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Housing: Designing for Connection and Flexibility

A home can be more than a resting place. It can be a destination. Modern housing reaches beyond four walls to connect with local roots, encourage flexible lifestyles, and strengthen neighborhood bonds.

• Higher Ed Housing Embraces Technology and Hospitality-Driven Amenities: New student housing concepts like the HUB on Campus properties are transforming dormitories into vibrant, multi-use hubs. These developments prioritize hospitality-inspired features, offering flexible study spaces, jam rooms, juice bars, and bike shops, all while reflecting local character. This approach creates a personalized, engaging campus experience tailored to modern student needs. Advanced building systems improve sustainability and convenience, while app-based services support tech-savvy lifestyles. Wellness areas, such as fitness centers, meditation spaces, and green zones, promote health and balance. By blending innovative amenities with hospitality-driven design, this year’s student housing projects will set a new standard for dynamic campus living.
• Generational Impact Through Affordable Housing: Freedom West Homes in San Francisco is a perfect example of generational equity by offering residents affordable housing designed to promote long-term stability. Through cooperative ownership, the community ensures its historical integrity while promoting socio-economic growth. Residents benefit from modernized homes and expanded amenities without compromising affordability or connection.
• Revitalizing Urban Cores through Adaptive Reuse: The transformation of underused buildings into vibrant residential units is a sustainable solution addressing urban density challenges. Adaptive reuse projects, like the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, exemplify how thoughtful design can preserve architectural history while breathing new life into cities.

Mixed-use developments designed with these principles in mind foster connection, adapt to changing needs, and create lasting value for residents and communities alike.

Retail: Rooted in Local Identity

Retail today does more than fill shopping bags. It can hum with shared energy, blending daily errands with local celebrations. Imagine strolling through plazas that invite laughter, conversation, and discovery—where a quick stop can bloom into a lively memory.

• Community-Centered Retail: Developments like Abha The Point emphasize dynamic central spaces, such as amphitheaters and terraced cafés, integrating retail with entertainment to encourage gathering and interaction. This destination center transforms shopping into shared moments.
• Placemaking and Walkability: Projects like The Walk in Southern California center on people. Strollable lanes, well-placed transit, and careful planning encourage neighbors to meet, mingle, and explore. These designs step beyond isolated storefronts, forming active hubs where movement feels natural and refreshingly easy.

By blending retail with local identity, these spaces draw visitors in and urge them to stay awhile. They spark routines that feel less like chores and more like meaningful exchanges. Each step adds flavor to the day, reinforcing the idea that retail can support culture as much as commerce.

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Entertainment Districts: Future-Proof and Immersive

Entertainment districts are no longer just places for recreation; they are vibrant, sustainable engines for cultural and economic development, bringing communities together while adapting to future needs.

• Rooted in the Locale, Inspired by Place: Entertainment districts thrive when they reflect the culture, history, and natural landscapes of their locations. By incorporating these elements, developments such as the Wichita District baseball stadium promote a sense of belonging and community for residents and visitors alike.
• Flexible, Adaptable Spaces That Evolve with Trends: To remain relevant, entertainment districts must embrace flexibility and technological adaptability. Our Sport Society project shows how a mixed-use sports venue can host ice skating one day and basketball the next. This flexible approach ensures spaces remain lively, useful, and ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
• Entertainment as a Catalyst for Community and Economic Growth: Retail developments like The Mall of America have long driven economic vitality and tourism while serving as cultural hubs. The Mall’s ability to evolve and remain a global destination by incorporating attractions like the Nickelodeon Universe highlights the role of entertainment in sustaining economic growth and building community resilience.
• Sustainability and Connectivity Define the Future of Entertainment: Modern entertainment districts prioritize environmental resilience through sustainable design elements like energy-efficient systems and integrated natural landscapes. These districts enhance connectivity with pedestrian-friendly layouts and multimodal transit options, forming dynamic, accessible hubs.

As this year unfolds, mixed-use design will continue adapting to shifting lifestyles. As an integrated design firm guided by a commitment to sustainability, flexibility, and community-focused design, we strive to create spaces that elevate the human experience and open the door to a brighter future.

Explore more design projects that are shaping vibrant, adaptable communities.