"We have something north of $20 million invested into it, including the building, the furniture and the IT," Robert Watson, president and COO-North America, and one of the original five founders of ProLogis, tells GlobeSt.com. He also notes that ProLogis has an option to buy the adjoining six acres, where it could build an identically sized building in Gateway Park, where it is the first mid-rise office tower. "We certainly hope we will build the second building at some point."
Jeff Schwartz, CEO of ProLogis, says that before the move the company was in a nearby reconfigured warehouse. Although he liked the idea of being in a warehouse, he says the company's size and the caliber of the people working there required a better fitting world headquarters building. About 325 people work in the building.
Also, Watson notes that the old warehouse the company was in didn't have much natural light, while their new building was designed to maximize sunlight. Indeed, it is one of the most energy-efficient offices in the Denver area.
ProLogis execs expect the building to qualify for a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (better known as LEED) rating from the US Green Building Council. Energy-saving features includes a light harvesting illumination system; evaporative cooling system, high-reflective PVC-based roofing material; energy-efficient glass, low-water-use fixtures; landscaping that uses gray water; recharging stations for electric vehicles; and recycled construction materials, including the carpets used throughout the building. The building's amenities include a gymnasium and its own cafeteria.
"Everything we have designed in the building is very collaborative," Watson tells GlobeSt.com. "We don't have a lot of offices. In the cafeteria, for example, someone from marketing might run into someone from another department who they might not usually see, and they can trade ideas."
Schwartz tells GlobeSt.com that company mostly considered sites in the area. He says they didn't want to be in Downtown Denver or in the Denver Tech Center because execs wanted to be closer to their local properties.
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