Denver, Colorado
MilePost35 is part of the continuing transformation of Denver’s Central Park neighborhood, a community built around connections between housing, parks, transit, trails, and open space. The project brings a mix of apartments and townhomes into a neighborhood where an active, outdoor lifestyle is already part of the culture. Back40’s landscape establishes a recognizable identity for the community while organizing the many layers of experience that make a large residential project feel like a place rather than simply a collection of buildings. Arrival, circulation, gathering, recreation, and amenity spaces are woven together through the landscape, creating connections to the neighborhood rather than making MilePost35 feel like an isolated enclave. At this scale, landscape architecture is as much about organization as aesthetics, creating a framework that gives residents a clear sense of home while allowing the landscape to unfold into a series of experiences.
The clubhouse and pool amenity become the social heart of the community. Rather than treating the pool as a singular destination, the landscape creates a sequence of spaces that move from active and urban to relaxed and natural. A spacious pool is anchored by a custom art sculpture that provides a strong visual focal point, while a cabana-lined edge creates intimate places to retreat and a sense of privacy from the adjacent neighborhood park. The spa begins to shift the character of the landscape, using an organic form to transition the experience away from the structured geometry of the pool and toward a more natural expression inspired by Colorado’s mountain landscape.
As the day moves into evening, the character of the pool terrace changes again. The pergola and media wall become a place of activation—where residents can gather to grill with friends and family, watch the game, and take in the Colorado sunset from the poolside. Beyond the pool enclosure, a boulder fire feature creates another gathering point and extends the life of the outdoor spaces into the evening. The experience is intentionally layered: active when the pool is buzzing, social as the afternoon turns to evening, and quieter around the fire as the day winds down.
The result is a landscape that reflects the broader idea behind MilePost35: a home base for an active Colorado lifestyle. The landscape connects residents to the neighborhood and gives them reasons to stay within the community; to swim, gather, watch a game, share a meal, enjoy the sunset, or simply find a quieter place to take in the landscape. The amenities aren’t isolated features; together they create the social framework of the community and give MilePost35 its own sense of place.
Illustrative Site Plan
Project Images
Project Team
Architect: Kephart
Civil Engineer: HKS
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