GE Johnson tops out Prism building in downtown Denver

GE Johnson Construction Co. recently topped out the Prism building in downtown Denver.

The Prism building, which was designed by Davis Partnership Architects, is a nine-story, core-and-shell office building development being led by Shea Properties. The office building of more than 100,000 square feet completes the build-out of the block between 17th and 18th streets, along Curtis Street, and is directly adjacent to The Quincy – a luxury residential high-rise also completed by Shea Properties and GE Johnson.

When complete, The Prism will feature a one-of-a-kind exterior envelope with a glass “crinkle wall” along the south elevation. This glass wall is a multifaceted elevation of complex glass geometries and will provide a prismatic appearance.

“When Shea Properties asked Davis Partnership Architects to deliver a remarkable boutique office building in the heart of Denver’s financial district, we first relied on  the unique characteristics of the site to establish the design approach,” said David Daniel, Davis Partnership design principal. “The relatively small site and therefore more intimate floor plate, coupled with an unusually generous 14-foot typical window height, allows for maximum natural daylight throughout all of the office floors.” The site is on the corner of Curtis and 17th streets, and there are generous urban plazas across the streets, which means that the Prism’s iconic shape is highly visible in this district of downtown, according to Daniel.

“Architecturally we felt an obligation to respect our historic neighbors while also reflecting the forward thinking of Denver and its thriving economy,” he said. “This project strives to leverage both the interior flexibility of the contemporary office environment, and the desire for a nontraditional architecture. The result is the newest and boldest architecture on Denver’s Wall Street of the West.”

The office tower is scheduled to reach completion by the end of the year.

“It is rewarding to see this building progressing so quickly and to celebrate this milestone with Shea Properties and our other project partners,” said Jim Johnson, chairman and CEO of GE Johnson. “Events like this provide motivation for the team to continue to pursue excellence in the work yet to come.”