DaVita World Headquarters
Tower II
In early 2009 DaVita, the global leader in dialysis care, pioneered the infill of the transportation district behind Union Station and moved its headquarters to Colorado. In 2015, the “community first” company doubled-down as Denver’s hometown company – announcing another 350,000 sf anchor tenancy opposite the iconic Millennium Bridge in the 16 Chestnut development. Flanking the 16th Street Mall and marking the North end, DaVita set out to create a true “Downtown Campus” – a worthy objective!
Location: Denver, CO
Size: 350,000 SF
Contractor: Saunders Construction
Professional Partners: Swanson Rink, S.A. Miro, Geiler & Associates, Ricca Design Studios, Noresco
Photography: Cooperthwaite Productions
Village Grounds
Driven to connect 2,000+ teammates, early planning concepts set out to provide “destination experiences”. The building lobby, dubbed DaVita’s living room, hosts work and play. Baristas at the Village Grounds café attend to customers across a Gabion-inspired counter with espresso done-right. A bubbling water-feature provides speech privacy while the replica state park ‘Welcome’ sign greets visitors the DaVita way.
Connected Culture
Upstairs, space-planning priority favors the social spaces. Conference rooms occupy the building’s corners while sprawling work-lounges dominate the Western façades, overlooking the mountains and Tower I.
See and be seen
Capitalizing on early coordination with the development team, two 4-story atriums were achieved by leaving sections of floor out. Atypical floor openings provide visual connection between floors and unique balcony experiences. An operable fire-shutter addresses code conformance.
“DaVita has had the opportunity to share a long lasting and beneficial partnership with Acquilano for many years. All members of the Acquilano team possess poise and professionalism, and we are very pleased to enjoy a strong relationship together.”
– Patrick Noble, AIA, LEED AP Director of Village Design
Some assembly required.
Level 12 is dedicated to a conferencing center, full-service commercial kitchen, dining, and an unrivaled outdoor patio. The high-occupancy plan employed the seldom used ‘horizontal-exiting’ strategy and coordinating the kitchen utilities in a standard floor-to-floor height intended for office use demonstrated the team’s expertise.
“We aimed to encourage movement and interaction by offering alternate work settings. This level serves the entire DaVita campus.”
Colorful Colorado.
DaVita’s identity is community-forward, comfortable, caring, and fun – each trait aligning with the historic ‘Colorful Colorado’ tagline. Regionally sourced materials like beetle-kill pine and Rocky Mountain granite were specified, prototype task lighting was manufactured by Denver’s NuLite, and local artisan fabricated signature elements. Biophilia is throughout. It is expressed naturally with vegetation and through Interface’s organic carpets to infuse texture, improving human comfort. Adding to the atmosphere, catchy music permeates the building (even the restrooms!) while DaVita’s abundant graphics, which were catalogued and incorporated as wayfinding themes, celebrate cultures of Colorado and the world. “It was important to complement, not compete, with the client’s brand elements.”