Multifamily housing: 7 exciting, inspiring innovations [AIA Course]

The multifamily sector is not showing any signs of slowing down. The U.S. market needs to add at least 400,000 rental units a year to serve the nation’s housing needs, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council and the National Apartment Association (see: http://nmhc.org/Apartments-Economic-Impact/).

On the side of homeownership, U.S. Census data shows that three-quarters (76%) of condominium and cooperative units that came on line in Q4/2015 were sold within three months of completion (www.census.gov/housing/soma/).

The demand is being found not just in big cities like Fort Worth, Texas, Charlotte, and Nashville but also in second-tier metros like Charleston, S.C., and Harrisburg, Pa. San Antonio’s Broadway Corridor, Austin’s Riverview area, and Downtown Los Angeles, known as DTLA, are hot markets that have used local ordinances and targeted investment to create 24-hour dining and shopping zones to lure young professionals and growing families into these new residential enclaves.

Let’s look at seven novel approaches developers and Building Teams are taking to respond to competitive pressures and build more quickly and with more attractive offerings in new and reconstructed multifamily developments.

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Design-focused wine displays are becoming increasingly popular in amazing residential and commercial properties throughout the world. Top design/build professionals are using stylish wine racks and other premium materials to create wine cellars that are too beautiful to hide in out-of-the-way places like dusty basements. This course explains why wine cellars have become so popular and the key aspects of designing an appealing modern wine cellar, broken into six planning steps that should be considered during pre- or early-construction phases.

Multifamily Housing | May 10, 2022

Multifamily rents up 14.3% in 2022

The average U.S. asking rent for multifamily housing increased $15 in April to an all-time high of $1,659, according to Yardi Matrix.

Rooftop paving system in a multifamily housing community.

Choosing the right paver system for rooftop amenity spaces

This AIA course by Hoffmann Architects offers best practices for choosing the right paver system for rooftop amenity spaces in multifamily buildings.

Building Team | May 6, 2022

Atlanta’s largest adaptive reuse project features cross laminated timber

Global real estate investment and management firm Jamestown recently started construction on more than 700,000 sf of new live, work, and shop space at Ponce City Market.

Rendering of Columbus Apartments, designed by Rhode Partners

Multifamily Housing | May 5, 2022

An Austin firm touts design and communal spaces in its student housing projects

Rhode Partners has multiple towers in various development stages.

For glass openings, how big is too big?

Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.

Multifamily Housing | May 3, 2022

Call for Kitchen+Bath projects and products – for next issue of "MULTIFAMILY Design+Construction" (no charge to participate!)

Multifamily AEC firms and developers and product manufacturers can submit Kitchen+Bath projects and products – for the next issue of "MULTIFAMILY Design+Construction."

The Larking is a mixed-use development in the Twin Cities market. Images: Courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

Multifamily Housing | May 1, 2022

Kraus-Anderson helps fill void in tight Twin Cities housing market

One project just came online, and another apartment building should be completed this summer.

Multifamily Housing | Apr 26, 2022

Fitness centers for multifamily housing: Advice from 'Dr. Fitness,' Karl Smith

In this episode for HorizonTV, Cortland's Karl Smith shares best practices for designing, siting, and operating fitness centers in apartment communities.