A 1980s-era shopping mall turned mixed-use housing and a mid-rise multifamily tower with unusual rowhomes highlight the innovative multifamily developments to debut recently.
1. Art Installation Creates a ‘Digital Sky’
The lobby ceiling of Kirin Apartments, in Seattle’s Uptown Arts District, features a permanent art installation of a thousand translucent flags by Resolute and installed with LEDs by Sina Electronics. The 95-unit rental enterprise was designed by Johnston Architects for developer Hycroft Investment. Robin Chell Design (interiors), CT Engineering (SE), LPD Engineering (CE), PanGEO (geotech), Terrane (surveyor), Sider + Byers (M/P), AWA Electrical Consultants (EE), Karen Kiest Landscape Architects, and R|Miller Inc. (GC) contributed. “Kirin” is a chimerical creature in Chinese mythology.
PHOTO: RAFAEL SOLDI
2. 224-Unit Apartment Community Enlivens LA’s Koreatown
Sawyer, a new seven-story residential complex down the street from Los Angeles’s historic Korean Methodist Church, offers studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments, some with an extra den, and two double-height penthouses with mezzanines. Withee Malcolm Architects, a BSB Design Studio, led the project team for developers 411 Normandie LP and Airport Holdings LP: Nadia Geller Designs (interiors), VCA Structural (SE), Structure Six Engineers (CE), MNS Engineering (mechanical/plumbing/T-24 engineer), Amelect (EE), Pacific Geotech (soils engineer), Environmental Science Associates (historical consultant), and DSK Landscape Architects.
PHOTO: JIM SIMMONS
3. Salt Lake City Property Just a Hop-Skip-Jump to Light-Rail Transit
A two-story green wall sets off the lobby at Dixon Place (https://bit.ly/3sQ5MYC), a 59-unit Class A development in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. A five-minute walk to the S-line light rail stop, the 49,039-sf boutique property offers 35 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom units for its human occupants and a bark park for its canine ones. EV charging stations, too. MVE + Partners (architect, interior design), Loft Six Four (landscape architect), and Kier Construction (GC) delivered the project for Lowe Property Group.
PHOTO: RICHER IMAGES
4. Mix of Residents Strengthens This D.C. Community
Fifty-eight of the 194 apartments at 555 (at 555 E Street, SW) have been reserved for seniors 62+ (30-50% AMI); seven of the 58 serve seniors in transition from homelessness. All tenants—market-rate and seniors—share the high-end amenities, notably a rooftop pool and well-equipped fitness center. “Here, you see people in wheelchairs. That’s real life and part of what makes this a community,” said senior resident Andrew Evans. The team for developer CityPartners: FXCollaborative (architect), Rottet Studio (interior design), SK&A (SE), Integral Group (MEP), and Donohoe Construction (GC).
PHOTO: RICHARD POWERS
5. Suburban Boston Mall Reimagined As a Massive Mixed-Use Complex
Architecture/interior design firm PCA master planned Arsenal Yards, a seven-building, million-sf initiative on the site of a 1980s-era shopping mall in Watertown, Mass., 10 miles west of Boston. Boylston Properties and The Wilder Group were the developers for a 146-room hotel, a 10-story lab building, 50 retail shops and restaurants, and the 300-unit Blvd & Bond apartments. Two historic brick buildings, part of the landmark U.S. army arsenal (1813), were restored. On PCA’s team: Veitas & Veitas Engineers (SE), RJO’Connell & Associates (CE), R.W. Sullivan Engineering (MEP), RDH Building Science (envelope), Acentech (acoustics), IBI Group (landscape architect), Cranshaw Construction (CM/GC), and Plumb House (GC).
PHOTO: ANTON GRASSL
6. Luxe Megacomplex Just Bursting with Amenities
Apex at CityPlace, Overland Park, Kan., spans 693,000 sf in 13 buildings, including two office buildings, 18,000 sf of retail, and 366 luxury apartments and penthouse units with gourmet kitchens, quartz countertops, deep soaking tubs, and covered balconies and patios. Developer Block Real Estate Services provided an outdoor game center, a massage salon, an indoor movie theater, a dog spa, a Zen garden, and a swim-up hot tub bar. Hoefer Welker (designer, AOR, interiors) coordinated with MG2 (interior design), Bob D. Campbell & Co. (SE), Smith & Boucher (MEP), LAND3 Studio (landscape design), and Titan Built (GC).
PHOTO: NICOLE BISSEY
7. Atlanta Residences High on Hospitality
Star Metal Residences is The Allen Morris Company’s first development in Atlanta. The nine-story, 409-unit rental complex occupies three acres in an old industrial site in West Midtown. Oppenheim Architects’ design emphasizes hospitality in the rooftop pool and terrace, clubroom, lounge, bar, library, theater, game room, and community garden and greenhouse. Other project members: Dwell Design Studio (AOR, interiors), Square Feet Studio (interior design), Ellinwood + Machado (SE), Eberly & Associates (CE), Jordan & Skala Engineers (MEP), Site Solutions (landscape design), and Juneau Construction (GC).
PHOTO: FLYWORX LLC
8. San Diego County Enterprise Features Unusual Rowhomes
Designed by The Miller Hull Partnership for co-developers Malick Infill Development and Protea Properties, Parco consists of 127 rental units in National City, Calif. An eight-story tower of 94 studios and 14 apartments, communal lounges and kitchens, and outdoor space transitions to a four-story edifice with seven two-bedroom and culminates in a dozen two-story “rowhomes” that sit over single-story units. Also contributing: Tecture Design & Fabrication (interior design), DCI Engineers (SE), SWS Engineering (CE), H+W Engineering (MEP), McCullough Landscape Architecture, and Cannon Constructors (GC).
PHOTO: CHIPPER HATTER
9. Patience Pays Off for Affordable Housing Team in Northern Virginia
It took 13 years for owner Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing and KDG Architecture to complete the redevelopment of Queens Court Apartments, turning 39 prewar garden apartments into 249 affordable rentals—studios and one- to three-bedroom units—in Arlington County, Va. The 12-story tower, which earned EarthCraft Gold status, is a 10-minute walk to the Rosslyn Metro station. KGD Architecture piloted the project team of Aumen Asner (interior design), Ehlert Bryan (SE), Bowman (CE), Summit Engineers (MEP), Oculus (landscape design), and Donohue Construction Co. (GC).
PHOTO: JOHN COLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Related Stories
University Buildings | Sep 1, 2017
The University of Texas receives boutique-style student housing complex
The Ruckus Lofts provide 46 furnished units and 165 beds for UT students.
Mixed-Use | Aug 30, 2017
Former industrial building becomes 'lifestyle community' in ever-evolving Baltimore
The new community offers 292 apartments with 20,000 sf of retail space.
University Buildings | Aug 25, 2017
‘Chapel of food’ becomes one of Clemson’s go-to spaces on campus
The new dining hall is part of the school’s ongoing efforts to maintain its standing among the country’s top 20 public universities.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 24, 2017
Storage units, lounges most popular indoor and outdoor amenities in multifamily developments
Tenants and condo owners crave extra space for their stuff. Most developers are happy to oblige.
Mixed-Use | Aug 15, 2017
A golf course community converts into an agrihood with 1,150 homes and a working olive grove
The community will cover 300 acres in Palm Springs, Calif.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 14, 2017
Co-living: The next real estate disruptor or niche market?
From a practicality standpoint, co-living makes complete sense for young, single, and highly mobile working professionals.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 9, 2017
Related Companies unveils plans for One Hudson Yards luxury rental residences
The 33-story tower will be positioned on the High Line with views of the Hudson River and downtown Manhattan.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 9, 2017
Multifamily developers, designers cater to occupants’ need for mobility
Bike storage facilities and “bicycle kitchens” are among the most popular mobility amenities in multifamily developments, according to a new survey by Multifamily Design + Construction magazine.
Mixed-Use | Aug 9, 2017
Mixed-use development will act as a gateway to Orange County’s ‘Little Saigon’
The development will include apartments, ground-floor retail, and a five-story hotel.
Mixed-Use | Aug 8, 2017
Dorte Mandrup’s 74,000-sm masterplan will be highlighted by an IKEA and BIG’s ‘Cacti’
The mixed-use development links a new IKEA store, a hotel, and housing with green space.