At Optima®, our commitment to sustainability and innovative architecture drives us to spotlight groundbreaking developments that align with our values. The recently opened Populus Hotel in Denver stands as a testament to what’s possible when design meets environmental responsibility.

Populus is a 265-room hotel that opened in late 2024 and is being hailed as the first carbon-positive hotel in the United States. In practice, “carbon positive” means Populus will sequester more carbon dioxide than the combined embodied and operational emissions of the building over its entire lifecycle. The project’s developers, Urban Villages, and architects, Studio Gang, infused a deep environmental ethos into the design – from its aspen tree-inspired facade to its zero-waste operations – to ensure the hotel doesn’t just neutralize its carbon footprint, but actually leaves the planet ‘better than we found it’. According to its creators, Populus plans to overcompensate for its emissions by 400–500% through a mix of low-carbon construction, eco-friendly operations, and an ambitious tree-planting campaign. The hotel even launched a public “Road to Carbon Positive” dashboard to transparently track its carbon metrics (embodied vs. operational emissions and offsets) in real time.

A signature element of Populus’s sustainability plan is its massive tree-planting and reforestation effort, which provides a direct, nature-based carbon sink for the hotel’s emissions:

• Initial Reforestation (Embodied Carbon Offset): To compensate for the one-time carbon cost of construction, Populus’s developer planted over 70,000 trees in Colorado’s forests even before the hotel opened. Specifically, Urban Villages worked with the U.S. Forest Service and partners to reforest 172+ acres in Gunnison County with native Engelmann spruce seedlings. This area was chosen to restore forest devastated by a beetle-kill epidemic, meaning the project not only sequesters carbon but also helps revive a damaged ecosystem. Over their lifetimes, these 70,000 trees are expected to sequester an amount of CO₂ equivalent to Populus’s entire core-and-shell construction emissions. In other words, the building’s embodied carbon is effectively “paid back” as the new forest matures. (Notably, this approach was favored over simply buying offsets because it creates a visible local legacy and biodiversity benefits in Colorado.)

• “One Night, One Tree” – Continuous Offsetting: Populus’s climate impact doesn’t stop at construction. The hotel has an ongoing commitment to plant a tree for every guest night as part of its operations. In 2024 (its opening year), this will result in roughly 20,000 additional trees planted. Looking ahead, Populus aims to plant at least 55,000 trees in 2025 through this program, and continue at pace for each subsequent year. All trees are planted in collaboration with forestry experts to ensure they thrive – for example, in areas of the White River and Grand Mesa national forests that need reforestation after wildfires or pest damage. The species selected (like lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, and spruce) are chosen for climate resilience and ecological appropriateness. As these trees grow, they will absorb tens of thousands of tons of CO₂ over the coming decades, directly counterbalancing the hotel’s operational emissions. Urban Villages emphasizes that this isn’t just offsetting – it’s rebuilding forests. “We’re not just buying carbon credits, we’re reforesting Colorado forests,” said Jon Buerge, the company’s president. The result is a virtuous cycle: the more guests who stay at Populus, the more trees get planted, and the more carbon is pulled out of the atmosphere.

Sustainable Design vs. Traditional Building Practices
Populus stands out by integrating sustainability at every level, often in ways that contrast with traditional hotel development:

• Low-Carbon Materials: Conventional buildings often rely on materials like standard concrete and steel that carry a high carbon footprint. Populus instead opted for innovative low-carbon materials wherever possible. For instance, the use of fly-ash blended concrete (Holcim’s ECOPact) substantially cut concrete-related emissions. The design also incorporates repurposed and natural materials inside: reclaimed wood from Colorado and Wyoming (e.g. wood from old snow fencing) was used for finishes, and even the lobby bar features panels made from MycoWorks Reishi™, a leather-like material grown from mushroom mycelium. By forgoing many “heavy-carbon” materials in favor of greener alternatives, Populus achieved a much lower embodied carbon than a typical project of its size.
• No On-Site Parking Garage: Most urban hotels include multi-level parking garages built with carbon-intensive concrete and steel. Populus took the unusual step of providing zero on-site parking, making it the first new-build hotel in downtown Denver without a parking structure. This decision eliminated a huge source of embodied carbon (and aligns with the hotel’s site being a former gas station they wanted to symbolically transform). Instead of catering to cars, the building was designed to encourage walking, biking, and public transit use by guests. Architect Jeanne Gang “decided not to add street-level parking, but instead activate each of the three sides of the building” for pedestrian engagement. In an automobile-centric city, this is a bold departure – one that reduces emissions from both construction and guest transportation. Traditional hotels rarely sacrifice parking, whereas Populus treats car-free design as key to its sustainability mission.
• Energy Efficiency & Renewables: Populus is built to operate with a minimal carbon footprint, unlike many older buildings. It is equipped with high-performance insulation and window designs (each window has an overhanging “lid” that provides shade and channels rainwater) to reduce heating/cooling loads. All electricity needed is procured from 100% renewable sources, and efficient appliances and systems further cut energy use. In contrast, a traditional hotel might draw power from the grid (often fossil-fueled) and use standard HVAC and lighting, resulting in significant annual CO₂ emissions. By locking in renewables and efficiency from day one, Populus ensures a lower operational carbon baseline than most buildings can achieve.
• Waste Reduction and Circularity: Typical hospitality operations generate large amounts of waste (food waste, single-use plastics, etc.) that end up in landfills, producing methane and other greenhouse gases. Populus addresses this through innovative measures. It installed an on-site biodigester that composts 100% of the hotel’s food waste, turning scraps into soil nutrients that go back to local farms. The hotel also eliminated single-use plastics and provides reusable items (like refillable water bottles) to guests. In partnership with local farms and organizations, Populus practices “table-to-farm” sourcing and composting, creating a circular loop that typical hotels simply don’t have. These steps further shrink the operational carbon footprint (for example, less waste transport and landfill methane) while exemplifying sustainability to guests.

Setting a New Standard
Populus serves as a model for sustainable hospitality, demonstrating that luxury and environmental responsibility can coexist. Its commitment to carbon positivity challenges the industry to rethink traditional practices and embrace innovative solutions for a more sustainable future.

At Optima®, we are inspired by such pioneering projects and remain dedicated to integrating sustainable practices into our communities, ensuring that design excellence and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.

At the heart of American Modernism, there’s a powerful throughline—one that threads from classroom to gallery, from Bauhaus roots to bold American reinvention. Cranbrook Art Museum’s current exhibition, Eventually Everything Connects: Mid-Century Modern Design in the U.S., illuminates that lineage with grace, depth, and resonance. For those familiar with Optima®’s architectural ethos, the exhibition reads like a love letter to the movement that inspired it—an affirmation that Modernism is not just history, but a living, breathing influence on how we build and live today.

The exhibition takes its title from a famous Charles Eames quote—apt, given that Eames and his wife Ray are central figures in both the show and the broader Cranbrook legacy. As Optima® readers know from past explorations of design history, Charles Eames studied architecture at Cranbrook and later taught there, absorbing and transmitting the school’s experimental spirit. In fact, many of the visionaries featured in Eventually Everything Connects—Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia, and Eero Saarinen among them—passed through the doors of this Michigan-based institution before reshaping American design forever.

Curated with a reverent yet contemporary eye, the exhibition is more than a retrospective—it’s a sensory map of how ideas traveled, evolved, and ultimately converged to shape the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic. Furniture, textiles, ceramics, and graphic design pieces sit alongside architectural models and immersive digital storytelling. The result is a tapestry of influence—one that echoes in the clean lines and honest materials of Optima® communities, from the desert forms of Optima McDowell Mountain® to the lush, elevated designs of Optima Lakeview® in Chicago.

One of the show’s strengths lies in how it foregrounds the network of mentorship and collaboration that defined the era. Florence Knoll’s revolutionary approach to spatial planning, for example, is shown in conversation with Eliel and Eero Saarinen’s architectural philosophy—both deeply rooted in Cranbrook’s pedagogical DNA. Harry Bertoia’s sculptural experimentation, so present in his iconic chairs and sound sculptures, emerges as a counterpoint to the rigorous geometry of Herbert Matter’s photography and Ray Eames’ textile work.

This interdisciplinary cross-pollination is something Optima® has long championed. As we’ve explored in previous posts, the company’s founder, David Hovey Sr., FAIA, drew from these very ideas—bringing together structure, landscape, interiors, and lifestyle into a cohesive vision. At Optima®, the architect is not only the builder, but the planner, developer, and often, the designer of the furniture and finishes themselves. It’s a spirit lifted directly from Cranbrook’s holistic approach.

Eventually Everything Connects also serves as a timely reminder of Modernism’s social ambition. Many of the objects on display—like mass-produced modular furniture or Bauhaus-influenced graphics—emerged from a belief in accessible, democratic design. That ethos continues in Optima®’s own work today, particularly in the integration of nature, wellness, and community across properties. The idea that beautiful design should enhance everyday life isn’t just an aesthetic—it’s a mission.

For visitors, the exhibition isn’t simply a walk through time; it’s an invitation to reconsider the spaces we inhabit today. As we stand inside the clean volumes and sunlit courtyards of Optima Verdana® or admire the breezeways and outdoor corridors of Optima Signature® , we feel the resonance of these mid-century ideals made modern once again.

In short, Eventually Everything Connects is more than an exhibition—it’s a mirror held up to a movement that continues to shape how we live and dream. For those who call an Optima® community home—or for anyone inspired by the ongoing legacy of Modernist design—it’s a pilgrimage well worth making.

The exhibition runs through September 21, 2025. Information about visiting the Cranbrook Museum, curated tours, special events, and the 400-page exhibition book published with Phaidon can be found here.

At Optima®, we believe great design begins with inclusion. Our “Women in Architecture” series is part of a broader commitment to celebrating the vital contributions of women like Francine Houben, whose vision and leadership continue to shape the built environment in thoughtful, transformative ways. Highlighting these voices not only honors the past and present, but also inspires future generations of architects and designers.

In the often technical and visually driven world of architecture, Dutch architect Francine Houben stands out not just for her expressive buildings, but for her unwavering belief that architecture must serve humanity above all else. As the founding partner and creative director of Mecanoo Architecten, Houben has built a global career grounded in a singular ethos: designing for people.

Born in 1955 in Sittard, the Netherlands, Houben came of age during a pivotal time in architectural thinking—when Brutalism’s reign was giving way to more humanistic, socially conscious design. She studied architecture at the Delft University of Technology, where she would later return as a professor and mentor to a new generation of designers. Early on, Houben showed a proclivity for blending rational urban planning with poetic design, a balance that would come to define her portfolio.

Designing for All the Senses
Houben’s approach is holistic, one that treats architecture as a “symphony of all the senses.” She believes buildings should be welcoming, intuitive, and inclusive, responding to their environments and the diverse communities that inhabit them. As she has put it:

“Architecture is about combining all of the elements of life. It’s not just about functionality or aesthetics—it’s about emotion, atmosphere, and creating a sense of place.”

This philosophy is most vividly realized in her public buildings—libraries, theaters, universities—where people from all walks of life converge.

One of her most celebrated projects is the Delft University of Technology Library (1998), a bold yet graceful structure tucked beneath a sloping grass roof that blurs the boundary between landscape and building. The design is not just iconic; it’s democratic, offering students and faculty a place that’s both functional and inspiring.

Her international acclaim soared with the design of the Library of Birmingham in the UK (2013), a project that redefined what a civic space could be. With its intricate metallic façade and stacked geometric forms, the library is both a beacon of knowledge and a cultural hub. But beyond aesthetics, Houben made sure the building served its community—from offering learning resources to creating public gathering spaces that are free, open, and accessible.

Building Cultural Bridges
Francine Houben’s architecture often acts as a bridge—between past and present, art and function, city and citizen. At the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building in Boston (2015), she preserved elements of historic structures while inserting dynamic, light-filled forms to house public services and educational institutions. It’s a powerful expression of how design can support civic pride and equity.

More recently, she led the renovation and expansion of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., originally designed by Mies van der Rohe. With profound respect for the building’s modernist heritage, Houben introduced warmth, light, and public programming that brought new life to a civic monument.

As she reflects:
“You have to design not for the architect, not for the image, but for the people. That’s where beauty begins.”

Francine Houben’s career is not defined by a signature style, but by a consistent sensibility—an empathetic eye, a human-centered touch, and an insistence that beauty and utility can, and must, coexist. Her influence is not only etched into skylines, but into the evolving philosophy of what architecture can be: a social art, a cultural instrument, a shelter for the soul.

In a recent Architectural Digest feature, the dream of living in a Modernist masterpiece—even for a night—becomes a reality. From Richard Neutra’s crisp geometries to Albert Frey’s mountain-perched glass box, the article highlights a selection of iconic homes by some of the 20th century’s most influential architects, now available for rent. For fans of Modernism—and for residents and admirers of Optima® communities—it’s an irresistible invitation: a rare chance to inhabit the blueprints of a design revolution.

What makes this article particularly resonant for the Optima® brand is its celebration of the very values that inform every Optima development: connection to landscape, spatial efficiency, and the transformative power of architectural vision. Take Neutra’s Rice House in Los Angeles, for example. Tucked into a lush hillside and outfitted with dramatic horizontal planes and floor-to-ceiling glass, it is a study in indoor-outdoor living—a core principle in Optima’s own projects, from the vertical landscaping of Optima Verdana® to the desert-integrated design of Optima McDowell Mountain®.

The article doesn’t just catalogue homes; it offers a sensory passport to different regions of the country through the lens of Modernist aesthetics. A visitor to Frey House II in Palm Springs, with its compact footprint and boulder-punctuated interiors, will quickly understand how simplicity and restraint can elevate comfort. Similarly, homes like the Olsen House by Donald Wexler show how metal, glass, and light can harmonize to create a lived experience that feels simultaneously minimal and luxurious—a balance that Optima properties across Scottsdale and Chicago artfully pursue.

For Optima® residents, these rentals might feel more like cousins than aspirational getaways. The modular rhythm of exposed steel and glass, the prioritization of views and natural light, and the seamless blurring of inside and out are already part of everyday life. But there’s still something magnetic about standing in the very spaces that shaped the Modernist canon—homes that were once experiments and are now monuments.

The Architectural Digest roundup is more than a travel guide; it’s a reminder that architecture can be intimate. That great design isn’t just something to look at—it’s something to live in. And while Optima® creates that reality at scale, these short-term rentals offer a pilgrimage of sorts: a tactile, time-bound encounter with the pioneers who laid the foundation for the way we live beautifully today.

For those seeking inspiration or simply a design-forward escape, this curated list of Modernist rentals offers a rare chance to dwell inside history. Just don’t be surprised if, after a few nights immersed in Neutra or Frey, you come home to your own Optima® residence with a renewed appreciation for its vision—and its view.

Color has always been one of architecture’s most powerful tools—not just for visual delight, but for emotional and psychological impact. Whether vibrant and energetic or subtle and grounding, color shapes how we experience buildings long before we ever step inside. At Optima®, color isn’t just applied—it’s embedded into the DNA of each structure. Through thoughtful exterior palettes, we tell visual stories that connect people to place, shape perception, and elevate everyday experience.

The Psychology of Color in the Built Environment
Color has a profound influence on mood and cognition. Cool hues like blues and greens often evoke calm, balance, and introspection, while warmer tones like reds and oranges suggest energy, passion, and warmth. Neutral tones can communicate elegance, clarity, and modernism. Architects and designers have long drawn on color theory to create desired emotional effects—and these insights are more than intuitive.

The Munsell Color System, developed by artist and educator Albert Munsell in the early 20th century, organizes color based on three perceptual dimensions: hue (the type of color), value (lightness or darkness), and chroma (color intensity). This structured approach allows designers to select colors with precision and purpose—balancing brightness, saturation, and contrast to shape spatial experience.

At Optima®, these principles are woven into every exterior design. Our use of color is never arbitrary—it’s a calibrated response to location, light, material, and mood.

The Use of Color at Optima®
Across our communities, exterior palettes are carefully composed to create harmony between architecture and environment. In Scottsdale, Optima Kierland Apartments® and Optima Sonoran Village® use desert-inspired tones—ochres, sage greens, deep terracottas—that align with the surrounding Sonoran landscape. These palettes are designed with low chroma and medium value, creating an earthy richness that’s both calming and rooted in place.

In Chicago, Optima Signature® and Optima Lakeview® explore a different end of the spectrum. Here, we draw on higher-value, lower-chroma hues like charcoal gray, soft black, and glass blue to reflect the urban context and seasonal light shifts. The result is a sophisticated tonal balance that feels clean and contemporary but never sterile. Wood accents and textured materials in projects like Optima Lakeview® add warmth and tactile variation, offering contrast without overpowering the overall composition.

Creating Continuity Through Color
Color at Optima® is not confined to facades. Our vertical landscaping, interior finishes, and communal spaces often echo the building’s exterior palette, creating a holistic sensory experience. This reflects another principle from color theory: simultaneous contrast—how colors influence one another when placed side by side. By repeating tones across surfaces, we create visual continuity and emotional cohesion.

Our color choices also support our commitment to wellness and biophilic design. Natural hues—drawn from plants, minerals, and the changing sky—foster a subconscious connection to the outdoors, which has been shown to reduce stress and improve wellbeing.

A Palette That Evolves With Time
Just as natural light animates a building, it also transforms its color. That’s why we select palettes that shift gracefully throughout the day and year. A muted green might appear silver at sunrise and forest-rich by dusk. This responsiveness is essential to Optima’s approach. As the Munsell Color System reminds us, color is not fixed—it’s dynamic, relative, and deeply perceptual.

In every Optima® development, color is more than a surface treatment. It’s an architectural element, a mood-setter, and a storytelling device. It shapes how a building feels, how it fits into its context, and how residents connect to it over time.

Because in the end, color isn’t just what we see—it’s how we feel in a space. And at Optima®, we design for both.