Populus Denver has been awarded a winner within ULI’s 2025 Americas Awards for Excellence. Selected from 94 projects, Populus was one of only ten developments recognized as the first carbon-positive hotel in the U.S., setting a new benchmark for sustainable hospitality.
For reference, ULI began the Awards for Excellence program in 1979 to recognize superior development efforts in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the land use profession and encompass a wide range of land uses, sizes, investments, and geographic locations.
Located in downtown Denver, the hotel combines bold, biomimetic architecture inspired by an Aspen tree with a commitment to environmental stewardship, offsetting more carbon than it emits through design, operations, and reforestation. Its distinctive form and focus on public engagement make it a landmark for climate-forward, design-led development.
ULI Americas Awards for Excellence finalists were selected by a multidisciplinary jury of ULI members, including experts in development, finance, planning, urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture.
“There was an incredible swath of nominees from North America, Central America, and South America this year, which made selecting winners from an outstanding pool of finalists a challenge,” said jury chair Jackie Knight, president, The Ackerberg Group. “The jury was impressed by the diversity of entries, especially the number of developments that focused on creating spaces that build and connect communities in unique ways. It is not an ‘easy’ time to develop, and these award-winning developments found creative ways to build partnerships and execute critical work, enhancing the built environment for us today as well as for generations to come.”
View all submissions from the 2024 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence here.
