Q&A with Miller Hanson Partners Q: As architects, how do you approach condo design differently from other projects? Kent Simon : Because condos are a rapidly changing market, we have an expanded design role. We have to understand market shifts and create design that reflects our understanding. It’s pre-marketing through well-targeted design. Q: Doesn’t that make architecture sound like product design? Wilt Berger: In a sense, yes. And that’s a different way of thinking for most architects. The market is telling both the owner and the architect what’s needed for the project to be successful. Each project is unique in context, target market and pricing, so each design in responding has to be unique. Q: What do you see happening in the next few years? John Rova: We’re architects, not a clairvoyants, but we expect smaller condo projects, fewer of the big towers and complexes of 50-plus units. The new model could be buildings with under 20 units, very contextual to the surrounding neighborhood rather than large condo communities that create their own neighborhoods. Q: What would this mean for developers? Wilt: It might require an adjustment of mindset for some. Instead of doing one big project, maybe they do four smaller ones. Q: So you still see opportunities? Kent: Lots of opportunities, particularly if we think about condos as addressing some social and cultural shifts. Q: Such as? Kent: Gas prices are rising. Urban areas are growing.There’s more congestion. In the past decade, home-based businesses have increased 23 percent, but our freeways are still clogged. Commute times are longer. In reassessing their lifestyles, many people want to live closer to where they work. O ne option that’s attractive to many buyers is to live downtown, shorten their commute, not deal with lawn maintenance, painting the house. In the post 9/11 world, people are cocooning less. They’re less afraid to come out and speak to neighbors. All this is good for the condo market. Q: Does that 23% increase in home-based businesses affect condo design? Wilt: Yes. For example, in one building of the Third Avenue project, close to downtown Minneapolis , we designed one-bedroom condos that all have home-office space separate from living and sleeping areas. For someone who has a home-based business or is planning to start one, that’s a very attractive design feature. Q: Amid all this, we have government agencies and neighborhood groups becoming increasingly watchful of condo development. How does that affect you as architects? John : We can’t duck involvement, nor should we want to. At Miller Hanson we understand the government process, so we can assist our clients in successfully interaction with agencies. One of our specialties is urban infill projects. Invariably neighbors are concerned about density, disruption of the fabric of the existing neighborhood, building height, property values. We meet with these neighborhood groups in a non-confrontational way, willing to come up with creative solutions everybody can live with. |