50 Fifty DTC Wins 2020 AIA WMR Design Award

We are ecstatic to share that 50 Fifty DTC has another feather to add to its cap: Our office-tower project in the Denver Tech Center took home a Design Excellence Merit Award at the Architectural Institute of America Western Mountain Region’s (AIA WMR) 2020 Design Awards. 

“It is an incredible honor to be mentioned among the other award winners and to be recognized by our peers,” says Matt Robertson, President of Clutch Design Studio. “Winning awards is never a goal during the design process, but I think all designers appreciate having projects and clients that are of a high enough caliber to be considered for these awards.”

Each year, the AIA WMR Design Awards recognize excellence in design, planning and construction in projects built around the globe by architects based in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. The intent is to honor the highest design standards in response to user requirements, site, context, climate and environment.  

Unfortunately, out of safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic, AIA WMR was forced to present the 2020 Design Awards virtually this year—but that didn’t dampen the Clutch team’s excitement. “After some initial whoops and hollers, we all just let the gravity of the recognition sink in throughout the day. Certainly a special moment,” Robertson says.

The Anatomy of a Visionary Knockout

When we broke ground on the 400,000-square-foot, 12-story 50 Fifty DTC office tower in 2016, we knew it would shine brightly among the sea of homogenous buildings and parking lots in the suburban office park area of south Denver. And in 2018, we unveiled its striking appearance, thoughtful design elements and productivity-focused layout that ushered in a new era of forward-thinking design in the Denver Tech Center. So, what makes this project stand out?

• The exterior form, which cleanly incorporates the parking garages on lower levels, rather than sitting awkwardly on its shoulders.
• The sleek skin, which offsets vertical mullions infilled with white granite panels that dissolve into flat, streamlined ⅜-inch-thick glass. 
• The refined details, which highlight the thoughtfulness that was put into material transitions and terminations.
• The interior finishes and materials, were chosen to elevate the building to a luxury level not often seen in spec office buildings. 
• The cohesivity between architecture and interiors, which were driven by an established narrative that was regularly used as a guidepost for design decisions and problem-solving throughout the course of the project. 
• The expanse of natural light and 360-degree views, which allow tenants to connect with Colorado’s striking vistas from every floor.

With all of these combined elements, 50 Fifty DTC has garnered a slew of honors, including the AIA Award of Distinction 2019, Golden Nugget Award, Denver Mayor’s Design Award 2019, and now this outstanding achievement from AIA WMR. We always strive for excellence—no matter the scope of the project—and these awards are a delightfully surprising result of that dedication. 

“We think every project and client we take on deserves award-winning work, regardless of scale or budget, and we enjoy the challenge of delivering on that goal,” Robertson says.