high-rise on the rise - callisonrtkl.com. the best tool to rise above the fray? ... success thrives...

high-rise on the rise

Mockingbird Station, Dallas, Texas

Cities in the 21st century are experiencing a renaissance. After decades of sprawl, people are reassessing the suburbs for places that afford them the ease and vitality of urban life. Rising home and gas prices are bolstering this trend and will make urban dwelling a necessity for many people over the coming years. As echo boomers reach adulthood and the rental market is flooded with choosy new home-seekers, multi-family housing is poised to undergo massive changes, as developers and architects work diligently to meet the demands of a generation accustomed to growing up in spacious single-family homes. With all these shifts, high-rise residential is reaching new heights.

What makes high-rise residential so appealing to today’s market? For one, convenience. Abandoning the constant traffic, labor-intensive yards and excessive space of suburban living in favor of direct access to public transportation, nearby services and easy-to-maintain homes is appealing to today’s busy pleasure seekers.

In tightly packed urban areas, city dwellers are also attracted to views. Even without the majesty of water stretching out for miles, developers are finding value in offering views of skylines and dense urban neighborhoods. Next, security-doormen, covered parking and additional safety measures. And finally, amenities — party rooms, residents’ clubs and workout centers, not to mention nearby retail and leisure.

In a world where cities and consequently high-rise residential are booming, it can be a struggle to stay competitive. The best tool to rise above the fray? Good design. A residential project’s financial success is directly affected by every aspect of the space — how well the units plans respond to users’ needs and desires, the real and perceived safety of the lobby, the back-of-house issues such as trash removal and catering, and the scale of the architecture on the street to name just a few. When it comes to attracting and retaining residents, design makes the difference.

good design makes the difference

high-rise residential

755 Tower, Los Angeles, California

A major driver of great high-rise developments is an urban awareness that ensures residential makes strong connections to its surroundings. It considers the space between buildings; it transforms public interchanges; it exploits the innate treasures of even the most difficult sites; and it ensures a profitable and comfortable flow of pedestrian traffic.

While these projects can be complex, the results are priceless — pulsing urban hubs that expose the richness and diversity of cities, while making the best use of land and resources. Equipping yourself with the resources to negotiate with city leaders, achieving the right blend of residential privacy and street orientation, and coordinating mass transit and innovative parking solutions will achieve the conveniences and vitality that are again defining urban life.

planning for success

urban design strengthens connections and builds communities


Mandarin Oriental, Miami, Florida

Buyers or renters seeking the high-rise experience have many options. Offering amenities that surpass comparably priced residences can tip the scales in your direction. Going beyond the residents’ clubs, health clubs and community rooms to provide unexpected offerings can create experiences that compensate for space restrictions and engender a community feeling. The result can be the best in both luxury urban living and convenient neighborhood lifestyle.

Once you’ve determined which amenities are appropriate for your high-rise project, good design determines how best to integrate them. Fostering an appropriate level of traffic, balancing exclusivity and ease of use, matching the style and feel of the places with the character of the building, and maximizing space and corresponding service areas contribute greatly to the user experience — and can serve as the ultimate sales tool.

the power of amenities

making the most of what makes you stand out


755 Tower, Los Angeles, California

Often we are faced with a choice between two types of high-rise residential design. The first serves a signature role, stands out against the skyline and represents form as much as function. This type of architecture strives to influence an environment, establish identity and provide a highly recognizable landmark for its location. The other type of high-rise residential building focuses largely on making street-level connections, fitting in with the local context and becoming a tightly woven element in the fabric of a city or town. It can be just as influential but is more likely to achieve this goal through its function, rather than its form. Considering the vast differences between these styles of design, developers typically seek out one or the other.

icon or context?

the knowledge of one strengthens the other

That said, the truly successful high-rise residential designers are those who know and understand the intricacies of both. An iconic building risks alienating its community and its market if does not successfully appeal to its context. Its influence on the identity of an area is only as strong as the links it makes to its existing environment — both above and below the skyline. At the same time, a residential building that stands apart from the fray must make an architectural statement. High-rise buildings by nature play prominent roles in the density of a cityscape. Elegant and bold design could be the market differentiator.


Mockingbird Station, Dallas, Texas

Light. Fluidity. Openness. Flexibility. These are some of the concepts driving the next generation of unit plan design. Today’s dwellers desire what’s practical, but they also crave the unexpected — solutions that engender an easier, more comfortable or more luxurious lifestyle. Demographic and market shifts are dictating that people will stay longer in high-rise residential units throughout more life changes. Building in unit flexibility will help to ensure that their needs are met at every stage.

Staying on top of the trends in lifestyle and responding to the needs of residents are the first steps toward staying competitive. Some examples? Kitchens have become the new hearth; bathrooms are becoming more like spas; large windows and outdoor space are some of the most frequently requested amenities; working from home is gaining popularity. Your unit plans need to not only respond to these trends, but also take them to the next level, surpassing expectations and creating opportunity.

flexible unit plans improve your bottom line

translating lifestyle trends to good design


Addison Circle, Addison, Texas

Particularly in urban areas, home-seekers expect a certain degree of privacy and security in high-rise residential buildings. That said, many are unwilling to give up ease of use and access in order to gain that safety. The key to good residential design is finding the right balance between protecting residents and offering them an inviting and welcoming living environment.

It begins with assessing threats and creating adequate and cost-efficient responses that are consistent with the expectations of the clientele. Video surveillance and security systems go a long way toward protecting a building, but a well-positioned front desk and a secure entry for screening guests and packages might also have a strong role in reassuring residents and creating a safe place to live.

safe and sound

balancing of security and comfort


Addison Circle, Addison, Texas

high-rise residential our work

our work

FOur SeASOnS

755 TOwer

BATTery PArk

The LOwry AT SALFOrD QuAyS

Sun CiTy kOBe SeniOr Living PrOjeCT

ACQuA viSTA reSiDenTiAL TOwer

CiTyPLACe ZOM

2626 PeAChTree

rePuBLiC CenTer

PierCe eLevATeD

FiFTh AnD BrOADwAy

One CenTrAL PArk

Your business thrives on what you know. Similarly, our success thrives on knowing your industry, your goals and your back-of-house issues. And we go further. Like good anthropologists, we dig deep, beyond the surface — to places where different ideas and influences mingle and fuel something original, something potent, something vital. It’s what drives our passion for the industry and adds to your project’s profitability.

it’s great for business

lush surroundings in the middle of the city

Location: jakarta, indonesiaClient: P.T. Dewata wibawa Services: Master Planning and Architecture Associate Architect: wiratman & Associates

In the Golden Triangle area in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia, RTKL was commissioned to design a high-rise residential project that would provide a resort-like setting in the midst of an urban area.

Hoping to create a lush environment that was not cut off from the conveniences of living downtown, RTKL’s design is composed of four 35-story towers, connected to the adjacent Four Seasons Regent Hotel via an underground service tunnel. The towers are located along the perimeter of the site so that the central area can provide a setting seen in some of the world’s most prestigious resorts, including a recreational pool and lagoon jungle garden, outdoor patios and covered cabana-type buildings. Innovative design enhances the views from each of the towers, with most apartments enjoying 180-degree panoramas of the Jakarta skyline. The typical floor is limited to four units, each with a private elevator — a convincing leasing point. Rounding out the luxurious offerings, health club facilities and multi-purpose function rooms are located on the ground floor of one of the towers.


Four Seasons

a rebirth of Luxury in Downtown Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles, CaliforniaClient: 777 Tower Associates & California MeC, inc.Services: Conceptual Architecture

RTKL designed a landmark luxury hotel and residential high-rise tower for the nascent downtown Los Angeles area. The site for the touchstone building is located in the heart of the financial district, representing the third phase of a mixed-use super-block development that includes class-A office buildings, retail and restaurants, a landscaped plaza, and an adjacent 13-story 2,400 space on-site parking garage. In addition to structural challenges resulting from the earthquake-prone area, the designers set about creating both an aesthetic standout and making strong physical and visual connections to the surrounding buildings.

The result is a timelessly elegant, world-class product, featuring a 400-room full-service hotel and 184 condominiums. The tower’s slender profile rises 55 stories above the street on South Figueroa and commands a strong, yet sophisticated, presence on the southeastern edge of downtown. Its detailing, materials and color create a pleasing aesthetic unity with the neighboring 777 Tower. At the top of the tower, a thin, dramatically cantilevered glass cornice rises above the city’s skyline. From its synergistic mix of form and materials to the relationship of indoor and outdoor spaces over the entirety of its height, the 755 Tower connects its occupants to the Los Angeles environment — its landscape, its rapidly emerging residential downtown and its lifestyle.


755 Tower

environmentally-friendly design for lower manhattan

Location: new york, new yorkClient: Lincoln Property CompanyServices: Design Competition and Architecture

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a central goal of New York City’s planning professionals and the public has been to create a dynamic, 24/7 community in lower Manhattan. For a design competition, RTKL designed a development that could serve as not only a lively hub for residents but was also environmentally-friendly.

RTKL designed the building to best take advantage of natural sunlight via the positioning and the layout of the site. Additionally, community gardens and playgrounds were outfitted with photovoltaic panels to generate energy. Gray water captured on site was designated for use as irrigation. The vibrant streetscape design incorporated large windows to engage pedestrian traffic and create a high energy and lively atmosphere.


Battery Park

a new residential tower invigorates a mixed-use center

Location: Salford Quays, englandClient: emmerson groupServices: Concept Design

With the goal of maximizing breathtaking waterfront views and complementing adjacent retail and office space, RTKL provided the concept design for a 14-story residential tower with luxury service apartments in Salford Quays, Manchester.

The scheme was designed around the Lowry Galleria, a 500,000 SF mixed-use center consisting of retail, leisure, residential and office space. With one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as penthouse units, a health club and underground parking, the tower provides numerous housing options and luxurious amenities. By sharing the site with the Galleria and the Lowry Performing Arts Center, the design is able to draw both more commercial use to the development by providing an instant customer base and more residents to the tower with offerings of convenient access to retail and leisure.


The Lowry at Salford Quays

a series of community enclaves brought to high-rise living

Location: kobe City, japan Client: health Care japanServices: Design Competition

Health Care Japan is planning a new continuing care retirement center on the coast of Kobe, Japan. RTKL entered the design competition with a world class, state- of-the-art facility that possesses the same sophistication and quality of other Sun City projects. To achieve this, the designers met the challenge of creating a community and neighborhood environment in a high-rise setting.

To maximize southern views toward the picturesque islands of Setonaikai Inland Sea, the designers created a variety of gathering zones such as sky courts nestled in the towers, rooftop terraces and restaurants. Special care was taken to maximize the duration of natural daylight penetration into the building with atriums located throughout the project. The terraces, sky courts, and atriums include trees and other greenery, creating softer and warmer spaces for the residents. The project boasts 730 retirement units on 38 levels with access to numerous amenities and skilled nursing.


Sun City Kobe Senior Living Project

from top to bottom, a residence tower becomes a distinctive presence

Location: San Diego, CaliforniaClient: watt Commercial PropertiesServices: urban Design, Architecture

In the heart of San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood, a site was primed for a residential tower that would take advantage of its slope and meld into the local area of low and high-rise commercial and multi-family residences. Using scale and style appropriate to the community, RTKL designed a unique structure that meets market demand and adds a new dynamic element to the neighborhood.

The tower base respects pedestrian movement with well-scaled, street-level live/work units, street-entry residential units and views into the courtyard. The street wall is subdivided into sections resembling rows of different-looking houses to engage passersby. The units are a mix of one, two and three bedroom floor plans, providing a variety of options. With two distinct towers rising from the base, the project provides views of the city and establishes itself as an impressive presence in the San Diego skyline.


Acqua Vista Residential Tower

style and luxury in prestigious uptown Dallas

Location: Dallas, Texas Client: ZOM DevelopersServices: Architecture

Looking to provide an unprecedented luxury residential accommodation in the already-prestigious Uptown area of Dallas, ZOM developers turned to RTKL to design a new community that would raise the bar for luxury rental accommodations throughout the Dallas metropolitan area.

Implementing a unique multi-rise design, The Waverly At Cityplace features a 20 story high-rise tower with 146 units and an adjoining four story low-rise section comprised of 72 urban-style lofts. Style and luxury are touchstones throughout the buildings, as both the loft and tower units feature floor to ceiling windows, kitchens featuring deluxe appliances and granite countertops, and an average unit size of 1,427 SF. While all units share an exacting standard of excellence, the exciting differences between the two unit styles provides residents with an additional level of choice, as the tower units display breathtaking views of downtown Dallas, while the loft units feature opulent 18’ ceiling heights. Sure to change the face of residential living in Dallas, The Waverly at Cityplace brings a new standard of class and elegance to Uptown.


Cityplace Zom

a luxury apartment building meets an affluent community’s needs

Location: Atlanta, georgiaClient: Post Properties, inc.Services: Architecture

In Atlanta’s prestigious Buckhead neighborhood, affluent professionals flock to the wealth of shopping venues, entertainment and dining options, and transit links to downtown. A new luxury high-rise apartment building, located along Buckhead’s main thoroughfare and designed by RTKL, responds to the demographic, providing a variety of amenities and comfortable units.

The building offers 156,167 SF of leasable residential space, amenities like a fitness center and a secured parking garage, and apartment plans ranging in size from 650 to 2,200 SF. A range of floor plans allows for flexibility in leasing: The lower four levels of the building offer dramatic double-height units, with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass; the mid-level floors contain larger units with balconies looking out at the downtown skyline; and the top floor features four 2,234-SF penthouse units with large terraces. Sophisticated décor throughout the building and upgraded, comfortable and luxurious fittings fill each unit, catering to the selective user. All residents have access to a rooftop terrace, which includes a water feature, galley, fireplace and dramatic downtown views.


2626 Peachtree

one of Dallas’ most recognizable buildings gets a new life

Location: Dallas, Texas Client: gables residentialServices: Architecture

Originally constructed in 1954 as the headquarters of the Republic National Bank, the Republic Center, with its ornamental tower and beacon, is one of Dallas’ most recognizable buildings. After a series of takeovers, the building was left empty, and a group of dedicated developers set about on the ambitious project of turning the 36-story office tower into a new luxury apartment building.

Located in the most vibrant part of downtown Dallas, at the junction of the Arts District, the Central Business District and the Main Street Corridor, the newly redesigned building will feature 225 units offering over 275,000 SF of immaculately designed residential space. In addition to the units’ well-appointed furnishings, such as wood floors, granite countertops and an average unit size of 1,150 SF, residents have easy access to the street-level retail shops conveniently located at the base of the building. The reinvention of the Republic Center will not only bring more people into city life, but also breathe more life into the city.


Republic Center

visibility a major driver for design

Location: houston, Texas Client: Post Properties inc. Services: Architecture

Visibility is a central concern when constructing any new building; not only should the view from the building be attractive, but the design of the building itself should complement the skyline. The issue of visibility was particularly important in the design of the Pierce Elevated project in downtown Houston, a new residential building located two blocks away from an elevated expressway.

RTKL responded to the unique demands of the location by dedicating the first three floors of the building to above-ground parking, and then placing the 129 double-height loft units on top, providing the units’ 19 foot-tall windows with unobstructed views of downtown. To maintain neighborhood scale and project economics, a 56-unit, four-story wood frame building complements the 15-story tower, while also defining a retail motor court for patron, visitor and guest parking. Residents also enjoy a rooftop terrace over the parking structure that features a linear fountain and a fireplace. Some units have individual secured garages and all exhibit distinctive two-level floor plans, floor-to-ceiling glass and an attitude that is anything but pedestrian.


Pierce Elevated

a famous building given new purpose

Location: San Diego, CaliforniaClient: watt Commercial Properties and the City of San DiegoServices: Architecture

Built in 1909, the First National Bank Building, now the Fifth and Broadway building, was the first high-rise building in San Diego. In the early 1940s, its Beaux Arts architecture fell out of style, and nearly all of the building's detailing was removed to achieve the more streamlined look popular in that era. Some sixty years later, the 1940's façade itself was considered historically significant, yet due to its outdated systems, the building had been vacant for over 15 years, and had subsequently fallen into disrepair. A joint venture between private developers and the City of San Diego, as part of its Bandwidth Bay initiative, sought to transform the derelict building into a thriving live-work environment for tech-savvy residents and start-up companies. They turned to RTKL to update and restore the building structure, systems and architecture.

Restoring the façade to its 1940's modern-style design character, the team added a slender metal brow above the penthouse floor, providing the tower with a cornice recalling the exuberant 1909 original. Energy-efficient glazing brings the building into the 21st century, while the historic interior lobbies and public areas — not substantially altered since 1909 — were restored to their original character. Additional improvements include new HVAC, new electrical systems, structural retrofitting for earthquakes, ground floor retail and industrial loft spaces. The renovation plan has preserved the exterior of the Fifth and Broadway Building and its many eras of historic charm, while simultaneously bringing its interior structure and systems to the forefront of state-of-the-art residential and commercial mixed-use developments.


Fifth and Broadway

taking traditional luxury to the next level

Location: new york, new yorkClient: The related Companies, LPServices: interior Architecture and Design

When the Related Companies set out to construct the Time Warner Building, a high-end mixed-use project in New York’s Columbus Circle, they employed the highest level of design, materials and craftsmanship to create a “cost no object” residential tower. RTKL was selected to provide the interior architecture and design for the lobby of this premier residential building. A major challenge facing the design team was the lobby’s floor plan, trapezoid in shape, with unusual spatial volumes.

The design team embraced the challenge of creating a sumptuous environment that is elegant yet inviting, cosmopolitan yet cordial. The massive height of the lobby required the design of a “jewel box” concept of intimate living spaces such as the lounge area, while melding a classic contemporary theme within the envelope of the building. The interior design takes traditional notions of luxury to the next level with the use of opulent materials such as white onyx, leather and eucalyptus wood for the wall panels, magnificent marble floors of black, camel and cream, and walls adorned with a timeless collection of custom artwork. The lobby succeeds in greeting residents to their home with a visage of inimitable class and engaging luxury.


One Central Park

2626 Peachtree, Atlanta, georgia

Since our origin as a two-man office in Annapolis, Maryland in 1946, RTKL has grown into an internationally recognized planning and design firm with 750 professionals, 11 offices worldwide and projects in over 60 nations. But whether we're designing architecture, engineering systems, communities, environments or telecommunications systems, we always envision the end-user: how they will live, work, rest or play in an environment RTKL designed. It affects your bottom line.

The key to our seamless, responsive design approach is the firm’s orientation by practice group, rather than by geographic location. Specialists from our Retail/ Entertainment, Hospitality, Public, Workplace, Health and Residential Sectors collaborate laterally on all projects. From the initial client meeting through occupancy and beyond, RTKL’s creative services focus on all aspects of the project: from property evaluations and economic viability, to web development, logo design or directional signage. In short, our diversified expertise allows us to design your project with an efficiency that promotes on-time/on-budget delivery while considering award-winning approaches that make places real.

the Bare essentials

high-rise residential the Bare essentials

RTKL’s success has always been propelled by an understanding of how people want to live. Our clients and end-users benefit from a matrix of expertise that overlays a thoughtful consideration of the human experience. Paying attention to industry trends is the beginning. Your improved bottom line is the end result. Knowing how to make the extraordinary seem real ensures repeat visitors. And we provide innovative, customized business solutions and seamless delivery across the hospitality, commercial, cultural and governmental realms. Our passionate pursuit of excellence, the application of creativity to solve our clients’ challenges, our technical expertise that transcends concept and occupancy issues, and our collaborative spirit are all the measures of our success.

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high-rise on the rise - callisonrtkl.com. the best tool to rise above the fray? ... success thrives...

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