6 innovations in the U.S. multifamily housing sector

The booming multifamily sector shows no signs of a significant slowdown heading into 2023. Here is a round up of Giants 400 firms that are driving innovation in this sector:

Clayco and architecture firm FitzGerald completed the 20-story, 330-unit X Phoenix development, a mixed-use residential high-rise in downtown Phoenix that contains, among other rental units, dedicated space for co-living. This shared apartment model is designed to cater to working professionals seeking convenience, community, and modern shared amenity space at more attainable prices in expensive rental markets. The development also includes an indoor bike mezzanine, 105,500-gallon pool, five-story parking garage, and 50,000 sf of shell space that will include a commercial restaurant.

Dahlin Group developed a tiny home prototype, Mod Hive, to help address the affordable housing shortage in Salt Lake City. The prototype works as a small cluster on one lot or a small, planned development consisting of multiple lots. The concept involves an inward-looking site plan that creates a tiny village with space for a community garden, outdoor gathering space, and barbecue/firepit. It replicates the feel of a traditional neighborhood of two-story, single-family detached homes by employing a lower-density configuration at the front of the lot, with higher densities at the rear.

Dahlin Group Mod Hive prototype — The MOD HIVE prototype exemplifies flexible design by maximizing adaptability to a variety of sites and contexts to create cost-efficient tiny home villages that never sacrifice a sense of community, whether it is a small cluster on one lot or a small, planned development consisting of multiple lots. Rendering Dahlin Group

For another tiny house project, Dahlin collaborated with HomeAid Northern California and Firm Foundation Community Housing to design cost-effective tiny home villages sited on church properties, targeted at individuals facing homelessness. This partnership completed its pilot project in February 2020 with additional projects under development in 2021. In the San Francisco Bay Area, affordable multifamily developers expect to spend $700,000 to $1 million per single one-bedroom unit; the pilot village came in at $150,000-$170,000 per unit, with an entitlement process of just 12-18 months.

Dattner Architects had four Passive House projects progress through construction stages in 2021, with Santaella Gardens completed in late 2021 and receiving Passive House Certification in early 2022. These projects provide replicable models for Passive House applications to multifamily affordable housing. Santaella Gardens provides much needed workforce and affordable housing in the Bronx. Its super-insulated, airtight building envelope includes thermally broken, high-performance windows and advanced air sealing details to eliminate condensation and air exfiltration. Rooftop solar photovoltaic panels generate onsite renewable energy, with a capacity of 162.7 kW. The building has a projected energy use intensity of 20.40 kBTU/sqft/yr.

The Hall Arts Residences in the Dallas Arts District joins HKS’s growing portfolio of projects focused on creating superior spaces for the health and well-being of building occupants. The project is the first residential project in Texas to register for WELL Multifamily Certification.

Morrison Hershfield contributed to the launch of the Embodied Carbon Pathfinder, a free app for quickly estimating cradle-to-grave whole-building life cycle assessment results for multifamily buildings. The tool uses thousands of data points that allow users to find “pathways” through design choices to land on a target embodied carbon result. The project is a collaboration with OPEN Technologies and the Athena Institute.

The Real Estate Roundtable, a group including major real estate firms such as Brookfield Properties, Blackstone, Empire State Realty Trust, Starwood Capital, as well as multiple major banks and CRE professional organizations, recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden on the implications of remote work within the federal government.

Multifamily Housing | Jan 9, 2023

New York City advances plan to build 500,000 new housing units

After New York Mayor Eric Adams announced a “Moonshot” plan to build 500,000 new housing units over the next 10 years in early December, he moved quickly to jumpstart the process.

1930 Broadway in New York City, where Glenwood Management first installed CarbonQuest's system. Photo courtesy CarbonQuest

Sustainability | Jan 9, 2023

Innovative solutions emerge to address New York’s new greenhouse gas law

New York City’s Local Law 97, an ambitious climate plan that includes fines for owners of large buildings that don’t significantly reduce carbon emissions, has spawned innovations to address the law’s provisions.

Fire and Life Safety | Jan 9, 2023

Why lithium-ion batteries pose fire safety concerns for buildings

Lithium-ion batteries have become the dominant technology in phones, laptops, scooters, electric bikes, electric vehicles, and large-scale battery energy storage facilities. Here’s what you need to know about the fire safety concerns they pose for building owners and occupants.

Multifamily Housing | Dec 29, 2022

San Jose is largest U.S. city to abolish minimum parking for new housing

San Jose, Calif., recently became the largest U.S. city to strike down minimum parking requirements for new housing development. The city reversed zoning devised in the 1950s that reputedly gave it the worst sprawl of parking space in northern California.

Codes and Standards | Dec 29, 2022

New York City multifamily owners concerned over fires caused by e-bikes

In 2022, there have been nearly 200 fires and six deaths in New York City caused by lithium-ion batteries used in mobility devices such as electric bikes and scooters.