YEAR IN REVIEW
A Note from Leadership
We entered this year with surging optimism for the multifamily sector. As the early months unfolded, we recalibrated those expectations and acknowledged that the recovery is proving to be a more gradual creature that demands patience. A mix of persistent economic factors continued to create headwinds, keeping otherwise healthy regional demand on pause.
This presented us with the unexpected opportunity to continue preparing for busier times that threaten to stretch teams, systems and processes to their limits. We continued investments in marketing, business development and design technology to build greater additional resilience into our infrastructure and capacity, while enhancements to our benefits program and a continued focus on the both individual and collective employee-owner experience have positioned us to move forward with even greater stability.
As we close out the year and look toward 2026, we expect these headwinds to gradually ease, and our optimism remains firm, if now a bit more grounded. Our vision remains clear, and we are confidently positioned to thrive in whatever the new year brings.
Onward!
Andrew Roark, Jeff Suchan, and Katie Trentley
2025 Award-Winning Designs
This year, we are proud to celebrate the creativity and innovation that earned our team multiple prestigious design awards in 2025. Each recognition is a testament to the passion and dedication that drives our work—pushing boundaries, elevating standards, and bringing bold ideas to life.
GOBA Major Achievement Award – Aston at Uptown –Best Multifamily Amenity Space/ Clubhouse
Silver Aurora Award - Accolade at Collegiate Village East - Best Campus Housing
Silver Aurora Award - Encore at Tradition - Best 55 + Living Community for Rent
Silver Aurora Award - Corsa at Estero Crossings - Best Interior Merchandising of an Amenity Space
Silver Aurora Award - Estero Vista - Best Interior Merchandising of an Amenity Space
Grand Aurora Award - Providence Living at Pembroke Pines - Best Service Enriched Senior Community
City of Fort Lauderdale – Seven on Seventh – Community Appearance Award
Silver Aurora Award - Parramore Oaks Phase II - Best Affordable Housing
IDEA GALA – Encore Narcoossee – Multifamily Interior Design Excellence Award
A Year of Purpose
As we close out the year, we’re grateful for the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in our community. This year was filled with collaboration, generosity, and growth—and none of it would have been possible without the dedication of our employee-owners and supporters.
From local outreach to large-scale initiatives, we focused on addressing real needs and creating opportunities for positive change. Our team came together—showing compassion, leadership, and a true commitment to service.
Thank you to our Culture Committee for spearheading these efforts and making an impact throughout our community.
Chili Cook-Off for Salvation Army
Wekiva Springs Clean Up
Bake Sale for Breast Cancer Research
Salvation Army Angel Tree
Wreaths for Ronald McDonald House
School Supply Drive
GOBA MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
Best Multifamily Amenity Space/Clubhouse
Amber Stovall Senior Designer
ASTON AT UPTOWN //
LOCATION // Altamonte Springs, FL
CLIENT // Eastwind Development
The Aston at Uptown is the first new multifamily project in the Uptown Altamonte Neighborhood in almost two decades. It features studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom homes ranging from 538 to 1,388 square feet.
Forum worked closely with the City of Altamonte Springs to get density bonuses, maximizing the number of apartment units and helping to bring much-needed housing into the area. To achieve an impressive 74 dwelling units per acre on less than 3 1/2 acres, the building was designed to maximize available land by providing a central parking garage with a stormwater vault beneath it. Some stormwater is directed to an outdoor bio-swale with riparian-friendly plantings.
The building’s elevations showcase a dynamic modern aesthetic with full-thickness brick veneer, low-profile fiber cement panel and reveal system and corrugated metal panels.
The two-story clubhouse features an expansive entry with a grand staircase that provides a wide-open view through the space to the large courtyard with a resort-style swimming pool. Upscale amenities include co-working spaces, a 24-hour fitness center with a yoga studio, a game lounge with an arcade and a golf simulator, outdoor grilling stations, a dog park, and electric car charging stations.
In Memory of: Lance Burguiere, Architect Studio Director
Amanda Froelicher Studio Director
Holli Baeza Senior Designer
ENCORE ECHO//
LOCATION // Fort Meyers, FL
CLIENT// Greystar
Celebrating Fort Myers’s vibrant, energetic spirit, Encore Echo’s 9,250sf clubhouse embraces a sophisticated, modern-transitional aesthetic with Corten steel, lush tropical motifs, and rich jewel tones. Medium-ashy wood tone details help thread the amenity spaces, while the soft grey-blue and rich dark green accent walls refresh the eyes.
The Entry Lobby features wood beams at the ceiling and a moss wall paired with a neon sign as a fun, bold statement to welcome residents and guests.
The wallcovering and art collage wall in the Game Room infuses vibrant color. It offers a sense of place, with an aerial view of a local beach and curated local photography, creating meaningful connections between the community’s clubhouse and Fort Myers.
The design team thoughtfully divided the long, expansive clubroom into functional amenity zones using double-sided fireplaces to separate the Lounge, Clubroom, and Game Room. This defined each area and maintained a sense of openness and visual connection throughout the space. The mix of seating types and height supports various resident activities and preferences.
Residential-inspired commercial furniture fabrics such as leather-embossed vinyl, textural tweeds, and soft woven suedes create a home-like atmosphere with high performance. The brass and black lighting finishes, accent tables, and furniture bases create a balanced contrast and add visual interest to round out the environment.
Steve Silveira Studio Director
THE ALARY //
LOCATION // Fort Myers, FL
CLIENT // RD Development
Our client, the owner of an aging strip mall in North Fort Myers, envisioned demolishing a portion of the property to make way for a new market-rate, twenty-two-acre multifamily community that would provide the area with much-needed housing.
Our architecture team and client worked together to design and craft a community that elevates everyday living through refined finishes and thoughtful amenities while maintaining a connection to the surrounding area. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant energy of downtown Fort Myers and the serene beauty of the nearby nature preserve, The Alary at Merchant’s Crossing is a seamless balance between modern luxury and natural tranquility, with open, light-filled spaces, resort-style outdoor amenities, and wellness-focused features integrated to support a lifestyle of comfort, productivity, and leisure.
The architectural material selection was simply stucco over concrete block for durability and budget considerations, while the simple building forms and color scheme evoke a modern but understated feel.
The community offers a selection of amenities, including a resort-style pool, an 11,719sf clubhouse, fitness and aerobics, a party room, an outdoor pavilion with a bar, a business center with work-from-home pods, an outdoor lounge, a dog park, a pet wash, and tenant garage buildings.
The Alary features a total of 283 units, including 26 studio units, across 10unit types.
Amanda Froelicher Studio Director
Holli Baeza Senior Designer
ELAN SMYRNA //
LOCATION // Smyrna, TN
CLIENT // Greystar
Inspired by the small-town charm of Smyrna, Tennessee, our client, architecture and interior design teams collaborated to create an environment that would appeal to Elan Smyrna’s young professional target market, blending familiar elements with modern design.
The interior design thoughtfully complements the farmhouse-style architecture with a refined industrial influence. A neutral, subdued color palette is paired with wood and steel finishes to create a cohesive and balanced atmosphere. Location-specific train-themed artwork, natural elements, and select abstract pieces enrich the aesthetic, while clean-lined furnishings and textured fabrics provide a grounded, sophisticated backdrop for the surrounding amenities. Upon entering the 5,000-square-foot clubhouse, guests are welcomed by a warm and inviting reception area, highlighted by a built-in leasing desk and an elegant wood and tile feature wall. To the right, the business center offers a well-appointed conference room and micro-offices—an amenity specifically designed to appeal to the needs and preferences of the target market.
To maximize space, the clubroom and kitchenette spaces behind reception are designed to offer high functionality through their open layout, along with a two-tier kitchen island, ideal for group events.
Additional resident amenity spaces include a fitness center, pool, pet spa, mail and package rooms, and a covered veranda.
Kelly Oliver, RID, NCIDQ
Senior Interior Designer
ENCORE NARCOOSSEE//
LOCATION // Orlando, FL
CLIENT // Encore
Sharing the client’s vision, our interior design team set out to design the amenities with an upscale, high-end residential look: simple but impactful, using textural neutrals and muted colors. Medium to light wood tones with white walls accentuate ceiling details, tiles, furniture, and curated artwork, including a photograph of a bear above the kitchen banquette with an interesting tie-in to the area. The word narcoossee is derived from the Creek Indian word nokose, which means bear. The designers added this to the art package to give a subtle nod to the property’s name.
The community features key amenity spaces today’s renters love, including a large pet spa with two wash basins and two blow dryers. The room is finished with two specialty tile feature walls and decorative light fixtures. The client requested private workspaces, so the team designed a cyber lounge and private co-working pods. There is also a conference room, a full-service coffee bar, a health and fitness lounge, and an expansive state-of-the-art fitness center. As an extension of resident life, the outdoor spaces feature a resort-style pool, a kitchen with a bar, grills, and outdoor dining tables and chairs, a fire pit, a hammock lounge, a covered pavilion, an activity lawn, and a dedicated walking trail to round out the resident experience.
MARLOWE SOUTH TAMPA//
LOCATION // Tampa, FL
CLIENT // Greystar
Located amongst the breezy palms and sunshine of South Tampa, Marlowe is a luxury apartment community steps away from the area’s most fabulous shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences, not to mention the water!
The community is thoughtfully detailed and understatedly elegant, taking its aesthetic cues from a well-known Tampa restaurant, shop, and event venue, the Oxford Exchange. Well-appointed finishes complement the subdued color palette with British tans, eucalyptus greens, and curated, storied artwork, offering a real sense of place. Walking through the clubhouse’s front doors, you feel relaxed, warm, and welcome while enjoying the historical imagery of Tampa’s past. The open floor plan is purposefully planned with various seating, like an open bistro catering to Marlowe’s work-from-home crowd.
Residents enjoy upgraded amenities, including a sports lounge featuring Tampa’s sports team imagery, a game room, a café-style coffee bar with antique mirrors, wall paneling, and brass, a co-working center with private Zoom rooms, a resort-style pool with a pool terrace, cabanas, a fireside lounge, walking paths, a game lawn with a Bocci Ball court, a dog park, and more.
Kelly Oliver, RID, NCIDQ Senior Interior Designer
Katie Trentley, NCIDQ, RID, IIDA Principal
LOCATION // Boston, MA
CLIENT // Lecesse Development
Inspired by the boldness and deep history of North Boston, our interior design team and client collaborated to create a new apartment community in the Town of Saugus, just north of Boston, Massachusetts, that reflects the area’s diversity while meeting today’s resident expectations.
Dramatic finishes, contrasting warm white, black, and brown tones, warm woods, colorful textiles, and oversized furniture support the client’s vision to offer a comfortable, residential aesthetic. In addition, our client loves interesting artwork that tells a story or carries a theme. The design team used a mix of abstracts with interesting pieces, reflecting Boston’s thriving art scene and urban flavor throughout the community’s clubhouse.
The clubhouse is a tuck-under, making the ceilings low. To address this, the design team kept the ceilings white throughout and kept the design simple, playing up the wall details instead with textural materials such as wood tambour and veined tiles. Space planning was key to maximizing the use of each amenity. While the clubroom has extra seating space, the game room is tighter. To balance the spaces, the team created seating zones in the clubroom to accommodate multiple groups. In contrast, the team maximized the game room space with a small wet bar, multiple game tables, and a rich banquette to accommodate as many people as possible.