One of the hardest decisions multifamily developers and their design teams have to make is what mix of amenities they’re going to put into each project. A lot of squiggly factors go into that decision: the type of community (market-rate vs. affordable, for-sale, senior living, student housing, etc.), the geographic market, local recreation preferences (tennis court or putting green? bocce or billiards?), climate/weather conditions, physical parameters (availability and cost of land), and of course the budget. The permutations are mind-boggling.
Along with location and pricing, however, getting the amenity mix right is crucial to your marketing program and the ultimate success of your multifamily project. The worst thing that can happen is to install an amenity, especially an expensive one or one that takes up a lot of valuable space, and not have occupiers use it. What a waste!
It’s not only an out-of-pocket cost, it’s a lost opportunity: What other amenity would have been more popular with your renters or condominium buyers? And how much will it cost to fix the problem—if it can be fixed at all?
All this has been further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Property managers across the country had to close fitness centers, pool decks, children’s playgrounds, game rooms, even business centers and lounges. Survey respondents said tenants were particularly vexed about losing the convenience of their workout spaces and swim spas, which also saved them the cost of buying an outside club membership.
342 developers, builders, and architects pinpoint the top multifamily amenities
To help you navigate this crisis, BD+C's sister publication, Multifamily Design+Construction, conducted a survey in February/March 2021 of 342 multifamily developers, builders, and architects about how amenities were affected by the COVID pandemic. The resulting 2021 Multifamily Amenities Report builds on surveys conducted in 2017 and 2019 and measures the responses of multifamily sector professionals to their use of 131 amenities—including a new one about “smart connectivity systems.”
One thing about respondents’ answers to the COVID question surprised me: more than half said they had made no changes to their amenities. For some, the work was so far along, they had to live with what they had. But others made it clear that they were going to weather the storm, no matter what. Changing their amenities mix was not on the agenda.
The other half did make changes—removing some amenities, pushing activities outdoors as much as possible. In some cases, the amenities could be modified fairly easily; for example, by putting plexiglass “shields” between pieces of workout equipment in the fitness center. These may have been temporary fixes in response to a crisis, but growing concerns about designing for occupiers’ health and wellness may turn them into permanent features of amenities packages in the future.
Thanks to our 2021 Multifamily Amenities Study sponsor: EXACOR™ | Huber Engineered Woods
The 2021 Multifamily Amenities Report ranks 131 amenities and features across 10 building areas:
• Top ‘smart connectivity’ systems
• Top 10 indoor amenities
• Top 10 outdoor amenities
• Top 10 recreation amenities
• Top 10 convenience services
• Top 10 quality of life amenities
• Top 10 business and technology services
• Top 10 security services
• Top children's services
• Top services for pets
• BONUS: COVID-19 impact on amenities
• BONUS: List of ‘first-time amenities’ for developers
For the full 16-page PDF report, visit: www.BDCnetwork.com/Amenities2021.
Related Stories
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 15, 2014
Final touches make 432 Park Avenue tower second tallest in New York City
Concrete has been poured for the final floors of the residential high-rise at 432 Park Avenue in New York City, making it the city’s second-tallest building and the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere.
| Oct 14, 2014
Richard Meier unveils design for his first tower in Taiwan
Taiwan will soon have its first Richard Meier building, a 535-foot apartment tower in Taichung City, the country’s third-largest city.
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Oct 7, 2014
Analysis: Student loans will cost housing industry $83 billion in 2014
More than 410,000 single- and multifamily home sales will be lost in 2014 due to student loan debt, according to analysis by John Burns Real Estate Consulting.
| Oct 7, 2014
Economic gains are rallying rents in Raleigh, N.C.
The greater Raleigh, N.C., market appears to be getting back on its feet again, which is good news for rental property owners.
| Oct 3, 2014
Herzog & de Meuron unveil design for Manhattan hotel-condo tower [slideshow]
Herzog & de Meuron will partner with interior designer John Pawson to design a 28-story tower for Manhattan's Bowery district. The majority of the building will house a 370-room hotel, with 11 luxury residences on its top.
| Sep 25, 2014
Look to history warily when gauging where the construction industry may be headed
Precedents and patterns may not tell you all that much about future spending or demand.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
