ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers - (Page 47) Targeting Residents Condos in the Klutznick Company’s CityNorth urban core of a mixed-use planned community in North Scottsdale, Ariz., will reflect what he sees as a growing urban sensibility among area residents of multiple demographics. “There’s a younger influence here today,” he says, a generation not of Sunbelt retirees but of young professionals who see urban settings in pop culture, read the proliferation of shelter and design magazines, and have a taste for upgraded—and green—finishes and fixtures with European style. As CityNorth suggests, designers everywhere are thinking in terms of “target residents,” says Mosher. This means planning from the outset to entice residents based on demographic and psychographic factors such as age, income, lifestyle and shared expectations. Whereas diverse urban residents often grouped themselves into a community because they shared a multiuse building by chance, designers are increasingly creating urban space to attract specific resident communities. That may include affluent baby boomers downsizing space but not luxury, young singles seeking connection that common activity spaces like game rooms can pro- Wentworth Commons in Chicago, a thoughtfully designed affordable housing low-rise, is an example of successful adaptive reuse in the heart of the city. ASID ICON | SEP/OCT 2007 PHOTO: ANTHONY MAY PHOTOGRAPHY 47 DESIGN: HARLEY ELLIS DEVEREAUX of new green materials like manmade composite wood and polycarbinate walls (greenhouse material that allows light to come through, starting at only $35 for a 4-foot by 8-foot sheet). Many of the urban living projects he sees also use old materials in new ways, like plywood, laminated for doors; inexpensive concrete floor backer board on walls; recycled rubber and cork made into flooring; and scrap wood and reclaimed steel as accents. For green innovation, it’s hard to beat what developer Daniel Klutznick, of the Chicago-based Thomas J, Klutznick Co., saw at a home design show: crushed porcelain countertops made from old toilets. vide, the “iPod generation” that demands 24/7 tech access and young families grateful for daycare space. Affordable Urban Housing Two Chicago low-rise apartment buildings, Wentworth Commons and Sankofa House, have brought design innovation to workforce housing and affordable housing for at-risk populations. They were designed by the Life Enhancement Studio of Chicago architectural firm Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED). The Wentworth Commons site in Chicago’s Roseland section was once occupied by a dry cleaner. Ready as apartments in 2005, Wentworth serves families and individuals formerly homeless or at risk for homelessness. To maximize security and privacy, all 51 units are on three upper floors and there are no residential units on the ground floor. Units range in size from studios to four-bedroom units, and most are subsidized housing. Adaptive reuse is challenging, generally, says HED principal architect Susan King, AIA, LEED AP, because while clients look for structurally “really sound buildings,” it seems like “the interior always becomes a true gut.”
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