It’s been 10 years since the Alliance Center took up residence as a multitenant co-working space on Wynkoop Street in Denver; grassroots powerhouses like Conservation Colorado have anchored the center since it opened its doors in 2004. But this August, it emerged from eight months of multimillion-dollar renovation as a true bastion of sustainability. At 100-plus years old, the center is now the world’s first historic building to earn two LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications, and a living example of some of the best approaches to sustainability — and collaboration — in existence.
It makes its home in the heart of lower downtown Denver, lovingly operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to “transforming sustainability from vision to reality.” It also happens to be a quick walk from Union Station, another of Denver’s newest historic facelifts, itself a model of green public transportation and on track for LEED status — a groundbreaking achievement for such a major hub.
The Alliance Center is setting out to be the hub for sustainability in Colorado and beyond, a place where anyone and everyone dedicated to sustainability can “connect, innovate, discuss and activate the sustainability movement” and get inspired by the center’s new ethos.
It’s an inspiring space, oozing eco-chicdone-right. Natural light from south-facing windows gleams on recycled-material furnishings in bright earthy greens and oranges in the lobby — or the Hub Café — wired and open to the public. The café’s uber-sustainable Marley Coffee will be joined by an equally sustainability-focused beer and wine bar, hopefully by year’s end. Exposed brick walls and massive beams, all original, contrast with a frosted glass wall that divides the lobby from the main conference space, or folds aside to open up an event space with room for 200. It takes a moment to recognize that the artwork featured on every floor is actually created from sculpted layers of reclaimed cardboard. Hydroponic planters grace the walls and purify the air. Chalkboard walls relay positive messages among tenants. Tenants wander in and out of the café for a latte, unleashed dogs by their side — this is Colorado, after all. The center is dog friendly, and of course it’s also bike friendly: Ample bike storage lines the lower level hallway.
And it’s as smart as energy-smart gets. Digital interfaces recessed in walls on each floor indicate which of the center’s 18 conference rooms are available, which are in use and by whom, in real-time. Every door and room is equipped with sensors that detect when people are present, and heat, cooling and electricity automatically adjust accordingly. Lights are LED, toilets are lowflow, appliances are Energy Star, even the roof is white — designed to deflect sunlight and decrease solar absorption caused by dark surfaces — and its solar panels will soon be flanked by two wind turbines.
It’s admirably, diligently eco-friendly. But it’s not just about being green, the folks at the Alliance say. With natural light on every floor, painstaking thought put into its community-centric infrastructure and rigorous tenant selection, the center is designed to be good for the sustainable soul. Tenants even abide by the Community Covenant — with sections ranging from “Be a Good Neighbor” to “Sustainable Work-Life Choices” — and there’s every reason to believe they should. The tenant application process ensures they aren’t just sustainableish, but sustainable-obsessed.
Even the terms of lease are more “sustainable,” from a nonprofit sector standpoint. It isn’t actually a “lease,” however: The center doesn’t lease its space, it licenses it. That means a less binding contract, attractive to nonprofits, which often depend on grants (not necessarily a consistent revenue stream) for their operating costs. Licensing allows them the flexibility to change the scope of their use of the Center’s office space, even while maintaining access to all conference rooms and common areas. And of course, energy efficiency is worked into the licensing structure: Smart rates for energy usage outside of normal business hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) promote efficiency and responsibility and keep costs Denver Foundation early this year down for everyone.
It wasn’t cheap to get this green, but the funding that did it is being praised as a super sustainable investment. A $7.5 million loan called a Program Related Investment via the Denver Foundation early this year — the first such loan the Foundation has ever issued — gave the Alliance the capital it needed to invest in its center. In-kind contributions, sponsorships, donations and historic tax credits rounded out the funds.
As investment tools go, the Program Related Investment is uniquely suited for the Alliance Center. It boasts a super low 1 percent interest rate (versus commercial loans that generally hover around 5.5 percent), the ability for the Denver Foundation to re-grant the funds as the Alliance pays them back, and a metric of success that takes social impact benefits into account.
It seems appropriate, then, that one of the newest tenants at the Alliance Center — and its only forprofit tenant thus far — is a financial services institute devoted to sustainable investment. Chief Investment Officer Phil Kirshman says Cornerstone Capital Group has sustainability infused in its DNA, founded on the idea that investment should be a tool used to promote social change. Kirshman leads the new Denver branch of New York City-based CCG. The Alliance makes perfect sense as an office, he says.
“If you really look at what will drive sustainability efforts going forward, I think you really need a multipronged effort,” including a mass shift toward corporate responsibility and sustainable investment strategies in the for-profit sector, according to Kirshman. Already, Kirshman says, being a tenant at the center has brought new possibilities for collaboration and is helping Cornerstone Capital Group get a nuanced sense of funding needs in Denver’s nonprofit sector. And take heed, Boulder investors and non-profits: You’re in Cornerstone Capital Group’s sustainable investment purview, too.
The renovations to the Alliance Center expanded its usable space by 60 percent — and it’s still growing. With 28 permanent tenant organizations employing more than 110 people, the center aims to hit 60 percent capacity (about 31 organizations, or 155 employees) by December, and 85 percent by the end of 2015. That’s for permanent tenants; the Center also boasts new “hot desks,” designed for individuals and groups who want short-term access to a robust, sustainable co-working space.
For a tried-and-true Boulderite, sounds like an ideal option for a business day in Denver.
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