RiNo Park - The Art of Concrete — RiNo Park

Rather than tearing out the old and replacing it with new, the team redesigned the old to be incorporated with the new. The park cuts right through what once was an old police building and now connects the spaces beautifully.

Connecting to Community

It is an exciting time to be building in Denver. Part of the great transformation of that corridor is the land along the South Platter River. For far too long it has been a blighted part of town. This year, RiNo Park emerged in 3.5 acres of land that was historically occupied by rail, warehouse, and manufacturing industries. The City of Denver and Wenk and Associates saw the space as a great opportunity for growth for Denver Five Points and the Arts District.

It was time for a facelift for the couple of old buildings sitting on the piece of desolate land. That’s when Iron Woman Construction and The Art of Concrete came on the scene to make the vision a reality. Initially they were going to tear the buildings down, but the community asked to keep them; the City listened and integrated them into the design of the park.

RiNo Park is helping Denver fulfill it’s goal to have a park within walking distance of every resident. The park breathes life into an area that desperately needed a green space. One of the goals of this park was to be a community hub and connect people to the outdoors and open spaces, and it does that and makes the City of Denver more beautiful.

“One of the reasons The Art of Concrete was brought on the project is because we are a MWBE, DBE and SBE Company, which helped fill the City’s goals for the project of small disadvantaged firm participation. ”

— Karen Keyes, Owner/President

The reuse and preservation of the existing aged concrete floor are by overlay and staining the concrete. It is the expertise of The Art of Concrete. The outcome is encouraging and has archived the goals of both conservation and giving new life to the

Creative Thinking to Preserve History

An area of innovation was the reuse of the concrete slab used in the new Maker’s Plaza. The existing building was partially exposed to open up into the park and create a welcoming plaza. Because the building foundation, walls, and floors were in decent shape, the team recognized early on it would be wasteful to tear it all out only to replace it with new material. So, when it came to time address the concrete slab that had been interior for so long and it is now intended to be part of the exterior part of the park, the design team leaned on The Art of Concrete’s expertise.

The goal was to maintain the history and integrity of the slab but ensuring it was a safe exterior surface designed to withstand Denver’s climate. An overlay or coating was instantly out because it would hide the beautifully-aged slab that helps tell the story of the space. So it came down to texturizing the slab in a way that would provide enough traction in Colorado’s changing weather scenarios, while not altering the appearance dramatically or require much additional maintenance. With a serious of grinders and different techniques, The Art of Concrete’s team created enough of a profile on the concrete slab while maintaining the same general appearance of the slab. Anyone who walked the project today wouldn’t think twice about the slab being any different than the one that was there through the entire history of the rest of the building.