Denver architect Jeffrey Sheppard is passionate about architecture. His eye for thoughtful design is matched only by his enduring drive to understand and maximize the human response to the built environment, while elevating the quality of design in the world around us.

Spec suites – spaces that are built out by a building owner for the purpose of marketing a vacant suite or floor – are growing in popularity and in size, with new projects devoting entire floors and buildings to spec space.

I recently moderated a panel at the Colorado Real Estate Journal’s 13th Annual Property Management Symposium. The panel, comprising Doug Wulf of Cushman & Wakefield, Jamie Gard of NGKF and Alec Wynne of Avison Young, was focused on the competitive nature of office spaces in the current market.

The Honorable Federico F. Peña, Denver mayor from 1983 to 1991 and Secretary of the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation in the Clinton Administration, offers a unique perspective on the evolution of Denver.

In the past five years, prices for the land surrounding light-rail stations have doubled and, in some areas, tripled on a cost per-square-foot basis. One example is the Village Center Station near the Arapahoe light-rail station. About four years ago, the land was valued around $21 a square foot, and now it’s $60 a sf, said Tim Harrington, executive managing director of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. At the other end of the line, property downtown within proximity of light rail has skyrocketed. It now ranges from $300 to $600 a sf.

For a rapidly growing worldwide phenomenon that is bringing about significant change within the financial services community, it is surprising that the term “FinTech” still is relatively unknown. At the confluence of finance and technology, FinTech is defined as “an economic industry composed of companies that use technology to make financial systems more efficient,” according to Wharton FinTech. The term can encompass a wide array of financial services ranging from payments, investments, financing, insurance and more. Companies

Because every building’s form is ultimately defined by a structure that is integral and essential to the success of the design, tapping structural engineering expertise at the onset of the design process seems like a wise strategy.

The 88-year-old former bindery at 2901 Blake St. recently has been transformed into a new kind of bindery. Today’s edition joins two distinct buildings, a handful of vibrant businesses, and bonds arts and commerce. An example of adaptive reuse at its best, it also provides nourishment – in this case, both economic and culinary – to the neighboring community.

Colorado is already known for its microbreweries, but this summer, Breckenridge Brewery introduced its destination brewery. The $35 million new campus that sits along the South Platte River already is attracting locals and out-of-towners alike. Breckenridge experienced a lot of growth in the last few years, with demand exceeding supply. The 12-acre campus consists of three buildings and provides the much-needed space for Colorado’s fifth largest brewer:

Denver architect Brad Tomecek, AIA, LEED BC+D, rethinks the art of building with every project. His zest for alternative technologies has created striking spaces and helped earn his firm a 2015 Honor Award for Innovative Practice from AIA Colorado.