Q&A with Miller Hanson Partners Q: You’ve said that Miller Hanson is committed to multifamily design that encourages not only a sense of community among residents, but also connections with the larger community. Why do those connections matter? Wilt Berger: We think that when you create a community in which residents only have opportunities to interact with people like themselves — other seniors, for example — you’re taking something away from them, depriving them of a richer life, a source of energy. We have designed many age-restrictive developments, but when we do it’s important to keep in mind the fabric of the neighborhood. These developments need to make it easy to establish wider connections, including intergenerational relationships, that can benefit everybody. Recently, I got to know a 90-year-old Texan who lives totally independently in Mexico , surrounded entirely by Mexican neighbors. He’s an incredibly sharp guy and a heavy computer user. Well, that computer interest has led to a great friendship between him and a 16-year-old Mexican boy named Alex. They spend a lot of time together and a bond has been formed between this Texan and Alex’s whole family. It’s an enriching relationship for them all. That wouldn’t have happened if the 90-year-old had been living in an isolating community. Kent Simon: One big thing is to create a sense of place that’s appealing to nonresidents. Family and friends should want to linger, participating in a range of activities, not get in and out as fast as they can. Often our clients want senior buildings to have spaces that invite use by community groups for meetings and other activities. By creating classrooms in a seniors' residence, and then offering learning opportunities open to both the residents and the larger community, connections to the larger community are formed. That's part of the plan for programs at Heritage Commons at Pond’s Edge, our new affordable senior-housing project for the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. Q: What about that sense of community within the building itself? John Rova : The challenge is to encourage social interaction in a casual, natural, unobtrusive way. Good design accomplishes this without drawing attention to itself. Throughout a building we design points at which people are likely to want to stop and chat, say when they’re picking up their mail. In Heritage Commons the laundry rooms have adjacent balconies where, in pleasant weather, people can socialize with others from their neighborhood in the building. Q: Miller Hanson’s client retention rate of 80% is remarkable. One of your clients was quoted as saying “Nobody manages projects better.” What’s your secret? Wilt: No secret at all. The fact that we are able to satisfy the goals of our clients is what keeps them coming back to us with additional projects. It also allows us not to spend much of our time marketing, which leaves the partners more able to focus on our existing clients. Q: Miller Hanson partners do stay unusually hands-on throughout a project. Why? John: We’re first and foremost architects, energized by design work and the problem-solving process of serving our clients. Q: Why does the firm work primarily in multihousing? Wilt: We happen to think there’s no more satisfying specialty. And Miller Hanson has always attracted young architects who share that passion, so it’s a cultural commitment for our office. Q: Does this focus benefit your clients? John: In any endeavor, depth of expertise and lots of experience let you be more creative and effective in meeting challenges. The different housing markets are constantly changing in what they demand in new living environments. Q: Can you give an example? Kent : Before Heritage Commons we’d never been asked to design a senior community that fully integrates residents who live independently with those who need assisted-living services. The convention is to have a separate wing or floor, even a separate building. But we’ve been able to adapt easily and create what will be a more diverse community within the building. Q: Sometimes Miller Hanson does take on other types of projects. In fact, some of your landmark projects, such as Butler Square and the Fitzgerald Theater, aren’t multihousing. How does that happen? Wilt: Over more than four decades, we’ve stepped outside multihousing when convinced that a project, a particular client, is a good match with our experience and expertise. Learning environments are an example. We became involved with the Windom School because the renovation needed to satisfy not only the Minneapolis Public Schools , but also the park board and the neighborhood organization. That gets right back to our goal of community building and strengthening neighborhoods with our designs. |