flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Mixed-Use on Steroids

Mixed-Use on Steroids

Mixed-use development continues to dominate new commercial and multifamily construction. Locating your project near mass transit is crucial, but the mix of uses also has to be right.


By By Susan Bady, Contributing Editor | January 7, 2011
This article first appeared in the January 2011 issue of BD+C.

Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.

Due to the large scale of many mixed-use projects, Building Teams must be effective in communicating and collaborating both internally and with local government entities. For example, L.A. LIVE, the massive entertainment and lifestyle complex that has sprung up around that city’s Staples Center, can attribute much of its phenomenal success to the developer’s close collaboration with the Building Team and its partnership with the city of Los Angeles.

It’s also critical to accurately anticipate the needs of potential tenants. At the Broadway Building in Seattle, downsized office spaces cater to small-business owners who are looking to escape from the congested downtown core. In Chicago, the live/work units and street-level retail of 2000 N. Milwaukee go far to meet the needs of up-and-comers in a rapidly emerging neighborhood.

New buildings in a mixed-use project naturally must take their design cues from the vocabulary and style of the surrounding architecture. They may be hip and glossy, like L.A. LIVE, 2000 N. Milwaukee, and the Meridian at Grosvenor Station in Rockville, Md. Or they may pay their respects to the more toned-down older buildings in the neighborhood, as in the case of the Broadway Building, with its Prairie School influence. There is also a movement afoot to give architecturally significant buildings a new mixed-use identity, as is the case with The Link in Phoenix.

The takeaway: If you’re looking to develop multifamily residential, mixed-use may be the only viable way to go. “I don’t see anything getting built that isn’t mixed-use right now,” says Paul Alessandro, a partner with Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, Chicago. If that’s the case in your market, take a look at these recent projects for inspiration. 

Six Emerging Trends in Mixed-Use Development

1. Projects located within reasonable walking distance of public transportation have a much greater chance of success in today’s urbanizing climate.

2. Demand for multifamily rental housing will exceed that for for-sale housing until such time as the current inventory of existing stock declines precipitously (don’t hold your breath).

3. Boutique, Class A office spaces catering to small-business owners are a clever niche market, especially at or near the edge of downtown.

4. Avoid sustainable design and construction at your peril.

5. Raise your hand and take this pledge: New construction must be appropriate to its surroundings, either complementing distinguished existing buildings or making a bold statement in an underdeveloped or burgeoning area.

6. Architecturally significant older buildings in strategic locations—even those that date from the 1960s and 1970s—are finding second lives as recycled mixed-use projects.

Related Stories

High-rise Construction | Feb 2, 2016

This tall tower will lower your heart rate

Matthias Olt, Associate Vice President at CallisonRTKL, discusses new ways to improve individual health and well-being through tower design.

Multifamily Housing | Feb 1, 2016

Top 10 kitchen design trends for 2016

Charging stations, built-in coffeemakers, and pet stations—these are among the top kitchen design trends for the coming year, according to a new survey of kitchen and bath designers by the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

Architects | Jan 28, 2016

25-year-old architect wins competition for World War I memorial in Pershing Park

Joe Weishaar and sculptor Sabin Howard were selected from among five finalists and over 350 entries overall.

| Jan 28, 2016

AIA CES class: The rainscreen approach to a better building envelope

Building envelope expert Bradley Carmichael of Hoffmann Architects explains how rainscreen wall systems work and evaluates the effectiveness of various rain-control methods, including mass walls, perfect barriers, and masonry veneers. This AIA/CES class is worth 1.0 learning unit.

Architects | Jan 28, 2016

2015 was a record year for mergers and acquisitions in the AE industry [infographic]

Consulting firm Morrissey Goodale tracked a record 234 sales of U.S.-based A/E firms last year.

Architects | Jan 27, 2016

NCARB to rename the Intern Development Program

This June, the program designed to guide aspiring architects through the early stages of their career will be renamed the Architectural Experience Program (AXP).

Architects | Jan 26, 2016

HOK promotes Bill Hellmuth to chief executive

Hellmuth is set to replace Patrick MacLeamy, who will remain as the firm’s chairman.

Mixed-Use | Jan 25, 2016

SOM unveils renderings of dual-tower Manhattan West development

The five million-sf project includes two office towers, a residential tower, retail space, and a new public square.

Office Buildings | Jan 21, 2016

Nike reveals design, first images of planned 3.2 million-sf expansion to its world headquarters

The expansion looks to combine design elements inspired by human movement, speed, and the strength and energy of competition.

Market Data | Jan 20, 2016

Architecture Billings Index ends year on positive note

While volatility persists, architecture firms reported healthy performance for 2015.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Brick and Masonry

A journey through masonry reclad litigation

This blog post by Walter P Moore's Mallory Buckley, RRO, PE, BECxP + CxA+BE, and Bob Hancock, MBA, JD, of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC, explains the importance of documentation, correspondence between parties, and supporting the claims for a Plaintiff-party, while facilitating continuous use of the facility, on construction litigation projects.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021