dwell design studio, llc

Roll Tide Roll! Union Tuscaloosa (previously called Uncommon Tuscaloosa) is a privately-owned student housing project located steps from The University of Alabama and Bryant-Denny Stadium that opened its doors in 2020. With 132 modern units and 296 beds, it offers a variety of layouts from studios to five-bedroom configurations, blending contemporary design with essential amenities. Residents can enjoy a fitness center with ample views of the pool deck, as well as vibrant social spaces like a secondary amenity courtyard, game day lounge, and dedicated study areas. We were proud to collaborate with Article Student Living and their fantastic team on this development! Developer: Article Student Living Landscape: HPLAstudio Civil: MCGIFFERT & ASSOCIATES, LLC. Structural: LBYD Engineers MEP (Design Assist Only): Diligent Design Group Inc. Contractor: Rabren General Contractors ID: STANTON Interior Concepts, Inc. #DwellDesignStudio #DwellDone #StudentHousing #RadicallyPolished #NotoriouslyAccountable

Who let the architects out!? So good to get our dwell design studio, llc team out on site to see the great work we are doing with Aventon Companies at Moorefield Station starting to take shape in a big way!

Framing is underway at RENDER Turner Lake in Covington, GA! This apartment community will consist of five residential buildings, offering 300 units, six detached garages, and a combined leasing and clubhouse building. We’re looking forward to the progress ahead in the coming months! Developer: Crescent Communities Architect: dwell design studio, llc #progress #multifamily #construction #Atlanta

We are stoked to announce that Ryn Burns has joined our DC office as our new Multifamily Principal! Ryn has a passion for housing, innovative design, and sustainable projects that nurture and strengthen vibrant, healthy communities. And as a bonus, he’s an avid skateboarder who loves to travel! We're ready to see him shred as a Dwellian! #DwellDesignStudio #Dwellcome #RadicallyPolished #NotoriouslyAccountable

Let’s (hay) ride! Excellent cider, a big fire, and great company. Awesome Autumn conditions for connecting with creative colleagues! #community #dwellians #teambuilding #farm #fire #cider #communication #discourse #architects #design #office #worklife dwell design studio, llc , Ofra Gelman, AIA, LEED-AP, Miles D. , Gino Bretana, Ana Luisa Licon Lopez, Matthew Graf , Allyson Tan, James Leon, WELL AP

Dwell's Unity Squad recently kicked off our annual event to celebrate the firm's vibrant diversity. We engaged in thought-provoking discussions about sustaining a belonging-based community, participated in fun games designed to highlight our shared experiences and similarities, and looked back at the different cultural celebrations we participated in throughout the year. In true Dwellian fashion, we wrapped up the evening with a lively happy hour. We look forward to continuing to build a vibrant community together! #DwellDesignStudio #DwellDone #UnitySquad #RadicallyPolished #NotoriouslyAccountable

Now open in downtown Salt Lake City, UT! CINQ is a modern residential gem featuring 203 stylish apartments across five stories. Blending contemporary design with the area’s industrial legacy, CINQ offers a vibrant community with curated details. Enjoy a central courtyard with BBQ grills, a pizza oven, and fire pits, plus amenities like co-working spaces and an onsite fitness center. Conveniently located near the Old Greektown TRAX stop, CINQ is where modern living meets community spirit! Owner: dbUrbanCommunities; Alpha Development Group Civil: CIR Civil Engineering Structural: PSE Landscape: Landiform Design Group MEP: Phillips Gradick Engineering Interiors: dwell design studio, llc GC: Richard Van Leeuwen Construction Photography: Mark Heywood Photography #DwellDesignStudio #DwellDone #RadicallyPolished #NotoriouslyAccountable

THE CASE FOR MIDDLE INCOME HOUSING: Maximizing your allowable building area For atleast 50 years there has been mad growth in suburban markets using garden style buildings. In most cases they are 3 story, wood framed structures consisting of 24 units per building - 8 units per floor. This layout requires two means of egress. This has been a tried and true layout for most developers. But I see a few flaws that have been overlooked for half a century and I intend to share those with you: 1. land area required, 2. land values, 3. separation distance inefficiencies, 4. more buildings = more costs One problem is that these buildings usually only produce 12-15 units per acres (upa) and therefore most developers need 15-20 acres to get enough units to attract institutional investors/buyers. In today’s world however land values have gone up exponentially in the preferred suburban markets and access to parcels of that size has become sparce. In addition, you must build 10-12 buildings to get the density required to attract institutional investors/buyers. When laying out the density studies for these sites you must have enough distance between each building, usually between 20-30 feet in most communities, to meet fire separation distances. These spaces eat up land area and make your site plans less efficient. Also, the more buildings you have the more ends of buildings you have to skin with materials, the more egress stairs you have, the more vertical circulation you have (especially if going 4 stories), the more utility services are needed (water, power). You simply are not maxing out the potential of your utilities, making these smaller building more costly. So what’s the solution? Well density of course… but thoughtful density. Our Dwell Prototype maximizes the building area allowed by code for a 13R sprinkler system. We are grabbing every possible foot allowed by the code before requiring a firewall. Yes this means larger buildings that require double loaded corridors. Sure you are adding corridors to the building but your efficiency is incredible… we are achieving 86-87%! Our design also dramatically reduce buildings from 10-12 to 5 buildings to achieve similar density. I look forward to working alongside your teams to reduce your costs and increase affordability for your projects. Let’s chat and be sure and follow me for my next topic of Reducing Egress Stairs and Vertical Circulation. #dwelldone #dwelldesign www.dwelldesignstudio.com

THE CASE FOR MIDDLE-INCOME HOUSING Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some huge successes we have been having at Dwell Design Studio to reduce the costs of housing for our customers. We have seen major reductions in costs through creative design that is saving developers between 12-22% over comparable communities. As an industry we have designed our way out of efficient structures by chasing the hottest markets and designing to beat out the latest competition through elaborate amenities and grossly over designed facades. This has led to a glut of inefficient projects and to a reduction in affordable housing as a Nation. There is a significant missing middle. A middle that has more fixed incomes and that needs designers to really focus on finding creative ways to still provide Class A buildings but more effectively so that overall costs for developers can be reduced to meet the rental income needs of these missing middle communities. The following are a list of design factors that need to change to reduce costs and create better affordability: Repetition is Key Reduce Unit Types Consistency in Baths and Kitchens Maximize Allowable Building Area Minimize Circulation and Egressing Simplify Facade Materiality Smart Balconies Maximize your Parkable Area Follow me on LinkedIn as I discuss each of the above subjects in the coming week and show you solutions to save money and build affordable housing with Class A finishes and look.

Colleagues that play together! I was so happy to come across a few of our folks at dwell design studio, llc taking a break to chat and work on a puzzle. Also, there is something hilarious (and fitting) about a bunch of architects working on a puzzle of an architectural plan as a way to take a break from architecture… but I digress. Make time to play! It’s important. Self care is team care. Be well #puzzling #solutions #stepbystep #pieces #franklloydwright #fallingwater #dwellians #wellness #break #selfcare dwell design studio, llc , Jorge Fernandez A. , Mark Nickell