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T3 RiNo, the first large scale mass timber building constructed in Denver, won a Best Project-level award in the Office/Retail/Mixed-Use category.
By Adrienne Nelson AIA, IIDA
Historically, office building lobbies have been purely transitional spaces—beautiful yet briefly occupied. Today, owners and architects are reimagining the lobby’s purpose, design, and user experience.
The AIA Connecticut J.E.D.I. Challenge is designed to inspire and incentivize AIA Connecticut member firms to increase gender and racial diversity in their firms and the profession. In recognition of their commendable J.E.D.I. strategies and efforts, AIA CT recognizes small, medium, and large firms whose aggregated responses scored 30% or higher beyond the baseline score. This is the fourth consecutive year Pickard Chilton has been recognized with this honor.
Office Development: In downtown Bellevue, The Eight also helped earn Skanska Developer of the Year honors. Pickard Chilton designed the LEED-certified project, which Skanska built. Besides Pokemon, tenants include Trade Desk and the coming Sabine Cafe. The latter will slot into the lobby, which also features a vinyl album listening lounge and many other amenities.
With the exterior façade finished on Northwestern Mutual’s $500 million north office tower renovation, crews are working their way through some of the interior and amenities spaces.
Construction on the base building is roughly 80% complete, while interior work is closer to 50% and expected to be completed by the middle of next year. The building remains on track for completion in early 2027.
The renovation project was designed as the insurance provider plans to move roughly 2,000 employees downtown from its Franklin campus.
This award recognize a development that exhibits a development team’s commitment to an outstanding quality product, success in the marketplace, and uniqueness in design of a project.
The Eight is a 25-story, 550,000 SF Class-A+ office tower in downtown Bellevue that utilizes a side-core design for virtually column-free, flexible floorplates. It offers floor-to-ceiling glass, 100% fresh air, and a 35% reduction in embodied carbon. Amenities include a landscaped plaza with mass-timber pavilion, indoor/outdoor lounge, a 150-person collaboration space, nine tenant decks, spa-like fitness center, retail along NE 8th, bike storage for 175 bikes, and 22 EV chargers including eight Superchargers.
The 2025 NOMA Phil Freelon Awards reveal how design excellence and social impact are becoming inseparable. The Vision Design Excellence Honor Award went to Pickard Chilton’s Michael Hensley, AIA, RIBA, for The Grid Commons in New York City. A citation was also presented to Hensley for T3 Rino in Denver, CO, underscoring Pickard Chilton’s strong showing at this year’s awards.
The Vision Design Excellence Honor Award went to Pickard Chilton’s Michael Hensley, AIA, RIBA, for The Grid Commons in New York City.
The project’s tower base “is designed to welcome the broader public and community,” the firm explains, with a grocery store and community center anchoring a civic entryway. A childcare center, residents’ lounge, fitness space, and roof garden reinforce the building’s mission as a social condenser — blending density with inclusivity.
The Vision Design Excellence Citation Award went to Pickard Chilton for T3 RiNo, in Denver.
AIA Connecticut honors Pickard Chilton Senior Associate Andrew Gorzkowski for his support and contributions through committee work and programs. His commitment, leadership, and generous contributions through committee work and programs have strengthened our community and advanced the mission of AIA CT.
“The massing, color, and structural expression pay homage to the natural beauty and the architectural heritage of the Pacific Northwest,” said Anthony Markese, principal at Pickard Chilton. “The Eight’s unique faceted tower form and sunlit public plaza were envisioned as a prototype for the catalytic transformation of a key site in the heart of Bellevue, Washington.”
What does it take to design office buildings that shape cities?
In this episode of In the Loop, William Chilton, Principal Architect at Pickard Chilton, about the future of office architecture. In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How collaboration and client vision create iconic buildings
- Why global office design trends are converging post-COVID
- The balance between efficiency, aesthetics, and commercial success
- The impact of public spaces and city character on workplace design