Horizon Apartments: Modern Urban Homes with Mountain Views
A 16-story residential tower in central Denver, designed for comfort, community and low running costs.
- Client: Urban Living Developers (2022)
- Project Value: $68 Million
- Time to Completion: 18 months
- Location: Denver, 2022
- Project Type: Commercial
- Project Size: 16 stories, 190 apartments
Project Overview
Horizon Apartments is a 16-story residential tower in the centre of Denver, offering 190 studio, one- and two-bedroom homes with views towards the Rocky Mountains. The building was designed around community, with a shared roof terrace, co-working lounge, bike workshop and pet-friendly courtyard. Inside each apartment, efficient layouts make the most of every square foot, while triple-glazed windows, heat recovery ventilation and smart thermostats keep homes comfortable through Denver's hot summers and cold winters. Ground-floor retail space adds life to the surrounding streets.
Challenges
Horizon Apartments had to be delivered quickly to meet strong demand for rental homes, on a narrow site beside a busy light rail line. Denver's rapid temperature swings made winter concreting difficult, and the client set ambitious energy targets that required a highly airtight building envelope. Space for cranes, storage and deliveries was extremely limited, so every lift and delivery had to be planned precisely in advance.
Solutions
Structo met the Horizon challenges with a mix of off-site manufacturing, careful weather planning and a strong focus on the building envelope. By planning each stage in detail before work began, the team kept the programme moving through the winter and delivered a building that performs as well as it looks.
Results
Horizon Apartments opened two months ahead of the original programme and reached full occupancy within six months. Residents praise the quiet, bright homes and the shared spaces, and the building's energy use is around 40% lower than a typical tower of its size. The project has since been used by the client as the model for its next three residential developments across the region.
