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
| Jan 27, 2011
Perkins Eastman's report on senior housing signals a changing market
Top international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to announce that the Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative recently completed the “Design for Aging Review 10 Insights and Innovations: The State of Senior Housing” study for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The results of the comprehensive study reflect the changing demands and emerging concepts that are re-shaping today’s senior living industry.
| Jan 21, 2011
Harlem facility combines social services with retail, office space
Harlem is one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to combine retail with assisted living. The six-story, 50,000-sf building provides assisted living for residents with disabilities and a nonprofit group offering services to minority groups, plus retail and office space.
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Upscale apartments offer residents a twist on modern history
The Goodwynn at Town: Brookhaven, a 433,300-sf residential and retail building in DeKalb County, Ga., combines a historic look with modern amenities. Atlanta-based project architect Niles Bolton Associates used contemporary materials in historic patterns and colors on the exterior, while concealing a six-level parking structure on the interior.
| Jan 20, 2011
Worship center design offers warm and welcoming atmosphere
The Worship Place Studio of local firm Ziegler Cooper Architects designed a new 46,000-sf church complex for the Pare de Sufrir parish in Houston.
| Jan 19, 2011
Baltimore mixed-use development combines working, living, and shopping
The Shoppes at McHenry Row, a $117 million mixed-use complex developed by 28 Walker Associates for downtown Baltimore, will include 65,000 sf of office space, 250 apartments, and two parking garages. The 48,000 sf of main street retail space currently is 65% occupied, with space for small shops and a restaurant remaining.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
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.
| Jan 4, 2011
An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value
One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.
