BKV Group: Abiitan Project Profile Book

A B I I TA N

A B I I TA N

A B I I TA N Project Type Senior Housing

Client Ecumen

Construction Type Wood-frame Construction

Awards Special Recognition, 2017 AIA Design for Aging

Property Size 88 Independent Living units 28 Assisted Living units 20 Memory Care units 178 stall parking ramp

Services Architecture, Interior Design, MEP Engineer, Structural Engineer, Landscape Architect

Number of Stories 5 stories Square Footage 143,837 SF + 67,131 SF parking Project Cost $28,650,213 Date Completed October 2016

BKV GROUP | 3

A B I I TA N

INTRO Abiitan was inspired by the historical context of the rail lines connecting Minneapolis’s many flour mills. Developed through a focus on urbanity using a shared street concept called a “Woonerf,” Abiitan creates intimate connections between the built project and the broader Twin Cities. The senior living development is a nexus point, bridging the downtown core with the Mississippi River Parkway.

BKV GROUP | 5

A B I I TA N

ABIITAN PROFILES The Abiitan senior living development is part of a larger master plan promoting resident health and well-being through walkability and rich pedestrian experiences. The project advances what senior living can offer, with the building designed to create activity and connections to the urban and natural landscape. As the first major downtown senior-focused development in 20 years, the project needed to anticipate what the future potential residents would want in their community. To align with the desired profiles, the project’s goal was to provide a multi-layered living experience geared towards lounge spaces, clubrooms, cafés, fitness centers, courtyards, and indoor/outdoor spaces that stimulate the senses.

BKV GROUP | 7

A B I I TA N

PRE-DEVELOPMENT The Abiitan development recaptures the original essence of the connectivity of the site, creating a new urban senior campus that recalls the neighborhood’s history and uses it to inform the design of its future.

Abiitan is designed to create larger urban connections by activating the city streets with an active building program, particularly along the urban edges.

BKV GROUP | 9

A B I I TA N

P RE- D EVELO PME NT / / E x is t ing S it e Cont ex t & Ex plorat ion

Historical Photo // MN Historical Society

SITE INFO // Historically, the site was filled with rail lines connecting the city’s many flour mills, plus the main rail station. As automobiles became the predominant for m of transportation, the rail lines closed and the buildings on the site were demolished. The site was eventually paved over for automobile parking, resulting in the site’s connection to the river being closed off.

BKV GROUP | 11

A B I I TA N

Area Context // St. Anthony Falls Historic Distric BKV GROUP | 13

A B I I TA N

P RE- D EVELO PME NT / / E x is t ing S it e Cont ex t & Ex plorat ion

Minneapolis // Downtown area map

Site

Aerial view of site in proximity to the Mississippi River Parkway BKV GROUP | 15

A B I I TA N

P RE- D EVELO PME NT / / S it e C ont ex t & V isioning

BKV GROUP | 17

A B I I TA N

P RE- D EVELO PME NT / / S e n io r Housing V isioning

BKV GROUP | 19

A B I I TA N

P RE- D EVELO PME NT / / O u t d oor M emory S pac es V isioning

BKV GROUP | 21

A B I I TA N

SCHEMATIC DESIGN The site design is inspired by the area’s historical maps and photos which the design team researched extensively during the early planning and design phases. The concept includes the use of rails, rail replicas, and paving materials to abstract the pattern of an actual rail yard. Within this framework, a plaza space was created that bridges Abiitan around the historic rail spur location. The structure’s design is influenced by the historical building patterns of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, with the aesthetics further influenced by focus groups of potential residents who stated they wanted a building with a contemporary, Metropolitan feel.

BKV GROUP | 23

A B I I TA N

P RE- D EVEL O PME NT / / Mas s in g S ket c hes

BKV GROUP | 25

SCH EM AT IC D E S I G N / / S it e & t he Wooner f

BKV GROUP | 27

A B I I TA N

TH E W OON E R F / /

WOONERF // This design concept is Dutch-inspired which features a shared street where bikes, cars, and pedestrians all coexist and car speeds are reduced. The space is curbless, and vehicular travel lanes are defined via bollards and changes in paving surface type/ color. Woonerfs are designed for very slow speeds (10 mph) like those typically found in European cities which allow the pedestrian and cyclist to become the focus of the space, while the car is treated as the “visitor.”

BKV GROUP | 29

A B I I TA N

TH E W OON E R F / / R e c o n n e c t ing t he R iver

Woonerf extension to the river parkway, site is located past the bridge

Existing connection 2014 (view looking south) BKV GROUP | 31

A B I I TA N

SCH EM AT IC D E S I G N / / F lo o r Plans

LEVEL 2 - Memory Care Level

STUDIO - Memory Care

ONE BEDROOM - Memory Care BKV GROUP | 33

A B I I TA N

SCH EM AT IC D E S I G N / / F lo o r Plans

LEVEL 5 - Independent Living

ONE BEDROOM - Independent Living

TWO BEDROOM - Independent Living BKV GROUP | 35

A B I I TA N

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Level 1 focuses on the common space of the building, designed around the inviting woonerf and providing ease of access to the river. The building features multiple dining venue options at street-level including a restaurant with an open kitchen, bar area, private dining, outdoor dining, and café spaces. The building also features walk-up units, a green courtyard, and fitness for the remainder of its street frontage. The restaurant, café, and fitness spaces are open to the public.

The 48 memory care units throughout the structure operate as four households. The households share the Level 2 amenity spaces including a dining room, living room, solarium, roof top gardens, TV lounge, spa room and salon. The dining room and living room are designed to have smaller areas within the large space to serve the adjacent households and limit the amount of activity and noise in any one location. The space was designed to incorporate features that reduce distractions associated with Alzheimer’s including glare-free lighting, private rooms, activity stations (indoor and outdoor), and discrete directional cues.

Levels 3, 4, and 5 are primarily independent living units with the fifth level featuring a top floor clubroom and outdoor skydeck positioned to capture the Minneapolis skyline. The skydeck space was designed to seamlessly work into the exterior architectural expression behind the playful rhythm of the planes of brick.

With the project primarily featuring one-bedroom units, the design team worked closely with the developer and contractor to combine several stacks of living units, resulting in a combined independent unit count of 86 (thinned down from 103).

BKV GROUP | 37

A B I I TA N

BKV GROUP | 39

A B I I TA N

D ESI G N D EV E L O PME N T / / R end erings

BKV GROUP | 41

A B I I TA N

D ESI G N D EV E L O PME N T / / R end erings

BKV GROUP | 43

A B I I TA N

THE FINAL PRODUCT Through a carefully executed design strategy, the end result of Abiitan is a transit-oriented, mixed-use development that seamlessly integrates residential units and commercial/retail space, while reopening a historic connection to the river parkway. The building provides a unique, downtown living option with a range of senior housing options, including affordable and market-rate independent living units, as well as memory care units for those with dementia and Alzheimers.

BKV GROUP | 45

A B I I TA N

EX T ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 47

A B I I TA N

EX T ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 49

A B I I TA N

INT ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 51

A B I I TA N

INT ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 53

A B I I TA N

INT ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 55

A B I I TA N

INT ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 57

A B I I TA N

INT ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 59

A B I I TA N

INT ERI O R

BKV GROUP | 61

FI RM O V E RV I E W

A B I I TA N

BKV GROUP BKV Group is a holistic design fir m providing a full complement of architecture, interior design, engineering, landscape architecture, and construction administration services. Our core belief is that regardless of project type, design has a profound impact on the community, and our responsibility as a multidisciplinary fir m is to enhance the economic, aesthetic, social, and environmental context of the communities we shape and design. Since 1978, BKV Group has grown from a sole proprietorship into a diverse partnership with 200+ employees sharing knowledge across practice sites in Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC, creating relevant and meaningful design solutions that allow our clients’ dreams to become a reality.

BKV GROUP | 63

A B I I TA N

ENRICHING LIVES AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES C HICAG O

DAL L AS

209 South LaSalle Street The Rookery, Suite 920 Chicago, IL 60604 P 312.279.0470

1412 Main Street Adolphus Tower, Suite 700 Dallas, TX 75202 P 469.405.1196

H A N OI, V IE T N A M No 1 Dao Duy Anh Street Ocean Park Building, Suite 15, Room 1508 Phuong Mai Ward, Dong Da District Hanoi, Vietnam P 469.405.1240

W W W. B K V G R O U P. C O M

M IN N E A POL IS

WA S H IN GT O N, DC

222 North Second Street Long & Kees Building, Suite 101 Minneapolis, MN 55401 P 612.339.3752

1054 31st Street NW Canal Square, Suite 410 Washington, DC 20007 P 202.595.3173