← all posts

posts in "Design"

Thoughts from Houston Green Building Expo

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Tadd Miller

I was fortunate to have a few minutes between meetings to stop by the University of Houston’s Green Building Components Expo. Two intriguing products were exhibited that I could see easily implemented into a Milhaus project in the near future: the Botanica air purifier and the Parametric Precast system. The Botanica is an indoor living wall system that can be installed along existing walls using the plants to reduce the number of pollutants purifying indoor air. The Parametric Precast system is a simple and affordable system made of recycled concrete that can allow a stacking application that includes application of solar panels and living walls within the structure. These are the type of products that we need to continue thinking and exploring at Milhaus to continue to understand how to make our projects more sustainable.

One other more complicated product at the event that is the Z-fab home. This product implements a lot of the things Milhaus has spent significant time trying to figure out in the modular multi-family housing space with Clayton Homes and Genesis Homes. This modular implementation would help mitigate numerous issues we deal with in the urban core and mixed-use issues of delivery, staging, timing, and delivery, not to mention the mitigation of waste and implementation of sustainable practices.

This entry was posted in Design, Sustainability

Comments

Approvals often underestimated

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Tadd Miller

The last few years has brought many lessons to developers. One important one is that the design and approval process in all mixed use development should include maximum flexibility. This doesn't mean having a variety of potential uses for a block. It means to consider stacking, parking lot development, and alternative building uses in every site plan, and stretch for the stars when getting your approvals. Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

First, have three or four alternative development scenarios and make sure they are all included in your entitlements. It is a challenging task, but it is important to do this thoughtfully so you still design and approve something that is marketable under different conditions.

Second, it's critically important to have a residential developer and her architect involved from the beginning, no matter how many residential units are being contemplated. The risks involved in mixed-use development are too great to save the residential discussion for later.

There is no doubt that approvals will only get more difficult and expensive over time, and the processes involved will continue to be prolonged. No one wants to go back through a year or two of municipal approvals to make changes to a plan that already saw intense scrutiny the first time around.

This entry was posted in Design, Our Philosophy

Comments

Grocery parking ratios shrinking

Posted on June 27, 2011 by David Leazenby

More grocery stores are adapting their business for urban sites. In San Francisco a Whole Foods took on responsibility to abate any parking problems that might occur with their parking garage at their new Mission Dolores store. Read the full article here. The project by the Prado Group will also bring 82 apartments atop the store. At CityVista, according to this ULI article, "parking was reduced 40 percent versus a conventional suburban store, and the ratio is just 2.9 spaces per 1,000 square feet of store space." (You can see more about CityVista profiled here at ThinkMixedUse last fall)

This entry was posted in Design, Retail

Comments

Randhurst Mall to Newbury Street and Back

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Milhaus Development

While visiting Boston for the American Planning Association national conference a couple of months ago, I spent part of an afternoon shopping on Newbury Street. I couldn’t help but think to myself, ‘this is the future of shopping.’ When Victor Gruen, father of the modern shopping mall, first started designing suburban shopping malls in the 1950s, he was responding to a change in American lifestyle. The automobile was changing how people went about their lives, ultimately leading to sprawling development known as suburbs. Gruen saw the opportunity to provide goods and services to these people in their own neighborhoods so that they did not have to travel to the central city to buy things. However, more than fifty years after Gruen’s designs accommodated how people bought things, the American lifestyle has once again changed. Suburban life is no longer what everyone dreams of achieving. With economic and environmental crises always on the cusp of reality, Americans are changing the way they do things. The sustainability movement has grown from just recycling egg cartons to affecting how we live our lives. As the redevelopment of cities and inner-ring suburbs outpaces the growth of far out suburbs over the next decade, retailer repositioning will become more commonplace to serve this growing lifestyle oriented demographic. For the evidence of this, look no further than what Casto is doing with Randhurst Village outside of Chicago [article here], one of Victor Gruen's first malls. While the traditional mall ideal will change by way of the physical form it takes, the purpose will remain the same: to provide consumers with the goods and services that they demand – wherever they are located.

-- by Jacob Dietrich, a Senior Urban Planning Student at Ball State University. Jake is currently completing his internship with Milhaus Development

This entry was posted in Design, Project Highlight

Comments

Urban Residential over Retail - Tokyo, Japan

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Tadd Miller

Walking through Tokyo with two fellow architecture buffs from NYC and LA, the three of us were all intrigued by the eclectic architecture. Comparisons to the Midwest, West Coast, or even the East Coast and New York are futile. It was a pure delight to tour. Residential above commercial is more likely the case than not, so for a mixed-use geek like myself, there were too many examples to count. The most intriguing part of Tokyo development however was the sheer compactness and density of the sites. The width, the depth, the height; and then a comparison to the width vs. height of many of the developments were truly unique. It’s not unheard of to have a 10 to 15-story building that is 20’ wide; or perhaps a 4-story 12’ wide town-home. What they squeeze on an individual site is pretty incredible. Much of this density is through the use of exterior stairwells, vertical transportation, and tighter places. Tokyo seems to take a comprehensive and overall vertical approach I have not seen in any other cities I have ever seen. Residents and customers just live in smaller places, and accept these living conditions.

In fact, we were able to visit multiple homes, and some of the most extraordinary lifestyles are found on the inside of these homes: hidden rooftops, inner gardens and vestibules, and ornate decorations. If you would look at the outside of many homes you would think them to be lacking quality and in somewhat disrepair. It seems as if they cared more about getting to know us than show us their things, a nice change of pace compared to our American culture of housing and presentation. This probably goes along with what seems to be a more humble, relationship based, Japanese attitude. Although I am sure much of this tightly defined density has to do with the historic nature of the city, and the politics of ownership that have taken place over time. However, I am curious if some of this is because of the lack of pride of the Japanese, and their lack of need for the large houses, big cars, and large lawn sprayed with the TruGreen guy.

Photos

Click an image to view the gallery.

This entry was posted in Design, Asia

Comments

Light Up the Night

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Milhaus Development

“Your images do not comply with the rules,” said the email. We received it a day after we submitted our “Light Up the Night” proposal for transforming the experience of Monument Circle in Indianapolis at night. (That is not the first time we have heard that sort of response in our line of work) Yet, it was a fair, albeit ironic, response given the goal of the competition. Ideas for improving Monument Circle were solicited over the last few months through a website and an associated Wordpress blog. Top prize is $5,000. Sure, that would have been nice for a start-up, but we really just thought we had a good idea that could be incorporated into any other set of plans. It was a small gesture to make a point that we like Monument Circle as it is. We didn’t propose to add more water, take away cars, add retail space, or any other thing that people have proposed over the years.

Nevertheless, the competition asked for site plans and perspectives, assuming one would have big ideas that need many graphics to explain it. Something jumped out at us in the Competition Briefing Book. The responses to many of the questions posed by the researches included thoughts related to festivals, food, drink, lights and a respect for the significance of the space in Indiana’s history. This is the basis for “Light Up the Night.” You can see our submission below. Every competition has to have some rules. However, an idea is still an idea. We hope it can be incorporated into the winner’s plan for Monument Circle. Let us know what you think.

Photos

Click an image to view the gallery.

This entry was posted in Design

Comments

Day Made of Glass

Posted on March 23, 2011 by David Leazenby

Corning Day Made of GlassWe’ve been working on some interior selections for a project recently and I came across this Day Made of Glass video that has over 10,000,000 hits as of today on YouTube. Maybe you have seen it. Its yet another reminder of how fast technology changes and how we have to adapt and incorporate new products and services into the experiences of designing residences for people to live. It was less than four years ago that no one had an iPhone. Think about that… no touchscreen in anyone’s hands, let alone mobile instant communication through social media channels. How many people go around today comparison shopping apartments with their iPhone or iPad? Today, no one has video glass on their countertops (at least not that I have seen). Obviously, there are major implications to residential design if any of these technologies by Corning make it mainstream in our careers. I am still getting my head around the implications for us in apartment design and construction. What most intrigues me is what wasn’t shown in the video. Why not an entire wall of “touch glass” in a living room? What would happen to that space that we so carefully design for furniture placement? If apartment or condo developers can provide every resident’s “entertainment wall,” then have we just created a new income stream and replaced the need for residents to buy a TV? I’m just scratching the surface here. Let me know what you think.

This entry was posted in Design, Housing

Comments

Signage Restrictions are Restricting Great Development

Posted on March 03, 2011 by Tadd Miller

TImes Square mixed use milhausI was reviewing a package of signs on a very simple project that we have been developing, trying to come up with something that would be unique, tasteful, and really make an impact on the project. I didn’t want to just make this mundane signage for advertising or high visibility, but I wanted an artistic and architectural element that would be not only an identifier, but an aesthetic. However, the ridiculous restrictions were basically a requirement to create the homogeneous and mundane. To me this is just a further commoditization of real estate and architecture, and severely limits the sense of place that can happen with well crafted signs and identification in the architectural field.

Who doesn’t love the big billboard in Fountain Square, or a stroll through Times Square, or the multiple neon lights and architectural signs located along the historic Route 66. To do buildings without signage is like having no cars with chrome and no ornaments on Christmas trees. I don’t advocate for no signage restrictions or some ability to review, but I also think it is ridiculous to try to replicate a faux Pleasantville everywhere. Restricting signage is like restricting public art, a delicate balance that can really affect a project, neighborhood, or cities overall ambiance and attraction. Just as Bob Dylan says, “There are so many colors in the rainbow, I see every one,” I would like to see all the colors and see all the options open. Implementing quality and quantities of signage in different levels, even those that are borderline obnoxious, are important parts of creating viable and exciting cities and cultural districts, and not just producing the same production of commodities that so many zoning and signage regulations seem to desire.

Photo from Destination 360

This entry was posted in Design

Comments

Skinny Vertical

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Tadd Miller

skinny vertical mixed use milhausA few days in Tokyo will open up your eyes and provide some different perspective on scale, height and space in general. Especially if you are 6’-3” accustomed to a 20’ x 20’ bedroom in the US. I saw a 6-story townhome that appears to be 12 – 15’ wide inclusive of stairs, a seemingly untenable situation. However, the architecture makes it a curious and impressive structure, and from a brief tour, a very idyllic place to reside. I am quite positive that this new construction would never be approved in the US: the slope and size of the stairs, the minimal turning radius and the width of the doors would start off the tort lawyer’s review. However, in Tokyo it is a beautiful home. I am sure that much of this is a result of the historical ownership and the small lots on which the builder had to work. Nevertheless, I think it is a very creative solution. Although I believe that a lot of codes are necessary for building safety, fair housing, etc., but if you could develop units like this in the US, it is fair to say that they would be great little abodes for many a city dweller!

Our friends at Blackline Studio sent us this other example in Amsterdam. 44 houses on 0.7 acres. Very cool.

This entry was posted in Design, Project Highlight, Asia

Comments

Parking Turnstiles and Auto Stacks

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Tadd Miller

auto parking mixed use milhausIn my Asian and European travels, I have realized that they have the same automobile struggles as the US, just on a magnified scale. Providing parking for inhabitants when they are not on the move is one of the main challenges of urban and mixed use development, and we can learn a lot from these countries that have continued to implement creative solutions for urban development.

Turnstile mixed use milhausThe simplistic technology of a turnstile is an interesting, and presumably affordable option to pack parking into tight spaces, allowing tight turning radii to enter and exit garages and busy streets. It seems like you could implement them into tight restoration projects to squeeze cars in corners they may not otherwise fit. You could also locate them on corners of townhome buildings and create a parking situation that would add some development area instead of the need for a cul-de-sac or through street. We're considering both options in some of our upcoming projects as we figure out how to become more efficient with our sites.

auto parking 2 mixed use milhausAnother option that seems to be gaining popularity is the vertical parking stack. I have started to see these in NYC, and in addition we have had discussions with Boomerang, AutoParkIt and others who are building these in other places in the US and Canada. However, they are prevalent all over Tokyo, and I am sure driven by the market characteristics, which are vastly different than the US. Both of these systems seem to be more efficient, and possibly more affordable than traditional parking structures. These options would appear to offer more flexibility as well since cars and trucks are always changing sizes. What reason is there to build every space as 10x20 when some cars fit in an 8x10 space? Although most of our projects don’t necessitate them yet, it seems we could take advantage of these systems and push the density to an even greater level if we tried them. However, the ultimate question is whether or not the consumer will accept them in the US. If we can prove the systems are reliable and start to get some of our projects to take advantage of them, then it seems that it could be a way to lead our market.

This entry was posted in Design, Transportation

Comments

Older Posts

11.07.10 - Development Niche in China - Lifestyle Centers by Tadd Miller
10.01.10 - Micro Retail Cluster Vibrancy by Tadd Miller
09.20.10 - Living Wall by Tadd Miller
09.19.10 - MidTown Miami by Tadd Miller
08.16.10 - Mixed Use Density Capped by Costs by Milhaus Development
07.30.10 - Mixed Use Proforma's - Garbage in/Garbage Out by Tadd Miller
07.24.10 - Wind Turbine/Solar Light Lamps by Tadd Miller
06.01.10 - Less Square Feet – More Value by Tadd Miller