Populus Hotel: Precise Coordination Keeps Systems Hidden at Aspen-inspired Denver Hotel

ProjectsMountain States & Southwest Construction NewsBest Projects2025 Best of the Best Winners Populus Hotel: Precise Coordination Keeps Systems Hidden at Aspen-inspired Denver Hotel By Annemarie Mannion Photo courtesy of the Beck Group and Hunt Electric March 13, 2026 Populus Hotel Denver Specialty Construction Submitted by: Hunt Electric Region: ENR Mountain States Owner: Urban Villages Lead Design Firm: Studio Gang General Contractor: The Beck Group Electrical Contractor: Hunt Electric Nothing would disrupt the feel of a grove of Aspen trees more than exposed electrical infrastructure. That’s one reason why the construction team behind the Populus Hotel—a 13-story hotel in Denver designed to resemble the eyes of the area’s iconic trees—employed precision and close coordination among all construction and design partners. “Extensive coordination had to take place with the structural engineer for all of our penetrations and cast-in-place elements to avoid impacting the structural integrity of the building, while trying to hide as much electrical infrastructure as possible,” says Tony Franklin, senior project manager for Hunt Electric. “Planning and coordination of conduit/cable routing had to be taken into account where normally concealed by drywall walls or ceilings.” Hunt used Building Information Modeling (BIM) as well as GPS-guided layout tools to place conduits and devices within the concrete’s curves, ensuring every element fit within the project’s aspen-inspired ge...