Awarding neighborhood advancement through architecture

Complex transit-oriented renovation project.

By Jake Kulju

The $500 million Denver Union Station renovation is easily one of the largest and most complex transit-oriented renovation projects in the United States. Denver has been in the process of revitalizing the underused area since the 1980s when it began seeking ways to turn the underused rail yard into a thriving economic center.

The project benefits the citizens of Denver, and all Coloradans who travel through the facility. That functionality hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Denver Union Station Neighborhood Transformation project has received an American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design. The award is in recognition of the expanding role of architecture in urban design and community development.

Jake Kulju, a frequent contributor to Fabric Architecture, is a freelance writer from Minneapolis, Minn.