How About a Wind Sculpture?

Driving through Bennington, VT during fall foliage season—on our way to the family weekend at my son’s college—we took a wrong turn and discovered the Bennington Center for the Arts. With just a half hour to kill, we never did make it inside to see the exhibits. That’s OK, we’ll look forward to stopping in next time we’re in Vermont. This time the main attraction was a grouping of unusual wind sculptures at the entrance of the building.

Described by the Bennington Art Center as a “Wind Forest,” these captivating objects interact with each other as they react to the movement of the wind. They’re the work of Utah-based sculptor Lyman Whitaker who’s know for organic themes. Click here to see a video of the sculptures in action as well as a price list.

Eye Candy: LED Light Show Captures Apartment Market

Bethesda, Md.-based Donatelli Development has embraced the boutique hotel look. Like the developer’s other properties, Highland Park—developed with Gragg + Associates—is loaded with personality. It differentiates itself in a number of ways, including a bold, floor-to-ceiling LED light show with continually changing colors that create drama.

Read the whole story and see the pictures in the digital edition of MHN Magazine June 2010 Edition

“It’s a major wow factor,” says Christopher J. Donatelli, president, Donatelli Development. “Because the façade of the building is all glass, the LED wall really lights up the street at night. A lot of people are drawn to it.”

Donatelli adds that in a ground up building, there is tremendous opportunity to be creative. Differentiation is key, and with this 229-unit rental property in Washington’s newly revitalized Columbia Heights neighborhood, the developers saw a real opportunity to go modern. “It’s a bit of South Beach with a little bit of a night club feel. Given that many of the residents are very social and eager to have events in the building, it’s been a hit,” adds Donatelli.

Highland Park is a public-private partnership with the District of Columbia, which owns the land. Twelve acres were sitting vacant right around the newly opened Columbia Heights Metro station. The city put the land out for bid and held design competitions with the community before selections were made. Donatelli Development now has four new transit-oriented, mixed-use projects above Washington, D.C.’s Green Line.

Hard construction costs for Highland Park were around $60 million, with interior design costs approximately $1 million (not including the furniture). While it does cost more to build this caliber of product, Donatelli thinks it’s money well-spent. “It’s prime property right above the Metro, and you only get one opportunity to build a long-term asset,” says Donatelli. “We build to hold. I think it’s the best strategy.”

Efficiencies in other areas enable the investment in the amenity and common spaces. “This is a competitive environment. Renters have choices, and the project needs to really stand out. We are at above 95 percent leased,” adds Donatelli.

According to Julie Smith, president, Bozzuto Management, “The LED light wall is truly unique and our residents are enthusiastic about having a feature that no other community in this area has. It regularly draws in prospects walking down the street,” she adds, “especially in the evening when it illuminates the entire lobby—an excellent example of innovative curb appeal.”

Smith notes that residents also enjoy Highland Park’s lobby and common areas because they exude a “lounge” vibe that’s conducive to socializing. “All the amenity spaces are bright and modern, and most importantly, well maintained, resulting in residents who take pride in their community,” says Smith.
“While a well-designed community is certainly easier to market in today’s economy, having truly distinctive design elements that other communities don’t is a memorable differentiator that really sets you apart from the rest.”

Thank You Luis Barragán

Guadalajara's Mega is using design to steal market share from Walmart.

Guadalajara is a sprawling, low-rise city that just keeps growing. Every time I visit my mother, there are new additions to the urban landscape.

Ten years ago her neighborhood was on the outskirts of town. Today the undeveloped parcels of land between her neighborhood and the downtown district are rapidly being replaced by new housing, shopping and dining options. Too frequently they’re big chains from the North.

I didn’t mind when Starbucks took up residence at the airport  (it’s conveniently located right outside customs and on the way to the taxi line—and after hours of travel from New York, I definitely can use a LARGE cup of coffee). Now they’ve multiplied, appearing in other strategic locations around town. But somehow Starbucks blends more easily into the leafy Guadalajara cityscape in a way that an Applebees or Sirloin Stockade never will.

On my latest visit I noticed Mega, an edgy addition to the uninspired big box line-up on Avenida Lopez Mateo. Mega is what might happen if you merged a bit of Target with some of Costco and threw in a touch of Whole Foods. It will be competing with the nearby Walmart, Costco and Sam’s Club for market share.

I’d put my money on the Mega.

Its façade is thoughtfully designed (I’ve been unable to determine the developer or architect) with color, materials and forms that—my smart mother remarked—evoke the work of Pritzker Award-winning Mexican architect Luis Barragán. And the boring big box retail formula has been reinterpreted with a modernist curtainwall that not only returns sophistication to an increasingly ugly Avenida, but also infuses the interior of the store with natural light. I’m sure the developer is banking on this design element inspiring shoppers to stay longer and spend more.

The expanse of glass also connects shoppers to the expansive vista of hilltops and blue skies outside—especially as you’re being whisked upstairs from the parking level on a futuristic inclined moving walkway.

The shopping experience, once inside Mega, doesn’t disappoint—from the variety of departments to the artful display of produce, baked goods and gourmet items. There’s also a café to rival Starbucks—in price as well as quality.

Will my mother’s new Mega catch on? Or will the neighborhood shoppers be put off by its sophisticated design, assume the prices are higher, and stay away?

I look forward to finding out on my next visit to Mexico.

Design-Friendly Affordable Housing Debuts in San Francisco

San Francisco is celebrating the grand opening of Mission Walk, the first below-market-rate, for-sale homes in the new Mission Bay neighborhood. Mission Walk is a development by Berry Street LLC (an affiliate of BRIDGE Housing Corporation) and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA). The project was designed by San Francisco-based Leddy Maytum Stacy architects.

Mission Walk provides 131 for-sale condominiums and townhomes (25 one bedrooms, 82 two bedrooms and 24 three bedrooms) in two five-story buildings; each building features an on-grade parking garage and landscaped courtyard. The development was designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifiable levels.

The homes are priced to be affordable to households that earn 80 to 100 percent of the 2008 area median income (up to $94,300 for a family of four) and are part of the SFRA’s Limited Equity Program. Sales prices range from $159,000 to $303,000, in a neighborhood where market-rate condos are priced from $500,000 and up.

“With the opening of Mission Walk, the Redevelopment Agency’s affordable housing work in the Mission Bay North Redevelopment Project Area has been successfully completed,” said SFRA Executive Director Fred Blackwell. “The Agency will next turn its affordable housing efforts to Mission Bay South. We are very excited to offer 131 families the opportunity to own their home in this affordable, high quality community with immediate access to Mission Bay’s family-friendly park and recreational amenities.”