Designing for the City Fabric: Urban Infill

DESIGNING FOR THE CITY FABRIC:

URBANINFILL

Cities on the Rise The history of America is filled with stories of cities. Urban populations may rise and decline with demographic trends, but one thing is certain: the current trend is towards significant urban growth, and this growth shows no signs of slowing.

People are moving to cities for employment, cultural and social opportunities, and a pedestrian-friendly lifestyle. Car use is declining nationwide; suburbs are losing residents on a large scale, and urban centers are thriving. How do we address this long-term shift towards urbanism?

Urban infill projects offer an exciting opportunity to maximize existing space, reduce sprawl, and contribute to a thriving cityscape.

Interstitial Spaces and the Urban Fabric Loosely defined as “land recycling” within a city, infill can make use of vacant lots, underutilized properties, or leftover space between existing buildings. When designed thoughtfully, urban infill projects can serve as a catalyst for revitalization while reducing sprawl and creating an attractive pedestrian environment. The “triple bottom line” benefits of economic opportunities, ecological benefits, and community health can make the challenges of infill projects well worth the effort.

In the design of urban infill projects, the interstitial spaces between buildings may accommodate a new building, or may be re-imagined as “in-between” zones to enrich the pedestrian experience with pocket gardens, intimate restaurant patios, or inviting pathways.

These urban gems are vital to a thriving, walkable built environment, and complement a city’s existing DNA. Revitalizing the space between buildings can strengthen the urban fabric as a whole.

Urban Infill as a Smart Growth Strategy For cities looking for planning and design tools to encourage thoughtful development, urban infill projects align with widely accepted “Smart Growth” strategies. In addition to energizing the pedestrian experience and mending gaps in the streetscape caused by vacant or derelict properties, urban infill can contribute to storm water management, provide innovative and discreet parking solutions to minimize unsightly surface lots, and create a desirable mix of economic uses for an active neighborhood.

Walkable neighborhoods are highly desirable for both residents and business owners. As urban populations continue to rise, neighborhoods with the highest “walk score” and proximity to amenities will command the highest rents and support a thriving business community.

Urban infill projects have the potential to maximize existing transportation systems, improve air quality, connect people to desirable goods and services, contribute to quality affordable housing, attract new businesses, and revitalize underutilized land.

SMART GROWTH PRINCIPLES: • Mix of land uses • Compact buildings • Variety of housing options • Walkable neighborhoods.

• Neighborhoods with a strong sense of place.

• Integrated green space • Development of existing communities • Diverse transportation choices.

• Predictable, fair, cost-effective decision-making process • Community and stakeholder engagement Source: Smart Growth Network. “Why Smart Growth?” www.smartgrowth.org/why.php.

Accessed September 28, 2012

Modern art museum meets historic warehouse

The SCAD Museum of Art rests on a historic railroad complex that had become dilapidated and abandoned. The project restored the historic warehouse and infilled a glass and concrete structure to create a museum and classroom building. The museum has become an anchor building for the campus, and acts as a vibrant center for student and university activities.

The museum boasts a glass-walled art gallery where there were once railroad tracks. The design culminates in an 86 foot tall steel and glass lantern which stands over a central atrium and serves as a beacon in the Savannah skyline. This 64,000 SF building includes a 250 seat auditorium, galleries, classrooms, art curation and restoration space, and other functions.

The SCAD Museum of Art is a 2014 recipient of an AIA Institute Honor Award for Architecture.

MUSEUM OF ART AT SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Contemporary details merge with timeless architectural elements

The design for the Spectator Hotel began with the goal of creating the best hotel in Charleston. Every detail, from the timeless exterior to the luxe interior finishes, was crafted to create an extraordinary guest experience. Forty-one luxurious guest rooms with ten different furniture settings provide rooms tailored to the needs of all guests.

This upscale hotel quickly established a sense of place and identity by re-imagining traditional materials and architectural elements in a timeless way. The prominent corner site offered an opportunity to establish a grand presence, engaging pedestrians and animating the façade with a stunning lobby and inviting street-level lounge. The two-story entry volume grows to four stories at the interior of the site. Subtle variations in the planes of the façade create dimension, depth, and an interplay of light and shadow. The brick façade utilizes two colors of brick, cast stone, and zinc paneling and careful detailing for subtle scale and texture.

The wrought iron railings nod to the French Quarter’s historic aesthetic.

Balconies carved out of the prominent corner provide a sense of lightness and transparency reminiscent of Charleston’s famous side porch while framing views of St. Philips Church.

A classic black metal canopy delineates the grand entrance into the lobby. High ceilings, a marble fountain, elegant lighting, and custom millwork all frame the minimal check-in desk. The lobby flows into an upscale library and lounge with a variety of seating areas to welcome guests. The intricately detailed dark wood of the back-of-bar space contrasts with the white marble bar top. The coffered ceiling, inset with antique mirrors, draws the eye upward and animates the space. Dark wood, sculptural metal light fixtures and a rich color palette of deep blues with gold and white accents define the space.

THE SPECTATOR HOTEL

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Boutique hotel enlivens a historic streetscape

This new 66,000 SF, 50-room boutique hotel, located at the corner of Wentworth and Meeting Streets in downtown Charleston, offers a mixture of king rooms, double queen rooms, and suites. Amenities include a 1,000 SF art gallery, 1,000 SF of retail, 2,000 SF of meeting space, and a 3,000 SF rooftop bar and restaurant. This project is in association with Reese Vanderbilt and Associates.

GRAND BOHEMIAN HOTEL

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Sculptural parking structure supports transit oriented development

LS3P’s Center City Green was selected in a design competition for an efficient, cost effective, 1,400-car parking structure with 12,000 SF of ground level retail that would serve Bank of America employees, satisfy urban design issues, address immediate context, and achieve LEED® certification. The irregular two-acre site (part rectilinear and part curvilinear) is surrounded on three sides by public streets, a light rail line, cultural landmarks, the Spectrum Arena, and ImaginOn. The above-ground parking facility has 12 parking levels and a clearance of 7’4”. The primary functional feature of the deck is a double-thread “express helix,” in which one revolution will accomplish two levels in height. Elements such as the glass-backed elevators and glazed stair towers function as vertical gestures to activate a normally static facade (that of the parking deck) and create a compatible scale with the arena.

Given the large number of vehicles in the parking deck, a complex system of computerized signage and gating is helps the parking deck to function efficiently at all times. The helix functions in a bi-directional way with all traffic flow up-bound in the morning and down-bound in the afternoon.

The helix hides a cistern that collects rainwater for irrigation onsite. The deck also provides 5% preferred parking for hybrid or zero-emission vehicles. Bicycle racks with adjacent showering room encourage alternative means of transportation. A second phase will add residential housing.

CENTER CITY GREEN

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Iconic building with discreet parking anchors shopping district

Majestic Square, a 285,000 SF building with prime office/retail space and a 4-level parking deck, takes its name from the old Majestic Theater. Perfectly situated in the heart of the city’s historic shopping district, the building encompasses an entire city block and anchors the prestigious corner of King and Market Streets.

The designers carefully considered the scope and scale of the design to complement the small-scale shopping street atmosphere of King Street and the adjacent residential district to the east. The building provides considerable and convenient parking for the area, though the parking structure is invisible from the front of the building.

The historically sensitive design features a curved rounded facade reminiscent of the grand late 19th century mercantile structures seen throughout the country. Anchored by Sakes Fifth Avenue, and home to The Beach Company’s corporate headquarters, this infill project has stitched together the streetscape and become a welcome neighbor to residents and businesses alike.

SAKS AT MAJESTIC SQUARE

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Inviting green spaces surround a new building with timeless details

The design for the new Jasper is based on a “building in the park” concept. Positioned in the center of the site with generous green setbacks from the surrounding streets, the building is surrounded by public amenities including Colonial Lake, Moultrie Playground, and the Ashley River Walk. The gardens surrounding the buildings preserved the site’s existing grand oak trees.

The mixed-use building, inspired by details from the historic People’s Building, Fort Sumter House, and Francis Marion Hotel, features retail, office, and residential units which wrap a concealed parking deck. The taller residential building references a traditional Charleston vernacular with a highly expressive articulated base, an elegant simple center shaft, and classical articulated upper levels that celebrate the cornice and frieze details at the roof.

The elegant materials palette of cast stone, brick, ornate steel, and aluminum carry over to the mixeduse building, with upscale finishes accent the interior.

This project is in association with Antunovich & Associates.

THE JASPER

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Mix of uses revitalizes a prominent corner

This urban mixed-use project on the Charleston’s historic peninsula consists of office, restaurant, retail, and residential components all wrapping a central shared parking structure. The 69,000 SF, five-story office building anchors the corner of Meeting and Columbus Streets, and features 19,000 SF of street level retail/ restaurant space fronting Meeting Street and three floors and a penthouse of office space above.

The 228 unit apartment building extends to an existing rail line which will be converted into a pedestrian greenway. Above the concealed 624-space parking structure, a rooftop and pool terrace overlook the Charleston Harbor, the Cooper River Bridge, and Mt. Pleasant in the distance.

As part of the land lease agreement between the developer land owner, LS3P worked with Robert A.M. Stern Architects on the façade design. The office building’s stone base and heavily articulated stucco on the upper floors draws upon the traditional architecture of historic Charleston based on English Regency precedents. The apartment building reflects elements of the traditional brick mill-type architecture of the industrial buildings that once lined the rail corridor Greenway.

COURIER SQUARE

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Adaptive re-use with a rooftop addition connects a new hotel with all layers of the city

BEFORE

Originally constructed in 1852, the Cotton Sail Hotel was once a cotton warehouse spanning Savannah’s historic Factor’s Walk. The new design renovated the existing upper three levels of the building to create a 56 room hotel and a roof addition with restaurant and banquet area. The exterior renovation included masonry stabilization, window repairs, storefront replacement along Bay Street, and balcony additions along River Street. Interior modifications included the addition of an elevator with service from River Street to the roof, exit stairs as required for code compliance, a new lobby area, guest room layouts, laundry, offices and other hotel functions. The restoration also replaced non-historic windows throughout the building and repaired historic trim and ornamental ironwork at the Bay Street elevation. Positioned in the heart of Savannah’s National Landmark Historic District, The Cotton Sail Hotel has been revitalized for a new chapter of use.

COTTON SAIL HOTEL SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Mixed use urban renewal project re-imagines an entire city block

This ambitious 30,000+ SF redevelopment project on Ellis Square encompasses an entire city block in historic downtown Savannah at the former site of the Savannah Morning News complex. Part of the greater Ellis Square renewal project, the largest public/private redevelopment venture in Savannah’s recent history, News Place features ground floor retail space and 46 residential condominiums.

The project included the renovation and adaptive reuse of three historic buildings on the site, and the demolition of two non-historic concrete block buildings to allow for the construction of a new sixstory mixed-use building and outdoor plaza.

NEWS PLACE

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Culinary school brings student energy to the business district

The Charlotte campus of Johnson & Wales University houses a state-of-the-art, $82 million culinary arts institute. Students receive hands-on training in areas from retail store management to hospitality to food service in the new culinary arts instruction labs, classrooms, and practicum spaces. The campus supports both academic and residential facilities, including university dormitory housing and other privatized housing development.

LS3P created the campus master plan, designed the 145,000 SF academic building, and designed the renovation of 30,000 SF of existing space for administrative and faculty offices.

Community support was the linchpin for the construction of the new campus. The mayor, Center City Partners, Bank of America, Chamber of Commerce, and local industry leaders all played key roles in supporting the development plan. LS3P led the team through a “solutions process� to build consensus and community, resulting in unified acceptance of the conceptual design proposals.

To prepare for the charrette, LS3P compiled a complete database for the campus assimilating the initial programming. The rapid start compressed the programming and conceptual design phase into a one-week process.

JOHNSON & WALES CHARLOTTE CAMPUS CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Sustainable convention center energizes the riverwalk

This LEED Silver certified project includes a 100,000 SF convention center and a 600-car parking garage. Overlooking the Cape Fear River in Historic Downtown Wilmington, the project contributes to the recent revitalization efforts, drawing people along the northern section of the Riverwalk. The project rehabilitates a brownfield site, which was an abandoned shipping station, and transforms it into a community showpiece.

The exterior and interior design of the facility evokes nautical references in an abstract and timeless manner, cleverly incorporating regional elements. The facility includes a 30,000 SF exhibit hall, allowing the City to hold larger exhibits than previous facilities enabled, thus raising the profile of the region as a tourist destination. Flexibility was a key component throughout the design of the facility. An outdoor exhibit space allows for different types of exhibits, and plans for future expansion. An event lawn further adds to the flexibility of the facility, adding a park-like feel to the site that can be enjoyed by the public.

The sleek and contemporary pre-function space invites people to lounge and enjoy the breathtaking views of the adjacent river and marina. The elegant grand ballroom serves another need to the community, comfortably serving 1,000 people. Operable walls can subdivide the space into up to six smaller meeting rooms. Additional smaller-sized meeting rooms complete the needs for the business community. A full-service kitchen caters to the facility. The parking garage allows an additional way for users to access the site.

WILMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

Contemporary skyscraper transforms the skyline

This new 25-story, 689,000 SF office tower has a graceful, sweeping form that adds a distinct contemporary profile to Charlotte’s skyline. The tower, which overlooks a downtown baseball stadium and city park, features Class-A office space and street-level retail.

The tower provides leading-edge work spaces; stunning views of the city skyline, stadiums, park and distant mountain vistas; and restaurant and retail space along a linear park. The design, which is the result more than ten years of iterative planning and design efforts, emphasizes verticality with LED lights which span the height of the tower to the “sail” crowning the building.

A four-level, below-grade parking structure accommodates tenants and guests; the ground floor retail space helps to activate the streetscape and form a welcoming pedestrian connection between entertainment, residential, and commercial developments in the thriving city center.

The project is targeting LEED® Gold certification.

300 SOUTH TRYON

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Residential tower creates a hidden urban oasis

This project consists of an 8-story mid-rise residential tower located on the city block northwest of the intersection of Fifth Street and Poplar Street in uptown Charlotte.

At street level, retail shops of approximately 22,000 SF (including an 18,000 SF grocery store) provide essential services for the complex and surrounding community. Two sides of the building base allow for street-level residential brownstones with sidewalk access. The 350,000 SF residential tower wraps around the perimeter of the block to create a private interior garden plaza with fountains, walking paths, benches, a swimming pool and pool terrace, and lawn areas at the center of the block above the parking structure. Residential units consist of 16 studio units, 137 one-bedroom units, 105 two-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units, and 40 penthouse suites. Two sub-levels of parking provide approximately 375 onsite parking spaces below the residential building.

FIFTH & POPLAR RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Thoughtful urban design creates a large-scale building with neighborhood-scale feel

The Skygarden Apartment development includes 110 condominiums, a 36,000 SF parking deck, and 2,500 SF of ground-level retail in a 175,000 SF development.

Located in Charleston’s midtown district, an area that has seen a recent boom in retail, residential and hospitality development, the project site on the old Norfolk Southern railroad right of way was the former home of the Consumer Ice Company. The exterior design takes cues from the warehouse aesthetic that was typical of this part of town; in fact, a portion of the original ice warehouse has been integrated into the new structure.

SKYGARDEN APARTMENTS

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Office building in growing entertainment district merges economic development with employee amenities

This six-story, 200,000 SF office building serves as the headquarters for AvidXchange, a fastgrowing accounts payable company. The new facility consolidates staff from three office locations, greatly improving collaboration and efficiency across departments. The vibrant new space supports recruitment and retention of the company’s software developers, and all design decisions were based on three of Avid’s core values: transparency, community and collaboration.

Exposed ceilings, open office layouts, and private offices with floor-to-ceiling glass fronts illustrate the company’s desire to be transparent to the employees and clients. First-floor amenities create a sense of community and foster wellness, including a game room, outdoor basketball court, yoga and spinning room, fitness facility with locker rooms, nurse practitioner’s office, and large cafe. Concrete floors and brick walls incorporate materials from the exterior building palette and surrounding architecture. Town Hall meetings occur in the large “stairitorium” which features a ceiling of dramatic color-changing LED lights which collectively display the company’s logo in multiple color combinations.

AVIDXCHANGE CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Our LS3P team is highly experienced in designs for successful urban infill projects. With most of our own offices located in urban and historically significant neighborhoods across the Southeast, we are highly experienced in design strategic urban infill projects (including historic preservation, historic renovation, and adaptive re-use as well as new construction) which are sensitive to context while serving as a thriving part of the modern built environment.

We work at all scales from small renovations to multi-building campus master plans, and we enjoy the challenges inherent in all aspects of designing within an urban context. We are honored that the majority of our work comes from repeat clients, and are proud to have received over 540 awards for design excellence across diverse practice areas.

Our award-winning projects are sensitive to pedestrian-scale design, historic district requirements, and high-quality parking solutions which contribute to, rather than detract from, the streetscape. We are also well-versed in sustainable design strategies; our level of participation in the building industry mandates a practice in which sustainable design is ingrained in our project approach. We work closely with each client to identify strategies which best meet project goals, parameters, and budget. Our portfolio includes over 14 million square feet of sustainable projects to date.

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