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REI Flagship Store Denver, Colorado

• Benefits
• The store reflects the aspirations as well as
  the history of Denver and the values of our
  customers. REI VP Jerry Chevassus
• Lessons Learned
• Existing and historic buildings can fulfill
  todays needs without compromising the character
  of a community or creating additional demands on
  the environment.
• Innovative Features
• Total building renovation with holistic
  consideration for the environment, community, and
  consumer in mind

Additional information See The American
Institute of Architects TOP TEN list for further
details on this project. Further listing of
project team and/or owner contact
info Contractor Information Hensel Phelps
Construction Co. Greeley, CO
www.henselphelps.com Architects
Mithun Architects Designers
Planners Seattle, WA
www.mithun.com Owner information
Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI)
1416 Platte Street, Denver, CO
80202 Tel [phone]
www.rei.com
Case study developed by Matthew Luzzatto,
Colorado State University
February 2006