Kensington Tower, a luxury residential project with a minimized carbon footprint, is set to break ground in 2021 at the corner of State Street and 200 South. The 39-story tower is proposed to rise 448 feet, altering the skyline of the city. According to Molly Robinson, Salt Lake City Planning Manager told the Deseret News, it would be one of the tallest buildings “in the entire state. That’s pretty exciting. And the fact that it’s almost fully residential is even more amazing.”
With 380 proposed residential units, Kensington Tower will play a vital role in a time when the Salt Lake Tribune says, “the city and state continue to see a boom in population growth.” Residential units in the city’s downtown core have grown by 78% in the last twenty years, but vacancies remain scarce, indicating the need for more housing units.
One of six new high-rise projects slated to further invigorate Utah’s downtown, Kensington Tower will create a unique vertical urban community including an outdoor urban park, hosting facilities, a rooftop pool, a spa and wellness center, and a rooftop terrace offering views of the Wasatch Mountains and Great Salt Lake. Unlike high-rise developments of the 80’s and 90’s, which often left residents feeling isolated, Kensington Tower will feature multiple communal areas at the low-, mid-, and high-rise levels. This will facilitate community among the residents, while the building’s design will play a role in being a good neighbor to the larger city and planet.
From its inception, Kensington Tower’s architects, HKS, have sought to minimize its carbon footprint through responsible design, construction, and operations, and address sensitive environmental issues specific to our region such as air quality. Lead architect Emir Tursic explains, “The project plans to provide air quality monitors in each residence to inform and educate residents…. Natural ventilation will significantly improve the energy efficiency of the building, and consuming less energy directly translates to reduced emissions. In the lobby, sensors will prominently display outdoor air quality and encourage residents to ride public transportation during inversion days. Residents traveling to destinations not accessible by public transit will have access to electric shared vehicles and bicycles available at no charge.”
Kensington Tower is being designed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and WELL building standards to measure, certify and monitor features of the building that will impact human health and well-being. We’re looking forward to having a positive impact not only the skyline of Salt Lake City but the environment as well. When the Downtown Alliance SLC reported on Kensington Tower, they said buildings such as this “are symbols of the way that we hope to live tomorrow.”
