If we’re considering the big picture, what’s the most valuable lifestyle amenity a new residential development can offer? It may be the inclusion of public spaces usable not only by residents, but by members of surrounding communities as well. These spaces don’t just serve as intriguing design embellishments, but also as a means of forging deeper ties between the developments and their residents and the public at large.
Some have remarked the trend signals developers’ increasing willingness to embrace a literally more “down-to-earth” philosophy, investing not just in rooftop fitness centers and pools, but in ground-level activations the public can also enjoy.
Among the growing number of such endeavors, one of the best examples is The Village in Dallas, a development representing home to more than 11,000 residents across 16 neighborhoods. Created by Lincoln Property Co. and Phoenix Property Company, with architecture by HKS, The Village features as its anchor a lively Main Street town center dotted with a half dozen dining spots, as well as stores and a boutique hotel. Serving as a setting for public gatherings and events, a sprawling and well-manicured public lawn connects to hiking trails, pools, plazas and parks that beckon to active lifestyles.
Frondescence filled
Chorus, a new high-end residential tower in San Francisco’s Market Street, is another adherent to the philosophy of public space inclusion.
Designed by Multistudio in collaboration with Parisa O’Connell Interior Design and Fletcher Studio Landscape Architecture, the project not only incorporates 416 residences, but a 224-seat theater, City Ballet School and public plaza. Designed by Frida Escobedo, the plaza features seating and a reflecting pool with a fog effect, and doubles as both a gathering spot and place of serene contemplation within the enclave.
Another Dallas mixed-use project designed by HKS also integrates inviting public space. Park District features a Class A office tower, a separate residential tower, ground-floor retail and a plaza designed by the same landscape architecture firm, The Office of James Burnett, that sculpted proximate Klyde Warren Park. This park-like plaza directly connects to Klyde Warren Park, a 5.2-acre “deck park” furnishing an urban green space built above the recessed Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The development is the connective tissue between the Arts District, downtown Dallas and Uptown. It affords the residential tower’s residents, the office tower’s workers and members of the public a distinctive means of enjoying the city and Klyde Warren Park.
Public places
The above examples represent but three of many similar undertakings around the U.S. and world. Long Island, N.Y. is the setting for The Arboretum at Farmingdale, a new 292-residence apartment community in Brookhaven.
Encompassing 75 buildings across more than 62 acres, The Arboretum at Farmingdale features a seven-acre public park. The green space is cris crossed by trails and nature paths along with areas to picnic. All can be savored both by residents of The Arboretum at Farmingdale and members of the surrounding Farmingdale and larger community.
Designed by Frank Gehry and developed by Related Companies, The Grand by Gehry in Los Angeles incorporates public elements that include a public plaza, retail promenade and cultural space proximate to The Broad and Walt Disney Concert Hall. The upscale residences of The Grand by Gehry soar above a vibrant base accessible by the public. It includes outdoor event space, water elements and artwork.
The trend isn’t limited to North America. In Sydney, Australia, developer Lendlease and architect Renzo Piano teamed on a project called One Sydney Harbour that includes a trio of residential towers intermixed with a public promenade, art installations and landscaped waterfront park offering unfettered waterfront access. One Sydney Harbour has proven one of the elements in a renaissance of the city’s Barangaroo area, once an abandoned industrial dock district and now a lively, eclectic mixed-use bailiwick.
Read the full article here