Approaching downtown Denver from the west, growth, and therefore change, is undeniable. Cranes fill the skyline and as the descent from Millennium Bridge is made, an area devoid of hardly any structures just five years ago is now teeming with activity. In this sea of development, as an architect, it’s fascinating to consider what creates longevity in place-making and drives a compelling human experience.

Populous is a global architecture and design firm with a portfolio including projects like Coors Field, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Pepsi Center, the 2012 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games in London and the Super Bowl. The firm’s tag line of “Drawing People Together” defines its work in the aviation, convention center and sports markets.

In December, in an Oakland warehouse called the Ghost Ship, a fire broke out during a live show. The fire spread quickly; 36 people in the warehouse were killed. The interior had been illegally and unsafely modified to house an artist collective, including living units and performance space. After the tragedy, many pointed to the Bay Area’s affordable housing crisis as the driver of unsafe, underground spaces like this one.

It’s a blue sky Colorado day and Jim Johnson, founding partner of Denver’s Johnson Nathan Strohe architecture and design firm, is sitting across the street from the two-hotel project he’s been spearheading in central Boulder. Asked what he’s most proud of with this project, Johnson responds without a second of hesitation, as if he’s been pondering the question for a while.