CREJ - Multifamily Properties Quarterly - January 2015
The rapid growth of Denver's residential urban core is on most everyone's radar today, yet as our city's unprecedented development boom continues unabated, a troubling shift has begun to reveal itself to all but the most casual observer. As downtown Denver becomes increasingly dense with block after block of repetitive five-story, stick framed rental apartments stacked on top of (or connected to) massive concrete parking structures, banality has begun to quietly replace the well-designed historic buildings that once populated our urban core. Meaningless, uninspiring structures that feature mere surface variation rather than genuine innovation seem to be the zeitgeist of the day. We're talking about a huge volume of housing here. In April 2014, the Downtown Denver Partnership stated in its “Downtown Denver Economic Update” for 2014 that, "Residential development in downtown Denver and the city center neighborhoods continues to thrive with 7,170 rental units and 1,173 for-sale units under construction or planned." Of further note, 99 percent of the above units are or will be rentals. To put this in perspective, Ken Schroeppel said on DenverInfill. com that there were approximately 10,500 residential units built within Denver's center city from 2000-2009, while about 5,000 units were added to the downtown core from mid- 2012 to mid-2014. He notes that's roughly half the total from the entire 2000s decade – not including any recently completed units or projects planned for 2015 and beyond. Schroeppel concludes, "Assuming all of the developments under construction will be completed, then a total of 7,388 new residential units will be added to downtown Denver from January 2012 through mid- 2015, (without including proposed projects). That translates into roughly 11,000 new residents and approximately $1.5 billion of residential investment in downtown Denver." In other words, the 1.5-mile radius that includes Denver's urban core is transforming before our eyes on multiple levels – the size of the investment pouring into our city to turn it into a major residential market is beyond comprehension for most of us. Yet, critical conversations about how this dramatic shift is fundamentally changing the design aesthetic of downtown Denver, or how such a massive number and/ or percentage of renters condensed into such a small area will impact residents' ownership of and engagement in our city, are not taking place anywhere. This is the time for those who care about the long-term viability and vibrancy of our great city to pause and consider whether there might be more appealing, innovative approaches to building a timeless, dynamic residential urban core before it's too late. Somehow, while we were weathering the recent recession, it appears that valuing innovation, offering people viable choices, improving the lives of occupants, enhancing the environment and reaching beyond the notion of duplicating what others have already done has been forgotten in Denver. In other cities, architects and developers – both in the U.S. and abroad – have been actively questioning this formulaic approach to housing for some time. They already have begun reimagining local housing solutions and reaching beyond the simple quest of maximizing net leasable square footage, or catering exclusively to millennials and young professionals. Because great ideas relative to high-density housing seem to come from other countries before making their way to one of our coasts and eventually showing up in Denver, three very different multifamily housing projects come to mind as recent examples. One is located in Copenhagen, Denmark, (multifamily housing), another is in San Francisco (affordable senior housing) and the third is in Seoul, South Korea (microhousing). What is most compelling about these projects, however, is the special care the architects took to respect context, integrate social spaces throughout the buildings (not merely at street level) and maximize useable exterior space. Unlike some of the most recent five-story apartment boxes built in downtown Denver, these projects embrace the concepts of outdoor living and social interaction while responding thoughtfully to context. Through innovative approaches to unit stacking and shape, redefining the ground plane, integration of the car and the exploration of vertical neighborhoods, they have successfully begun to reimagine what 21st century housing can be. For example, The Mountain multifamily project located in Copenhagen and designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and JDS Architects incorporates L-shaped units with outdoor protected courtyards terraced vertically to allow each unit to have full sun exposure and privacy. Each unit opens to its own private courtyard, which creates more useable outdoor space than the miniscule projecting balconies found in most Denver apartment buildings. The triangular profile of this building's base also hides parking in a clever way and makes the procession from car to unit both exciting and dramatic. A similar project by BIG on West 57th Street – within the dense urban context of Manhattan – uses a unique, warped pyramid form to preserve existing views, maximize natural light and create a diversity of unit types within a hybrid courtyard/ skyscraper building. David Baker Architects, a respected California firm doing amazing work in the affordable housing sector, designed the next example. The recently completed Armstrong Senior Housing, an affordable senior housing project in San Francisco, was designed to avoid the aesthetic stigma or traditional planning themes that often lead to the downfall of projects of this type. The exterior is vibrant, fresh and dynamic, reflecting the neighborhood's African-American population through the tradition of African textiles. The residences – predominantly studios and one-bedroom units – wrap around a private courtyard and sit on top of commercial space that houses shops, senior services, a library and a community center, which contribute to residents' sense of connection to their community. The final example, the Songpa Micro-Housing project in Seoul, South Korea, designed by Jinhee Park and John Hong of SsD, integrates vertical circulation as social space, which also functions as a linear micro cafÚ and ramp/amphitheatre that lead to a lower-level exhibition area. Each unit includes semipublic circulation and balconies while visual extensions and hallways are designed to function as collaborative spaces that seamlessly transform from private to semiprivate to open space. This dynamic, flexible mixed-use housing consists of 14 "unit blocks," which allow residents to either claim a single unit, or in the case where a couple or friends require more space, recombine the blocks for larger configurations on a temporary or permanent basis. The above projects represent a few of the newest and best examples of innovative, contextual design within the multifamily sector. While each originally began with a standard program with specific goals relative to unit mix and size, the architects chose to venture far beyond what was expected, ultimately exploring opportunities that broaden both their clients’ expectations and the traditional concepts of housing, individual units and one's connection to community. In conclusion, developers, investors, builders and architects must begin asking whether the economic success of repetitive, five-story wood apartment boxes is enough. Housing solutions that enhance our environment, strengthen our urban condition, and bring a sense of permanence and longevity to our collective future must be seriously pursued before it's too late. Downtown Denver could be a leader in generating multigenerational, diversified, innovative multifamily housing. We could easily compete with a Portland, Oregon, or a Vancouver, British Columbia, or some of the more innovative cities around the world. Yet, in parallel to the recent surge in rental apartment construction, we have experienced a simultaneous decline in unit types, variety and quality – not to mention a serious lack of design innovation. Is the building of repetitive, banal housing solutions the best we can do? Perhaps we can come together to initiate a long overdue revolutionary conversation in our city.