CoLab is an impressive 7-story podium student housing residential development with 253 apartment units that house 727 individual bedrooms and includes top-notch amenities. The 5-story residential component sits atop a 2-story partially buried parking garage creating a unique above ground level installation for outdoor amenities. Colorado Hardscapes, a Bomanite Decorative Concrete Contractor worked with Landscape Architect, Britina Designs to make the outdoor living space a stylish modern green community. Environmentally conscious, CoLab chose materials and systems to minimize waste and maximize energy.

The CoLab Student Living Housing Community, a USGBC Gold LEED project, brings the outdoors in with smartly styled study spaces, a rooftop deck and several lush outdoor gathering areas for tenants to enjoy; the pool court (Resort-Style Pool), Fire Court (Outdoor Lounge) and Water Court (Table Games) all featuring decorative concrete.  During the design stage Britina Designs visited Colorado Hardscapes Showroom viewing several samples of different concrete systems and to determine the final finishes, aggregates and colors.

Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Systems Sandscape Texture was chosen for the general walkways and courtyards with an inviting eye-catching alternating band of color panels of flatwork. The Bomanite Sandscape Texture was also incorporated into the pool coping with a child safety grip and coordinating color. Bomanite Sandscape Texture utilizes specialized concrete mix designs, additives, decorative mineral aggregates, topical treatments and advanced application procedures to produce a finished product that resembles sand blasted concrete through fine “quarried stone”. Bomanite Sandscape Texture typically involves the use of Bomanite Integral Color and may incorporate specialized natural, regionally selected and qualified sands such as slag, granite, quartz or limestone.

The Bomanite Sandscape Refined Series is similar in design to conventional Sandscape, based on the exposure of fine quartz aggregates but bound in Bomanite Color Hardener. The resulting texture is known as “sugar cube finish”; the feel of the concrete mimics the texture of formed sugar cubes. Due to the use of Bomanite Color Hardener, the Bomanite Sandscape Texture Refined Series is available in a multitude of standard and custom options, including cost effective light-reflective formulations that do not require the use of white cement to reduce heat island effect. The Sandscape Refined Architectural Concrete Finish was installed around the firepit lounge area and included amber glass and crushed mirror glass for a natural reflective nighttime sheen.

The Bomanite Toppings Systems Micro-Top ST, a spray applied concrete resurfacing product, has excellent adhesion and weather resistance with the ability to withstand prolonged pedestrian and light duty vehicular traffic. Bomanite Micro-Top ST provides a tough, slip resistant water-retardant coating that substantially reduces water penetration, freeze-thaw scaling and concrete carbonation making it perfect choice for the exterior areas of this Denver Community Housing development. Colorado Hardscapes placed the Micro-Top ST on curbs, steps and walls with a custom color match to complement the surrounding finishes. Once the finish was complete the owners loved the look so much that they requested an additional application to the front foundation.

A popular growing technique, Colorado Hardscapes installed Board-formed Concrete, for the fire pit, water features and outdoor kitchen BBQ. Board-formed Concrete is a process of patterning concrete that leaves a wood grain image on the finished face of the concrete. Because concrete is extremely well-suited as a finished material in modern design, by imprinting the wood grain on the surface, it visually softens and warms concrete’s somewhat cooler appearance while still allowing concrete to express the construction technique giving a modern yet rustic organic vibe to these CoLab outdoor hangouts.

CoLab achieved LEED GOLD certification with the collaboration efforts from the owner/developer, designers, contractors, and consultants that led to points in the following categories: High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems; Energy Efficient Appliances; High Efficiency Hot Water Heating; Energy Efficient Lighting; Indoor Environment Quality; Innovation & Design Process; and Material and Resources. Making a LEED Gold certified community, CoLab provides the peace of mind to tenants of knowing their community was built and operates in an environmentally friendly manner with the generated benefits of energy-efficiency and cost-savings. Everyone worked together to transform a great design into reality, a stylish decorative green living community.

Colorado Hardscapes earned the Bomanite Exposed Aggregate Award Over 6,000 sq. ft Bronze Award for their outstanding and contributing decorative concrete work on the CoLab LEED Gold Co-housing Community Development.