Denver-based Confluent Development is a versatile, full-service real estate investment and development firm that owns and develops ground-up commercial real estate. Since its inception in 2014 at an office located on downtown Denver’s historic Blake Street, the company has experienced meaningful growth. It has executed projects nationwide across a diverse portfolio and as its team expands to support this growth trajectory, the firm has established a new home just blocks away at 2215 Market St., in Denver’s bustling lower downtown community.
As the firm transitioned from its old office space to a new one and navigated the impacts of the pandemic on the workplace, the team gained a deeper understanding of the importance of collaboration and connectivity. Those who previously thought they worked more efficiently or felt more energized by working remotely discovered they were better off when everyone was able to be together. Conversely, those who may have assumed they needed a closed door to focus, experienced an open platform where everyone from the CEO to support staff were all sitting next to each other. As a result, the learning and collaboration opportunities were much more beneficial.
In this interim period, Confluent wanted to ensure these lessons learned translated seamlessly into their new space. Ultimately, for a company of this size, the new office space improves the ways in which the team members engage and collaborate, and the best way to achieve this was to ensure the team is located on one single floor together and not separated like they were in the old office.
The firm’s first office was smaller and split between two floors, which did not prove beneficial for collaboration, socializing and connectivity. The new office space is 10,914 square feet and features a 460-square-foot collaborative area all on one floor, and its central space has more than three areas within one for the team’s use.
To continue to reinforce the spirit of collaboration, connectivity and creativity, Confluent commissioned a local artist, Tom Ward, to paint a colorful mural throughout the collaborative space. In addition to the vibrant colors and environment of the office, Confluent felt incorporating nature and greenery was equally important, and has implemented several plant-based designs throughout the space.
Through its extensive work in the office real estate sector, specifically its partnership with Vectra Bank on the development of its new corporate headquarters at I-25 and Belleview Station, there was no better leader to map the vision of a new office space than the Confluent team members themselves, as they are well attuned to build the space that fits the needs of today’s office environment and teams. Confluent understood it needed to be as flexible as possible and has planned accordingly to make sure it creates the best space possible for today and the future.
All spaces in the office, including the collaboration areas, have been developed so the team can reconfigure the space easily. From office frames with mountable partitions to the opportunities to add more cubes, move around furniture or add more privacy within offices if needed, everything had been programmed into the space in the spirit of encouraging and reinforcing what this team has learned from experience — that it’s at its best when team members are able to run into each other, catch up on weekends, have quick conversations, brainstorm and collaborate creatively.
Project Partners:
Architect: Lewis Himes & Associates
GC: Raine Building
Interior Art/Mural: Tom Ward, national mural artist and abstract painter
