* 자연의 언어로 쓴 도시 건축 [ Studio Gang ] Populus Hotel and Social Hub

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 "건축은 자연의 일부가 되어야 한다. 자연과 조화를 이루어야 한다." - 프랭크 로이드 라이트

자연의 언어로 쓴 도시 건축: Populus Hotel  Studio Gang-Populus Hotel and Social Hub

아스펜 나무가 들려주는 도시 이야기
덴버 다운타운 한복판에 솟아오른 Populus Hotel은 마치 아스펜 숲에서 한 그루 나무가 도시로 이주해온 듯한 인상을 준다. 잔느 갱(Jeanne Gang)이 이끄는 Studio Gang이 완성한 이 265실 규모의 호텔은 콜로라도 주의 토종 아스펜 나무에서 영감을 받아 탄생했다. 미국 남서부에서 Studio Gang이 선보이는 첫 작품인 만큼, 이 건물은 덴버라는 도시의 새로운 건축적 정체성을 제시한다.

"덴버는 역동적인 도시와 경이로운 자연 경관으로 가는 관문이라는 독특한 균형을 이루고 있습니다. 이러한 도시적 특성과 풍부한 생태계에서 영감을 받아 번영하는 도시의 스카이라인을 새롭게 정의하는 건물을 만들고 싶었습니다." 잔느 갱의 설명처럼, Populus는 자연과 도시가 만나는 접점에서 새로운 건축 언어를 모색한다.

세 방향으로 열린 환대의 공간
덴버의 시민, 예술, 상업 지구가 만나는 삼각형 부지에 자리한 Populus는 독특한 전략을 선택했다. 한 면에만 집중하는 대신 세 개 면 모두를 동네를 향해 열어놓아 어느 방향에서 접근해도 따뜻한 환대를 받을 수 있도록 설계했다. 

건물의 조각적 외관은 수직으로 새겨진 스캘럽 패턴으로 리듬감을 만들어낸다. 이 패턴은 단순한 장식이 아니라 내부 객실의 폭과 정확히 일치하도록 배치되어 건물의 외부 표현과 내부 기능을 하나로 연결한다. 유리섬유 강화 콘크리트(GFRC) 패널은 산성 세척을 통해 골재를 드러내어 건물 전체에 밝고 자연스러운 색조를 부여한다.

아스펜 나무의 성장 이야기를 담은 창문들
Populus의 가장 인상적인 특징은 건물 전면을 덮고 있는 독특한 창문들이다. 이 창문들은 아스펜 나무가 성장하면서 아래쪽 가지를 떨어뜨릴 때 나무껍질에 남기는 어둡고 눈 모양의 흔적에서 영감을 받았다. 마치 나무가 자신의 성장 과정을 기록해놓은 자연의 일기장처럼, 각 창문은 건물 내부의 공간 성격에 따라 크기와 형태를 달리한다.

건물 기단부에서는 창문이 30피트 높이까지 솟아올라 호텔 내부를 액자처럼 담아내며 거리의 활기찬 분위기를 더한다. 상층부 객실에서는 투숙객들이 주 의회 의사당, 시민 센터 공원, 그리고 멀리 로키산맥까지 몰입감 있는 조망을 즐길 수 있다. 특별히 설계된 일부 객실에서는 창가에 내장 좌석을 마련해 투숙객들이 자연과 더 가깝게 느낄 수 있는 친밀한 공간을 제공한다.

수직으로 펼쳐지는 도시 생활의 레이어
총 135,000평방피트 규모의 Populus는 다양한 크기의 265개 객실을 품고 있다. 건물의 공간 구성은 마치 도시 생활의 다양한 층위를 수직으로 쌓아올린 듯하다. 

1층에서는 높은 층고의 로비가 하루 종일 이용할 수 있는 레스토랑 Pasque와 커피 바와 자연스럽게 연결된다. 2층에는 피트니스 센터와 유연하게 활용 가능한 라운지, 이벤트 공간이 배치되어 있다. 그리고 건물 꼭대기에서는 호텔 투숙객뿐만 아니라 일반 시민들도 함께 즐길 수 있는 옥상 레스토랑 Stellar Jay가 덴버 스카이라인과 그 너머 산들의 파노라마를 선사한다.

미래를 위한 지속가능한 선택들
Populus의 가장 혁신적인 측면 중 하나는 지속가능성에 대한 전면적인 접근이다. 덴버에서 새로 건설된 호텔로는 처음으로 주차 공간을 완전히 배제하여 대중교통과 자전거, 도보 이용을 적극 장려한다. 이는 단순한 설계 결정을 넘어 도시 교통 패러다임의 전환을 제안하는 건축적 선언이기도 하다.

건물의 구조체에는 플라이애시를 포함시켜 시멘트 사용량을 줄이고 건설 과정의 탄소 배출을 최소화했다. 각 창문의 외부로 돌출된 '차양' 부분은 덴버의 기후에 맞춰 실내를 시원하게 유지하는 동시에 빗물을 자연스럽게 흘려보내는 이중 기능을 수행한다.

내부 마감에서도 지속가능성에 대한 철학이 이어진다. 구조체를 대부분 노출시켜 추가 마감재 사용을 줄였고, 필요한 경우에는 재활용 와이오밍 눈 울타리나 재활용 가죽 베니어처럼 높은 재활용 함량을 가진 소재를 선택했다. 최상층의 녹색 지붕은 지역 야생동물과 곤충들에게 서식지를 제공하여 도시 생물다양성을 풍부하게 한다.

건축이 제시하는 새로운 도시의 가능성
Populus Hotel은 단순한 숙박시설을 넘어 도시와 자연이 어떻게 조화롭게 공존할 수 있는지를 보여주는 구체적인 제안이다. 아스펜 나무의 성장 과정에서 영감을 받은 창문 시스템은 자연의 패턴을 현대적으로 해석하여 새로운 건축 언어를 만들어냈다. 

이 프로젝트는 지속가능한 건축이 단순히 친환경적인 것을 넘어 도시 공동체의 삶을 어떻게 풍요롭게 할 수 있는지를 보여준다. 주차 공간 없는 호텔, 시민에게 열린 옥상 공간, 지역 생태계를 고려한 녹색 지붕까지, Populus의 모든 선택은 개별 건물을 넘어 도시 전체의 미래를 그려낸다.

덴버 스카이라인에 새롭게 등장한 이 독특한 실루엣은 자연과 도시, 개인과 공동체, 현재와 미래를 잇는 건축적 다리 역할을 한다. Studio Gang이 제시한 이 새로운 도시 건축의 비전은 21세기 도시가 나아가야 할 방향에 대한 영감을 준다.

프로젝트 정보
- 건축가: Studio Gang (잔느 갱)
- 위치: 콜로라도주 덴버
- 규모: 135,000평방피트, 265개 객실
- 완공: 2024년
- 소유주: Urban Villages
- 운영: Aparium Hotel Group
- 인증 목표: LEED Gold

Write by Claude & Jean Browwn


Studio Gang, the international architecture and urban design firm led by Jeanne Gang, has completed Populus, a 265-room hotel poised to become a new social center for downtown Denver. Marking Studio Gang's first completed project in Colorado and the American Southwest region, Populus's design draws from the growth processes of the state's native Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) to establish a new architectural icon for Denver. "Denver strikes a unique balance between being a vibrant city and a gateway to some of the country's most awe inspiring natural landscapes. Our goal was to draw from this distinct urban character and rich ecology to create a building that would help define the skyline of this thriving city," says Jeanne Gang, Founding Partner of Studio Gang.

Located on a prominent corner site that connects Denver's civic, arts, and commercial districts, Populus greets the neighborhood equally on its three sides to welcome visitors and residents. The sculptural façade is textured with vertical scallops that correspond to the width of guest rooms, linking the building's exterior expression with its interior program. The glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) panel cladding is acid washed to bring out the material's aggregate, giving the building a bright, natural hue. The building's defining feature is a series of distinctive windows whose geometry is informed by characteristic patterns found on Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides). Each window is designed to evoke the dark, eye-shaped marks left behind on the bark of the trees, which shed their lower branches as they grow. The windows change in size and shape in response to the building's public and private spaces within.

At the base, the windows rise to 30 feet in height to frame entrances and views into the hotel while adding to the lively, pedestrian friendly quality of the neighborhood. In the hotel rooms above, guests have immersive views of the nearby State Capitol, Civic Center Park, and the Rocky Mountains. Windows in select guest rooms feature built-in seating, providing occupiable spaces where guests can feel closer to nature. The 135,000 square foot building offers 265 guest rooms that range in size. A double-height lobby is adjoined to Pasque, an all-day dining destination, and a coffee bar on the ground floor, while a fitness center, flexible lounge, and event space are located on the floor above. On the top floor, hotel guests and the public can enjoy Stellar Jay, a rooftop restaurant featuring an outdoor bar and terrace with views of the Denver skyline and the mountains beyond. Populus is owned by Urban Villages and operated by Aparium Hotel Group.

The design supports Populus' sustainability goals through several features. The building is designed to maximize use of its compact, triangular site and foregoes any space dedicated to parking, a first for a newly built hotel in Denver, to encourage greener modes of transport. Its concrete structure incorporates fly ash to minimize the need for cement, lowering the amount of carbon emitted during the construction process. Detailed to perform efficiently in Denver's climate, the exterior "lids" of each window stretch outward to shade interior spaces, while also channeling rainwater. On the interior, much of the structure is exposed to reduce the use of finishes. Where used, finishes target a high recycled content, such as reclaimed Wyoming snow fencing for the lobby and amenity ceilings, and recycled leather veneer in elevator cabs and on guest room desks. The green roof on the top floor provides an attractive habitat for local wildlife and insects, enhancing urban biodiversity. The building is targeting LEED Gold certification.

from archdaily

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