When designing the next generation of multifamily projects, many developers pay as much attention to common area amenities as the layout of the living units themselves.
But with fire pits, game rooms and yoga studios becoming standard issue in complexes from coast to coast, it’s getting harder to stand out. Incorporating original artwork in lobbies, common areas and exteriors is a strategy that some local developers are adopting to bring out the local flavor.
Middletown developer Centerplan Cos. called on New Haven-based architects Svigals & Partners to design a distinctive sculptural element at College & Crown, a 160-unit apartment complex that opened last October in downtown New Haven.
“Centerplan was very progressive in their thinking from the beginning,” said Christopher Bockstael, a partner with the architectural firm. “Every (developer) goes right to the amenities: ‘My amenities are better than yours, and that’s how we’re going to make it different.’ These guys said, ‘How do we ground this so it has roots in New Haven?’”
Svigals focused on the history of the site, once located on the waterfront before parts of the harbor were backfilled to expand buildable sites. Founder and sculptor Barry Svigals collaborated with New Haven-based Randall Hoyt Design to design fiberglass panels mounted on the side of the 5-story complex. Adorned with laser-cut aluminum elm leaves and stems that represent the city’s three rivers –- West, Mill and Quinnipiac — the panels were fabricated by SIGNlite of North Haven.
Centerplan’s market research indicated that prospective tenants were attracted by the focus on local history, Bockstael said. That influenced the building design as well, with nods to New Haven’s brownstone architecture.
Fairfield-based developer Post Road Residential hired Boston branding agency Proverb to develop a theme for the Corsair, its conversion of a former aircraft parts factory in New Haven’s East Rock neighborhood into 235 loft-style apartments.
“There’s so much new (multifamily) product coming online, so everybody’s struggling with how you can treat these things other than a commodity,” Proverb founder Daren Bascome said. “We’re being engaged by developers at a much earlier stage, ahead of architects, to help them understand who the consumer is and what resonates.”
Tapping into the property’s industrial past for inspiration was a natural theme, Bascome said. The name is derived from the building’s former role in the manufacture of propellers for the World War II fighter aircraft Corsair. Graphics and building finishes reflected the industrial focus, as Post Road Residential retained original concrete moldings and wooden beams in the 1880 structure.
Local lore informed amenities, such as a communal pizza oven, reflecting New Haven’s national reputation for superior pies.
“If you look at multifamily, all of these projects are becoming much more specific in terms of who they are for and the style of hospitality that might support them,” Bascome said. “In the same way someone would choose a hotel or a restaurant, these places are becoming an extension of the values of the people who occupy them.”
Commercial Office Buildings: Ripe For Opportunity?
A frieze that wraps around the exterior of Continuum for Care’s new headquarters in New Haven reflects the nonprofit’s focus on community.
Office buildings could be the next growth opportunity for artistic flourishes.
Continuum of Care Inc., a New Haven-based nonprofit social services agency, wanted a signature exterior for its new 30,000-square-foot headquarters at 109 Legion Ave. Developed by Centerplan Cos., the facility opened in April, consolidating various agency offices spread around the city.
Svigals architects met with staff, many of whom work as caregivers making home visits to people with mental illness or intellectual disabilities, to understand the agency’s mission and employees’ motivations. Hearing their stories inspired designs for an aluminum frieze that wraps around three sides of the building, with themes of community set against an urban backdrop, Bockstael said. The agency adopted the theme on its literature and online materials.
“It’s a reminder to themselves that they are built for the community,” he said.
But many commercial developers and landlords remain leery of costs and uncertain of the return on investment. Many assume that art installations run well into six figures, but eye-catching exhibits can be obtained for approximately $50,000, Bockstael said.
Email: sadams@thewarrengroup.com
