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
Mass Timber | May 17, 2024
Charlotte's new multifamily mid-rise will feature exposed mass timber
Construction recently kicked off for Oxbow, a multifamily community in Charlotte’s The Mill District. The $97.8 million project, consisting of 389 rental units and 14,300 sf of commercial space, sits on 4.3 acres that formerly housed four commercial buildings. The street-level retail is designed for boutiques, coffee shops, and other neighborhood services.
Adaptive Reuse | May 15, 2024
Modular adaptive reuse of parking structure grants future flexibility
The shift away from excessive parking requirements aligns with a broader movement, encouraging development of more sustainable and affordable housing.
Affordable Housing | May 14, 2024
Brooklyn's colorful new affordable housing project includes retail, public spaces
A new affordable housing development located in the fastest growing section of Brooklyn, N.Y., where over half the population lives below the poverty line, transformed a long vacant lot into a community asset. The Van Sinderen Plaza project consists of a newly constructed pair of seven-story buildings totaling 193,665 sf, including 130 affordable units.
MFPRO+ News | May 13, 2024
Special multifamily report indicates ‘two supply scenarios’
Could we be headed towards a “period of stagflation?” That's the question Andrew Semmes, Senior Research Analyst, poses in the Matrix May 2024 Multifamily Rent Forecast update.
MFPRO+ News | May 10, 2024
HUD strengthens flood protection rules for new and rebuilt residential buildings
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued more stringent flood protection requirements for new and rebuilt homes that are developed with, or financed with, federal funds. The rule strengthens standards by increasing elevations and flood-proofing requirements of new properties in areas at risk of flooding.
Adaptive Reuse | May 9, 2024
Hotels now account for over one-third of adaptive reuse projects
For the first time ever, hotel to apartment conversion projects have overtaken office-to-residential conversions.
Mass Timber | May 8, 2024
Portland's Timberview VIII mass timber multifamily development will offer more than 100 affordable units
An eight-story, 72,000-sf mass timber apartment building in Portland, Ore., topped out this winter and will soon offer over 100 affordable units. The structure is the tallest affordable housing mass timber building and the first Type IV-C affordable housing building in the city.
MFPRO+ News | May 1, 2024
On the Domino Sugar refinery site, new Brooklyn condominiums offer views of the Manhattan skyline
In Brooklyn, New York’s Williamsburg neighborhood, the new One Domino Square is the first condominium development and the third ground-up residential building on the site of the Domino Sugar refinery. The 700,000-sf project is adjacent to Domino Square and anchors a new 11-acre public park.
MFPRO+ News | Apr 29, 2024
World’s largest 3D printer could create entire neighborhoods
The University of Maine recently unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer said to be able to create entire neighborhoods. The machine is four times larger than a preceding model that was first tested in 2019. The older model was used to create a 600 sf single-family home made of recyclable wood fiber and bio-resin materials.
Senior Living Design | Apr 24, 2024
Nation's largest Passive House senior living facility completed in Portland, Ore.
Construction of Parkview, a high-rise expansion of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Portland, Ore., completed recently. The senior living facility is touted as the largest Passive House structure on the West Coast, and the largest Passive House senior living building in the country.
