Join us on a nationwide tour of notable new multifamily projects, among them a paint factory in St. Louis that’s been turned into loft apartments, an artists’ complex in Miami, and an affordable community in Denver that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
1. Covenant House meets the needs of NYC’s unhoused youth
The new Covenant House New York rises 12 stories above Hell’s Kitchen on Manhattan’s West Side. The 80,495-sf facility provides housing and social services for unsheltered youth. The lower five floors hold staff offices, classrooms, a wellness center, a café, and an art room. Each upper story has 10 bedrooms, two to four people per room. Individual bathroom and bathing facilities meet residents’ gender identity needs.
FXCollaborative (architect, interior design, programming) managed the project team for Covenant House International (owner) and The Gotham Organization (development partner): DeSimone Consulting Engineers (SE), Cosentini Associates (MEP), Langan (CE, environmental/geotech), Frank Seta & Associates (exterior envelope), VDA (vertical transport), Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design (lighting), Longman Lindsey (acoustics), Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners (landscape design), Cini-little International (foodservice), and Monadnock Construction (GC).
2. Condo tower joins Atlanta mega-complex
Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio’s architects and interior designers created a 64-condominium high-rise community for developers Selig Development and Rockefeller Group. 40 West 12th is one of three high-rises that anchor Midtown Atlanta’s West Peachtree mega-development. Uzun + Case (SE), Eberly & Associates (CE), SITE Solutions (landscape architect), and Brasfield & Gorrie (GC) contributed.
RJTR brought 40 West 12 and its sister buildings together to form a U-shape on the Midtown Atlanta skyline, linked aesthetically through consistent, tectonic architectural dialogue, and physically through an elevated plaza on the ninth floor. The ninth-floor Sky Terrace, over an acre of communal outdoor space, punctuates the shiny exterior of the architecture with bright greenery. Residents on 40 West 12th's west side have access to a private indoor-outdoor lounge that rounds out the plaza's Central Park-like experience.
Read more about 40 West 12th:
3. San Francisco’s ‘Viz Valley’ scores 166 affordable apartments
Levy Design Partners (architect), Mercy Housing (owner), Related Companies of California (developer), and Nibbi Brothers General Contractors (GC) delivered Sunnydale Block 6, which replaced 75-year-old barracks-style housing in the Visitacion Valley neighborhood—known locally as Viz Valley—of southeast San Francisco.
Residents of Sunnydale got first choice of 125 of the affordable family one- to four-bedroom apartment units; 41 went to low-income families in the city. The HOPE SF program contributed funding to the $90 million project.
4. Miami arts district gets a touch of green
Strata Wynwood, an eight-story, mixed-use structure, added 257 studio and one- to three-bedroom rentals (509 to 1,288 sf), 2,500 sf of artist studios, and three floors of office space to Miami’s Wynwood Arts District.
A portion of the building’s façade is surrounded by large vertical screened panels portraying artwork by local artists. The panels also conceal the parking garage and provide natural ventilation for the space. Curving around the building between the window glass panels, protruding vertical fins display additional colorful works of art. The largest of the artist panels, measuring 56 feet in height, is situated at the entrance of a paseo, which is landscaped with numerous sculptures and connects pedestrians from North Miami Avenue to an internal street and a series of artist studios along the FEC Railway.
Stantec (architect, SE, landscape architect) helmed the project team of Unison Group (interiors), Feller Engineering (MEP/FP), and KAST Construction (GC). The original owner, CIM Group, sold the property last March to Rockpoint. Florida Green Building Coalition certification is being pursued.
5. Arizona luxury rentals use a smart technology app
In suburban North Phoenix, Ariz., the $49 million Kalon Luxury Apartments offers 215 studio one- and two-bedroom rentals (554 to 1,123 sf). The smart door locks, thermostats, and lighting are controlled by the Cox MyAPT app.
Located adjacent to the Sonoran Desert Preserve, Kalon is an elevator-served community with climate-controlled corridors and a two-story volume fitness center. The Creative Suite at Kalon, which offers private workspaces and large conference rooms, has been widely utilized by residents working from home. The project was a 2022 Arizona Multihousing Association Tribute Award finalist for the association’s Developers Award.
The project team for developer P.B. Bell: Todd & Associates (architect, landscape architect), Lawrence Lake Interiors (interior design), Landa & Associates (SE), Hunter Engineering (CE), NP Engineering (MEP), and MT Builders (GC). Notable subcontractors include JR McDade, Ridgeline Construction, America Roofing, Arizona Fire Protection, and Vann Engineering.
6. Downtown Buffalo adds 115 market-rate rental apartments
Douglas Development Corp. (developer, GC) has opened Seneca One Apartments, a 115-unit market-rate community in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. The $23 million enterprise provided studio and one- to three-bedroom apartments, a restaurant and bar, and a community lounge. The SO Apartments are a short walk to Canalside, KeyBank Center, Sahlen’s Field, and some of the City of Good Neighbors’ most popular restaurants and bars.
Antunovich (architect), skippered the team of Trautman Associates (engineer), D.V. Brown & Associates (mechanical), Industrial Power and Lighting (electrical), and Gypsum Systems (drywall).
7. Denver complex enhances services to persons with disabilities
The Stella, a 132-unit affordable community in Denver’s Globeville neighborhood, prioritizes individuals and families earning 30-80% of AMI. The project is an expansion of Laradon Hall, which serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Gorman & Company (developer) was assisted by Shopworks Architecture (architect), Enayat Schneider Smith Engineering (SE), Ware Malcomb (CE), ABLE Consulting Group (mechanical), MV Consulting (electrical), MEC Inc. (plumbing), Group 14 Engineering (sustainability), Flow Design Collaborative (landscape design), and Deneuve Construction (GC).
Gorman & Company, headquartered in Oregon, Wis., has offices in Denver and Orlando, Fla. Founded in 1984, Gorman has been recognized as one of the nation’s top “Affordable Housing Developers” by Affordable Housing Finance magazine.
8. St. Louis paint factory turned into lofts in Steelcote square
The former Steelcote paints and coatings plant in St. Louis’ historic Midtown is now the $8.5 million, 33-unit Steelcote Lofts, part of Pier Property Group’s Steelcote Square, which includes Steelcote Crossing (15 studio rentals) and Steelcote Flats (33 apartments)—all designed by Trivers (architect, interior design). Contributing to the Lofts: KPFF (SE), CDI Engineering Solutions (CE), and Pinnacle Contracting (GC).
Steelcote Square is positioned as a catalyst for this formerly underutilized section of St. Louis, with proximity to Saint Louis University’s academic and healthcare campuses, public transportation, and new Target and Top Golf locations currently in development.
ALSO SEE:
8 senior living communities that provide residents with memory care
10 compelling multifamily developments debut in 2022
Top 106 multifamily housing kitchen and bath amenities – get the full report
7 tips for designing fitness studios in multifamily housing developments
9 noteworthy multifamily developments to debut in 2022
7 things to know about designing for Chinese multifamily developers
Related Stories
| Nov 3, 2010
Senior housing will be affordable, sustainable
Horizons at Morgan Hill, a 49-unit affordable senior housing community in Morgan Hill, Calif., was designed by KTGY Group and developed by Urban Housing Communities. The $21.2 million, three-story building will offer 36 one-bed/bath units (773 sf) and 13 two-bed/bath units (1,025 sf) on a 2.6-acre site.
| Nov 3, 2010
Rotating atriums give Riyadh’s first Hilton an unusual twist
Goettsch Partners, in collaboration with Omrania & Associates (architect of record) and David Wrenn Interiors (interior designer), is serving as design architect for the five-star, 900-key Hilton Riyadh.
| Nov 1, 2010
Sustainable, mixed-income housing to revitalize community
The $41 million Arlington Grove mixed-use development in St. Louis is viewed as a major step in revitalizing the community. Developed by McCormack Baron Salazar with KAI Design & Build (architect, MEP, GC), the project will add 112 new and renovated mixed-income rental units (market rate, low-income, and public housing) totaling 162,000 sf, plus 5,000 sf of commercial/retail space.
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 13, 2010
Apartment complex will offer affordable green housing
Urban Housing Communities, KTGY Group, and the City of Big Bear Lake (Calif.) Improvement Agency are collaborating on The Crossings at Big Bear Lake, the first apartment complex in the city to offer residents affordable, eco-friendly homes. KTGY designed 28 two-bedroom, two-story townhomes and 14 three-bedroom, single-story flats, averaging 1,100 sf each.
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Sep 13, 2010
Richmond living/learning complex targets LEED Silver
The 162,000-sf living/learning complex includes a residence hall with 122 units for 459 students with a study center on the ground level and communal and study spaces on each of the residential levels. The project is targeting LEED Silver.
