CREJ

August 2019 — Multifamily Properties Quarterly — Page 25 www.crej.com T oday’s multifamily expe- rience undoubtedly has matured over recent decades. At one point, an apartment building’s success was measured solely on its fun- damentals. It was about the right checked boxes for beds and baths. There were laundry machines in the building or maybe on the floor. The finishes were kept up to date, but making sure the building per- formed well at a low cost remained the top priority. Today, multifamily design tells a different story – it’s all about experience. While sustainability, amenities, finishes and technology are the big buzzwords in the industry, what they all point to is a focus on how design can enhance quality of life. Whether you’re attracting millen- nials looking for their first place or baby boomers looking to downsize and relocate to be closer to family, residents want a home that allows for an ease of living. The impact on developers and their design teams can be seen at every level, from the types of ame- nities offered in the community to the design details of a single resi- dence. There is no one-size-fits-all approach here. Different regions across the United States call for different considerations to attract residents. Here in Colorado, it’s important to consider how the outdoor life- style factors into how people will use their space. Typically, Colorado residents come with a lot of out- door gear that needs storing – at least a bike (or two), some down- hill gear (skis or a snowboard), tents, backpacks and, on the rare occa- sion, even a kayak. And to round out their outdoor- centric lifestyle, many residents also own a dog. To accommodate this, many firms have started to pay closer attention to gear stor- age and pet accommodations. It’s common nowadays to design bike closets (both inside and outside the unit), bike repair rooms, mud room rinse areas, and dog wash rooms and dog relief pens – especially if the community is located near one of the numerous trails around the Denver metro area. Beyond amenities, modern multifamily design also needs to incorporate the latest technology so buildings can respond to envi- ronmental factors like local cli- mates. In addition to snow and ice, Colorado multifamily communities need to be able to handle copious amounts of direct sunlight, which often can wreak havoc on energy efficiency. One solution is a new exterior glazing system by View Inc. that incorporates an automat- ing tinting system. Depending on personal preference, each resident can filter the light to their desired level. Whether a resident chooses manual tinting that they control or automated operation that allows the building to adjust the glass on its own parameters, these new windows allow unobstructed views while filtering the sun’s rays. High altitude, sun-drenched regions like ours could begin to see more systems like these as they would enable residents to better control their interior environment without having to pull blinds that obscure their mountain and city views. With buildings becoming smarter, there is significant opportunity to directly impact an individual resident’s experience and overall quality of life. Enter, the internet of things. As our devices have become intelligent, mobile and connected, life has become more customiz- able. Companies like Single Digits are simplifying the multifamily resident experience by combining internet, television and connectiv- ity of devices. One such offering is a Wi-Fi private signal or “personal area networks” that can be pro- vided to individual residents on a buildingwide basis. That means a resident can access her Wi-Fi as privately as she does at home when she is in the community’s amenity spaces, outdoor plaza, a neighbor’s unit or even the lobby. Residents can seamlessly stay logged into their favorite streaming movie or work space back at the office from anywhere in their home or community. And that’s just the tip of the technological iceberg. Forward-focused developers and design teams are working to inte- grate the IoT into the architecture of the building to directly impact residents’ daily experience. By integrating the right door hard- ware and LED lighting systems, doors can be locked, unlocked or even checked remotely. Imagine getting to work and wondering if you locked the door this morning. Now you can check with the ease of opening an app on your smart- phone. If you forgot, you can lock it remotely. Or if you’ve lost your keys, the manager can buzz you into your unit to grab the spare. Taken a step further, imagine pull- ing into the secure parking lot with a few bags of groceries and your laptop bag or briefcase. You can turn the lights on, unlock the front door and make sure the heat is turned on before you even get out of the car. Simply put, technol- ogy increasingly allows a resident’s experience to be readily adaptable and customizable to their personal preferences. This is a truly exciting, dynamic age for multifamily design – from meeting residents’ lifestyle expec- tations to responding to local climate and culture to individual customization of lights, tempera- ture and communications. In our lifetime, we will not just enable multifamily residents to improve their daily experience and build better lives, but ultimately we will improve all areas of our built envi- ronment for people to enjoy for years to come. ▲ The exciting future of multifamily design in Colo. Martin Goldstein Principal architect, Venture Architecture Design 12789 Emerson St, Thornton, CO 80241 | www.allianceconstruction.com | 303.813.0035 Sheridan Station Apartments Modera LoHi Apartments Veterans Renaissance Apartments Kappa Tower II SEPTEMBER 5-18, 2018 Appetite Demand forsingle-tenant,net- leased retail remainsstrongacross theFrontRange INSIDE Bullish Apartnership“bullish”onDenver’s multifamilymarketbuys theSt. MoritzApartments Payingapremium ‘Rock solid’ Anoffice towerwithsomeof the strongestcredit tenancy inDenver trades for$238million 8 12 10 FEATURED byJillJamieson-Nichols One of the largestmultiten- ant net-zero-energy develop- ments in thecountrywillbegin togrowearlynextyearasMor- gan Creek Ventures starts the secondand finalphaseofBoul- derCommons. Inadditiontomoreofficeand retailspace, thenextphasewill include a 45,000-square-foot net-zero apartment building with38units. “We’ve been wanting to develop a highly sustainable multifamilyproject for anum- ber of years, and it seems like a really good fit across from the apartments at S’Park. So, both sides of the street will be resi- dential,” said Andy Bush, Morgan Creek Ventures founder and principal. Boulder Commons is a key piece of the Boulder Junction transit-oriented development at Pearl Parkway and Junc- tion Place, catty-corner from Google’sBoulde r campus.The first phase,with 100,000 sf of office space and ground-floor retail in two buildings, repre- sents Colorado’s first private net-zero commercial develop- ment. It is 78 percent leased to tenants including Rocky Mountain Institute, Lathrop Gage,CoreLogicandothers. “Giventhesuccesswe’vehad here,we’re very excited to get started early next year on the secondphase,”saidBush,who anticipates similarusers for the new 50,000-sf office building, which will have ground-floor retail. “We like building long-term assets that we can hold … Office seemed to be aproduct thatwasmissing in thispartof the market, and people were very receptive.” Plus, “There areanumberofcompaniesthat are interested in locating close to Google because they have somekindofbusiness relation- ship,”hesaid. Phase2willbe locateddirect- ly north of the existing build- ings,on the formerAirgas site. In order to acquire the prop- erty,MorganCreekdeveloped a build-to-suit for Airgas in Dacono. Boulder Commons’ new buildingswillemploythesame methods of achieving zero net energy consumption as Phase 1,withsomeupdates. “The thing that’s consistent in all of the buildings thatwe dototrytoachievehighperfor- Boulder Commons to add office, apts. Pleasesee Boulder, Page8 AndyBush The next phase of Boulder Commonswill include a 50,000-square-foot office buildingwith ground- floor retailanda large, two-storydeck,plusa45,000-sfapartmentbuilding. The three-buildingportfolio saw significant leasing activitywithin thepast 90dayswithmore than 76,000 square feetof renewals and new leases. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 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