The City of Northglenn, Colorado, celebrated the grand opening of its new City Hall on October 12, 2024 with Mass Timber.
The two-story, 32,600-square-foot building is the first municipal building in Colorado to achieve the prestigious CORE Green Building certification, a testament to the city's commitment to sustainability. This achievement aligns with the city's overall sustainability vision, outlined in the 2022-2023 Sustainability Plan Update, which states, "Northglenn is a vibrant community that thrives on civic engagement and collaboration to use the power of our citizens to increase sustainability and enhance our resources and economic sustainability."
The project began with a vision to replace the outdated City Hall with a modern, efficient, and welcoming space for city employees and residents. Nathaniel Sperry, Senior Project Manager with FCI Constructors, the project’s Construction Manager/General Contractor, shared, "Northglenn was in desperate need of a new city hall. With a dated building lacking resources, space, and safety infrastructure to support employees in providing services to the community, it was time for change."
The new City Hall is a critical component of the three-part Civic Center Master Plan approved by the Northglenn City Council in 2017. The plan aims to enhance Northglenn’s community identity by creating a more inviting, functional place for the community to connect and thrive.
Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, embraced sustainability from the outset.
Joey Carrasquillo, Principal at Anderson Mason Dale Architects, explained, “The whole sustainability agenda became a significant narrative for the City of Northglenn. It’s still a relatively young city, and they are seeking identity and saw this project as an opportunity to begin shaping a path for that identity to take shape.”
The new building is fully electric and net-zero, meaning it generates as much or more energy as it uses. It features a 196-kilowatt rooftop photovoltaic array consisting of 476 solar panels and utilizes a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) mechanical system for heating and cooling.
One of the project's most unique aspects is using cross-laminated timber (CLT) in its construction.
CLT is a relatively new building material in the U.S., typically used in square structures. However, the design team demonstrated CLT's versatility in non-traditional geometries, making the Northglenn City Hall a model for future CLT projects.
Daniel Wirth, Senior Principal from Minimal Impact Engineering said this was a “turnkey install of Mass Timber scope, including primary and secondary steel members.”
Carrasquillo elaborated, "This project will be a model that demonstrates that geometries can be manipulated and this technology executed so that it can be used for future projects that aren’t square; it will be a great demonstration of that. The geometry changed quite a bit throughout the design process, and we were able to find that sweet spot and deploy cross-laminated timber optimally for this project."
The geometry of the building was a big challenge; there were no 90-degree corners on this building. Most mass timber buildings are square boxes, but this shape challenged us to rethink our conventions regarding framing curves with mass timber.
Andrew Paddock, P.E, with KL&A Engineers and Builders, noted, “Geometric control and coordination with the CLT fabricator were key. The geometry of the building was a big challenge, as there were no 90-degree corners on it. Most mass timber buildings are square boxes, but this shape challenged us to rethink our conventions regarding framing curves with mass timber. Geometric control and coordination with CLT fabricators was key.”
The project used 300 tons of CLT, and the structure was erected in five weeks.
Sperry commented, “That piece is cool. We had 300 tons of timber manufactured within a millimeter in precision. That all went up very quickly. We had that part erected in five weeks.” The timber, sourced from Quebec, Canada, resulted in embodied carbon savings equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 621 acres of forest for a year – approximately 30 times the size of the Northglenn Civic Center Campus.
In addition to CLT, the project team prioritized sustainable and locally sourced materials. Twenty percent of the materials were sourced within 310 miles of the project site, and many products have “Declare labels,” indicating they are free from harmful chemicals. The exterior features zinc and thermally modified wood, both natural, durable, and processed without toxic chemicals.
The landscaping also adheres to sustainable practices, utilizing native and xeric plants to reduce water use by over 70% and relying entirely on non-potable water collected from rain and snow for irrigation. Sperry highlighted the exterior choices: "We used really smart high-end exterior materials: Arbor Wood, a tongue and groove paneling, and then NedZink zinc metal cladding in a couple of different profiles on the outside of the building."
The new Northglenn City Hall is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and commitment to sustainability.
It provides a welcoming and functional space for city employees and residents, while serving as a model for future sustainable municipal buildings. Carrasquillo summarized the project's impact, saying, "This project is going to redefine what city halls are in today’s world… That’s what this city hall is all about for Northglenn."
Project Team:
Landscape Architect: MIG
Mass Timber Supplier: Nordic Structures
Civil Engineer: Martin/Martin
MEP Engineer: The Ballard Group
Developer/Owner: City of Northglenn
Owner's Representative: The Cumming Group
Mass Timber Installer: minimal impact engineering
This is a partial list of all the individuals and organizations contributing to the Northglenn City Hall project.
In the comments section, please let us know if you contributed in any way.
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