When designs for One River North were released in 2021, international media coverage lauded the “plant-filled fantasy landscape” for blurring “the lines between the built and natural environments.” One critic even preemptively declared it “the coolest building not just in RiNo, but the entire state.”
The acclaim has continued to this day. Just last week, the apartment complex at 38th and Blake Street was named a finalist in Fast Company’s global design awards.
However, seventeen months after opening, the reality of One River North doesn’t quite align with the initial renderings. The luscious plants that made the design so striking are still missing. Rather than trees, vines and water features, the canyon-like crack through the building reveals only a barren, beige concrete structure…