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
Related Stories
| Apr 19, 2013
Is LED lighting keeping its promises?
Lighting experts debate the benefits, drawbacks, and issues related to specifying LED fixtures.
| Apr 19, 2013
Must see: Shell of gutted church on stilts, 40 feet off the ground
Construction crews are going to extremes to save the ornate brick façade of the Provo (Utah) Tabernacle temple, which was ravaged by a fire in December 2010.
| Apr 18, 2013
Survey seeks info from managers of high-tech facilities
The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL), and Laney College in Oakland California, a National Science Foundation-funded Building Efficiency for a Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) Center, are collaborating to identify education and training needs and strategies for high-tech facility operators.
| Apr 18, 2013
SOM, CASE team up to launch crowd-sourced apps library
SOM and CASE have formally launched AEC-APPS, the first crowd-sourced, web-based library for applications used by architects, engineers and construction professionals. This is a one-of-a-kind initiative in the AEC Industry and is a non-profit online community that allows digital tool users and toolmakers to share ideas, tips and resources.
| Apr 18, 2013
Calatrava projects encounter issues with water, structure, Guardian says
A dozen years after Calatrava built the spectacular Ysios winery in the rainy Alava region of northern Spain, the building's dramatic, undulating roof continues to let in the damp.
| Apr 17, 2013
Frank Lloyd Wright's Park Avenue showroom demolished
New York loses another architectural gem by Frank Lloyd Wright as new owner razes auto showroom.
| Apr 17, 2013
First look: Renzo Piano's glass-domed motion pictures museum
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last week released preliminary plans for its $300 million Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences museum in Los Angeles, designed by Renzo Piano and local architect Zoltan Pali.
| Apr 16, 2013
5 projects that profited from insulated metal panels
From an orchid-shaped visitor center to California’s largest public works project, each of these projects benefited from IMP technology.
| Apr 16, 2013
AIA/NCARB survey shows rosier picture for emerging professionals
In 2010, the AIA/NCARB Internship and Career Survey of emerging professionals took a snapshot of young designers during a time ofintense economic contraction, when they were often the first to suffer. But in the two years since, emerging professionals have begun experiencing a rebound.
