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
| Dec 31, 2013
BD+C's top 10 stories of 2013
The world's tallest twisting tower and the rise of augmented reality technology in construction were among the 10 most popular articles posted on Building Design+Construction's website, BDCnetwork.com.
| Dec 27, 2013
$1 billion 'city within a city' development approved by Coachella, Calif., city council
The mega development includes 7,800 homes, a retail center, office space, and nearly 350 acres of open space.
| Dec 23, 2013
MBI commends start of module setting at B2, world's tallest modular building
The first modules have been set at B2 residential tower at Atlantic Yards in New York, set to become the tallest modular building in the world.
| Dec 20, 2013
Can energy hogs still be considered efficient buildings? Yes, say engineers at Buro Happold
A new tool from the engineering firm Buro Happold takes into account both energy and economic performance of buildings for a true measure of efficiency.
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Nov 27, 2013
Exclusive survey: Revenues increased at nearly half of AEC firms in 2013
Forty-six percent of the respondents to an exclusive BD+C survey of AEC professionals reported that revenues had increased this year compared to 2012, with another 24.2% saying cash flow had stayed the same.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.
| Nov 26, 2013
Construction costs rise for 22nd straight month in November
Construction costs in North America rose for the 22nd consecutive month in November as labor costs continued to increase, amid growing industry concern over the tight availability of skilled workers.
