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North Torrey Pines Living & Learning Neighborhood Amongst Projects Leading the Building Decarbonization Charge
Community Transformation in the Northeast U.S. and Mid-Atlantic Region Drives Creative Responses from Designers
Community Transformation in the Northeast U.S. and Mid-Atlantic Region Drives Creative Responses from Designers
By Kathleen M. O’Donnell
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Metro areas throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region of the United States are transforming. They might not be experiencing explosive population growth like those in the Southeast or Southwest, but a new era for innovation, development and design in New York, Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, is dawning.
Why? In part, because they’re among the most populous and oldest developed places in the country, and in part because people are living and working differently than before.
“There is a convergence of forces requiring cities to adapt to the changing needs of the people they serve,” said HKS Regional Director Shannon Kraus. “Aged infrastructure, population growth, hybrid work and artificial intelligence are all driving a fundamental shift in how people live and work in a post-pandemic society.”
These factors — in addition to pendulating economic conditions — are causing challenges and presenting opportunities for city governments, real estate developers and building owners. HKS is working with these entities to contribute creative solutions for existing and future buildings, so people who live in, work in, and visit the region can thrive.
Unlocking the Potential of Older Infrastructure
While the historic buildings in well-established Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cities are central to their charm, many aren’t adequately serving people who need safe, comfortable places to live, learn and receive health care services.
“Most of these cities have old hospitals, schools, and housing stock that they need to reinvest in, or they have to build new, better buildings that support people in a changing post-COVID world,” Kraus said.
Designers from HKS’ Cities & Communities practice, Kraus noted, are working across sectors to revitalize communities and infrastructure with the deep understanding that where people live dramatically impacts their health and well-being.
Individual building repositioning and renovation projects, while a necessity in older cities, can be expensive and labor intensive. Kraus and HKS New York office director Eric Thomas both said that architects and developers are currently engaged with officials in conversations to advocate for better tax incentives that spur development.
They are also having parallel discussions about sustainability, acknowledging that reducing embodied carbon and carbon emissions through design interventions will help unlock the potential of existing buildings.
“There’s a big push for more electric, more sustainable buildings, but our grid is struggling, and it relies a lot on fossil fuels,” Thomas said about New York. “There needs to be a bigger investment in alternative fuel sources, so that as we design and retrofit existing buildings, our electrical grid can handle it.”
As larger repositioning efforts unfurl industry-wide, HKS architects and designers are working to adapt existing buildings for new uses, improve energy efficiency and make enhancements to exceed current building code standards — all tactics that better serve building users and help clients recoup costs of the property investments they’ve already made.
“We’re making sure they’re looking at the big picture. We can have a big impact on the cost related to building systems upgrades, and we partner with engineers who share that philosophy,” Thomas said. “Our clients appreciate that holistic approach.”
In Northeast and Mid-Atlantic business and government centers, the amount of vacant office space has skyrocketed since the pandemic began in 2020. As a result, commercial owners, lessees and developers are seeking to reimagine office environments and office-anchored developments. Designers from HKS Interiors and Mixed-Use practices are helping companies navigate the shift by bringing insights and ideas to office design that aid collaboration in addition to attracting tenants and talent.
“Our teams are helping commercial clients pivot during this challenging time, providing solutions that help them diversify their amenities and offerings,” said Shantee Blain, HKS Washington, D.C.’s office director. Blain added that the commercial downturn has enabled HKS teams to leverage their multidisciplinary experience to bring new ideas to different building types and sectors.
The commercial office downturn is coinciding with an urgent need for more multifamily housing in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region — a need that stems from a variety of factors including the large, densely located populations and residents’ changing needs in the era of hybrid work.
“As the demand for office has cooled, the demand for residential and multifamily has increased. More people want to work from home and are looking for different things,” Kraus said.
New residential construction is taking place in the Washington, D.C. and New York metro areas, where government-led initiatives to generate tens of thousands of housing units in recent and upcoming years are in full swing. The region is also a prime location for new mixed-use destinations and transit-oriented developments with dining, public space, local retail, entertainment and varied housing options.
Such mixed-use multifamily properties and larger developments are integral to the future of design and development, according to HKS leaders.
“In the industry, I hope we’re going toward doing more of what I call ‘hybrid buildings,’ where a place we design doesn’t have just one typology and ‘mixed-use’ is how you describe all buildings,” Blain said. “These types of places invigorate communities and give back to their residents.”
The pandemic changed what people need from the places where they live and work. And there is yet another force drastically impacting work modes and development in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: cloud-based technology.
With advances in cloud computing and remote networks making it easier for people to work remotely or in hybrid settings, the demand for highly equipped offices — at home and in corporate spaces — is surging. Cloud computing and widescale adoption of artificial intelligence are also leading to astronomical increases in the need for high-performing data centers worldwide.
HKS leaders said that with the recent Mission Critical practice expansion, the firm is further establishing itself at the vanguard of data center design. HKS is creating new campuses to handle large server and computing loads in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and beyond. Introducing new talent and skills into the firm’s global base is helping design teams provide more services and develop inventive solutions for these vital facilities.
“We are developing new ways of designing data centers in the region, uniting the skills of talented mission critical designers with professionals that have experience designing a broader range of building types,” Blain said.
HKS designers work swiftly and smartly to design and deliver data centers and operations facilities, in order to set trends in sustainability, building performance and innovation.
“It doesn’t have to be data centers for miles,” said Mike Drye, HKS Richmond’s office director. “We’re in this next generation of thinking, and we don’t just have to repeat what’s been done. We can think creatively about it.”
Synergistic Relationships and Growth
Regional HKS leaders said their teams are coupling that kind of creative energy with local experience in health, government, sports and commercial design to build connections and meet the needs of communities throughout the region as they evolve.
“When I think about the types of work our firm and office does in academic health and collegiate sports and the opportunities around our region, I see tremendous potential for us to leverage all that HKS does more broadly,” Drye said.
The area’s abundance of academic health, research, and education institutions — many of which are connected to major universities — are consolidating and growing. These institutions need state-of-the-art facilities for medical services, teaching and learning, housing, research and athletics. The natural connections and design overlaps among these building types mean that HKS designers can provide top-tier services based on deep knowledge of a variety of practice areas. They can translate their experience to new and innovative designs.
“The conversation we like to have with clients starts with the question: how else can we serve you?” Thomas said. “We have subject matter experts and talented folks who can assist with student housing, classroom buildings, sports facilities and laboratories, including teaching and research space.”
In addition to growing its Education and Life Science practices, HKS is also expanding other practices in the region including Hospitality, Culture and Senior Living. Projects stemming from these practices will attract new people and provide more vital community resources.
Innovating Globally, Designing Locally
As Northeast and Mid-Atlantic cities simultaneously grapple with their history and future, HKS leaders said that their teams will draw on the firm’s global talent base and local relationships to design spaces and places that uniquely suit their surroundings.
Thomas said that in New York, multidisciplinary design teams are leading community resilience efforts and partnering with institutions to enrich the city’s cultural offerings. Blain said she and other D.C. staff members are inspired by the District’s historic buildings and human scale, which helps them create welcoming destinations. And in Richmond, Drye said colleagues are building relationships with organizations to tap into the local artistic and entrepreneurial spirit so they can help the growing city develop authentically.
These HKS teams are transforming homes, offices, learning and healing environments, and places for connection so they can weather current and future economic, environmental and technological conditions. Working nimbly and collaboratively, designers will contribute to a resilient future for people throughout the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
“We lean into our design expertise and bring forward innovative ideas, and a lot of cities in our market require that,” Kraus said. “The collision of old and new here is exciting, and we’re leading change in the built environment that supports our communities’ long-term well-being and growth.”
Aurora Highlands Design Guidelines
Project
Aurora Highlands Design Guidelines
A Plan for a Diverse, Sustainable, Vibrant Community
Aurora, Colorado
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The Challenge
The Aurora Highlands is a proposed mixed-use community with a range of residential building types and civic, retail and commercial uses.
The client challenged HKS to craft a Vision Plan and Design Guidelines for a 350-acre site within the 2,500-acre Aurora Highlands development. The Vision Plan and Design Guidelines are meant to help Aurora Highlands attract new businesses and residents, accommodate a variety of housing options, integrate with existing regional infrastructure and respond to Colorado’s natural beauty and climatic conditions.
The Design Solution
The Aurora Highlands Design Guidelines provide strategies to develop a new mixed-use town center and regional destination that feels rooted in Colorado.
The guidelines propose three key interventions:
the completion of an internal Greenway Loop System through the area’s higher-density districts
the development of mixed-use neighborhoods with distinct characteristics and amenities
the establishment of Main Street as a mixed-use, multi-modal spine that connects the neighborhoods with active space
A variety of green spaces integrate the denser urban environment into the broader regional greenway system. The integration of urban environment and green space is essential to foster ecological balance, develop a healthy and sustainable environment, and provide benefits of nature to residents.
The vibrant Main Street corridor — the development’s core — encourages ground-floor retail and commercial spaces to enliven the streetscape and foster a sense of community. Pedestrian-friendly environments, bike trails and efficient public transit options promote accessibility and connectivity.
The guidelines interweave development, open space and ecology with access and site circulation. This approach encourages distinct neighborhoods to emerge and create a diverse and livable Town Center.
The Design Impact
The Aurora Highlands design guidelines address the multifaceted challenges of creating a sustainable, economically vibrant and socially inclusive community.
By incorporating diverse residential typologies and affordable housing options, the project strives to support a range of economic demographics to ensure the community can thrive economically and socially.
The guidelines promote a resilient development that leverages passive solar design strategies, maximizes natural light and integrates ecological landscaping to mitigate the urban heat island effect. These tactics enhance the area’s aesthetic appeal, contribute to environmental sustainability and improve air and water quality.
A federally designated Opportunity Zone in Aurora, south of the Denver International Airport, will encourage investment and economic growth. Our focused site is part of the Opportunity Zone initiative and will be a significant economic driver for the City of Aurora in the coming decade, along with the proposed on-site hospital. The Aurora Highlands development aims to create the necessary housing stock, at affordable price points, for new businesses to thrive in the area within a mixed-use and ecologically friendly community.
Historic Forest Theater Plans Exciting Encore with Massive Restoration Project
Historic Forest Theater Plans Exciting Encore with Massive Restoration Project
By HKS
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To a stranger, the Forest Theater and its eye-catching green marquee sign that simply reads, “FOREST,” may appear to be a decaying blip alongside Interstate 45 as the highway snakes out of South Dallas toward Houston.
But for those who live around the theater, this off-white building is a charming relic of history.
The Forest opened in 1949 in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood that evolved into a primarily Black neighborhood. Historical photos from 1956 show a swarm of people lined up outside the box office to catch the entertainment of the night. The space has been a movie theater, a ballroom, a nightclub, and the venue of live shows hosted by Dallas native, and R&B singer, Erykah Badu.
These days, though, the theater sits idle. It hasn’t hosted a show since 2008.
But that’s about to change. Leaders of HKS, the city of Dallas, and the community organization, Forest Forward, are working together to bring the Forest back to life. Their much-anticipated plans call for a major renovation of the historic venue that will turn it into a multi-use community space that revitalizes South Dallas and showcases the neighborhood’s artistic talents.
“HKS is honored to work with Forest Forward in realizing their vision to revitalize the theater and have it serve as a community focal point that knits once separated neighborhoods back together,” said Mike Vela, a Principal and Senior Project Manager at HKS.
A Piece of Dallas History
When it opened in 1949, the Forest only served White patrons. The construction of Interstate 45 in the early 1950s divided the community, both literally and figuratively, creating persistent poverty and disinvestment in the area surrounding the theater. By the time the expressway was completed, the neighborhood had evolved into a predominantly Black community as Jewish residents moved out of South Dallas. Despite the neighborhood’s changing demographics, it wasn’t until 1956 that the first Black patrons were allowed into the Forest.
Declining ticket sales forced the theater to close in 1965, but it continued to host special events for many years, including shows organized by Badu that brought artists such as Tina Turner, Sidney Poitier, Prince and the Roots to South Dallas.
The Forest Theater was up for sale for several years before Jon Halbert, a longtime board member of the Dallas nonprofit, CitySquare, and his wife, Linda, noticed a “for sale” sign on the marquee during a drive to Fair Park in early 2017.
For years, the couple had toyed with the possibility of turning an existing performance venue into an educational space for youth in Dallas to explore the arts. Their family had a long history with dyslexia, including two of their three children who found their voice in the arts and went on to study at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Halberts recognized their privilege in being able to help their son and daughter build their portfolio in their childhood years to earn admission to arts programs; they recognized that many families couldn’t afford classes.
To the Halberts, the Forest Theater was an opportunity to build on ongoing work in Dallas to educate and inspire future artists, performers and behind-the-scenes arts professionals. And to them, South Dallas seemed like a good place to start, given its history with redlining and inequity.
“It isn’t about a lack of talent in South Dallas – it’s about a lack of opportunity, historically, compared to the rest of Dallas,” Linda Halbert said.
The Halberts purchased the Forest Theater in May 2017.
“Art is often considered a luxury, and I don’t think it has to be,” Linda Halbert added. “It takes a minute to break through that systemic belief that art is a luxury. Early on, we would have people say, ‘Why don’t you do something practical like a mechanic shop?’ But they don’t understand that art is everywhere – there are so many benefits that art brings to the human spirit.”
Balancing History with Potential
South Dallas resident Elizabeth Wattley often rode by the Forest Theater when she was growing up. Now, as head of the community nonprofit, Forest Forward, she has the opportunity to help shape the future of the legendary landmark.
She initially got involved in the project while working as a Director of Strategic Initiatives for CitySquare, offering to oversee the Forest Theater project as a way to give back to the neighborhood where she was raised and to ensure its residents had a say in the process.
After speaking to nearby residents and other stakeholders, the team decided that a revitalization project with a multi-use gathering space would add the most value to the community, reestablishing it as a glorious neighborhood anchor and arts center.
In 2018, the project received an honorable mention in the Greater Dallas Planning Council’s Urban Design Awards, under the Dream Study category.
Wattley said she appreciates the robustness of HKS’ services and the design team’s ability to solve problems.
“While the theater is the focus, there’s a lot more community impact,” Wattley said. “HKS is able to see the ripple effect of what can happen and start repairing down the line for what a master plan should really start working toward.”
‘For the Culture’
Renderings from the Forest Theater project line an exterior wall along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for those passing by to imagine the long-term and widespread impact that the theater’s new chapter will have.
“For the Culture,” the wrapping along the wall reads.
The completed theater complex will be 66,000 square feet (5,574 square meters) with a 13,000-square-foot (1,207-square-meters) arts education hub, a performance hall with more than 1,000 seats, a multi-use 200-seat studio theater, a recording studio, and a restaurant.
In addition, the updated theater will have lower, mezzanine and upper-balcony seating with a large stage and orchestra pit. There will also be concession areas, a luxurious lobby and box offices. The building will also contain classrooms for students from the nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy, which community leaders hope will one day become a pipeline to successful arts careers for youth in South Dallas.
Wattley said she looks forward to the day when the iconic “FOREST” marquee lights up again for the first time in decades. With the groundbreaking for the project happening in April 2024, she knows that day will come soon enough. The renovations are expected to be completed late next year.
“I want that tower to shine and that big red ball at the top to just – boom – be there,” Wattley said. “There’s nothing more symbolic to demonstrate change: turning on the light and igniting the beacon of South Dallas.”
Hunger Busters
Project
Hunger Busters
Sowing Resilience: A Journey to Cultivate Change
Dallas, TX, USA
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The Challenge
Nearly two-thirds of the Dallas Independent School District’s (DISD) 150,000 students face the prospect of food insecurity each day. To help reduce that challenge Hunger Busters, a non-profit meal provider program founded in 2012, serves freshly prepared dinners to 4,500 DISD students each school day. But with the continued urgency to feed hungry children in Dallas, Hunger Busters leaders recognized the need to expand their facilities overlooking the Trinity River.
After a break-in that resulted in the loss of equipment and food supplies, Hunger Busters used the temporary setback to launch a capital campaign to propel their ambitious expansion project forward. It trained its focus on the La Bahara neighborhood, one of the five vibrant Hispanic communities in West Dallas. Confronted by challenges posed by large-scale development and escalating housing costs, La Bahara became the inspiration for a facility deeply entwined with its community. Global design firm, HKS, working through its Citizen HKS philanthropic arm, volunteered to help bring that vision to life.
The Design Solution
Inspired by the symbolism of a planted seed that is nurtured and grown, the HKS team worked with Hunger Busters to create a vibrant, sustainable food preparation facility that will eventually help nurture, grow and sustain thousands of Dallas youngsters.
The facility has three core sections: Hunger Busters’ operations, the commissary kitchen, and the rentable entrepreneurial section. Underground parking has been strategically implemented to optimize kitchen and collaboration spaces on the upper floors and address the site’s specific geological challenges.
The first level of the 17,000-square-foot building boasts expanded prep space, tripled production capacity, and a 1,400-square-foot (130 sm) revenue-generating commissary kitchen. Emphasizing sustainability, the site incorporates a chef’s garden for locally sourced produce.
The project incorporates a 1,500-gallon rainwater collection system, capitalizing on Dallas’s average rainfall to support the facility sustainably. With an annual collection capacity of approximately 636 gallons, this system plays a crucial role in irrigating the landscape and providing water for the plants in the chef’s garden.
The second floor of the two-floor facility will offer a rentable shared workplace that local nonprofits can use to foster collaboration and resource-sharing. Another highlight of the second floor is the outdoor terrace, which boasts spectacular views of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, an iconic structure that acts as a scenic connector from the La Bahara neighborhood to downtown Dallas.
A vibrant artwork piece, chosen through a local high school art contest, will provide a fitting final touch, anchoring the facility’s high-profile corner. Hunger Busters’ journey, like a seed growing from a simple connection with roots to a thriving community project, exemplifies the transformative power of collective effort in shaping positive change.
The Design Impact
The project’s sustainable strategies included an anaerobic digester that can transform food and garden waste into bio-fertilizer and energy that can power all exterior site lighting; a rainwater capture system; and CLT as a structural system.
Also, a roof solar panel with 60% coverage, is anticipated to offset 46% of the building’s baseline energy usage, holding out promise for achieving a net positive project by 2030.
The use of Mass Timber construction, specifically through the incorporation of pre-fabricated Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels, aligns with Texas Regionalism and plays a pivotal role in drastically reducing the building’s carbon footprint. The efficiency of CLT not only accelerates the construction timeline but also minimizes labor costs and offers enhanced fire safety advantages.
Throughout the design and construction phases, HKS and Hunger Busters remain steadfast in their commitment to ethical decarbonization. The overarching objective is to cultivate a building materials supply chain that is deeply environmentally conscious and actively advocates for a future free from forced labor.
This new facility, overlooking the Trinity River, is a beacon of circularity. By utilizing excess food from local restaurants and businesses, transforming it into nutritious third meals for students, and then converting any remaining waste into energy, this innovative approach addresses food insecurity and exemplifies sustainable practices championing a circular and regenerative system that benefits both people and the planet. With this new infrastructure in place, Hunger Busters will be able to increase meal production to an impressive 14,500 meals per day, significantly widening their impact within the city of Dallas.
Advances in artificial intelligence, modular construction and other methodologies will bring renewed energy to the architecture, engineering and construction industry in 2024 despite economic and environmental challenges.
In response to — and at the forefront of — current real estate and design trends, global design firm HKS is striving to revive and strengthen communities worldwide. In 2024, HKS will continue to create healthy, resilient, dynamic places that support peak performance and bring people joy.
1 – Spaces for Healthy Living and Learning
HKS is leveraging the firm’s research and health design expertise to help people navigate ongoing and emerging crises in health care, student health and well-being, and senior living.
The Sanford Health Virtual Care Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is one of several exciting HKS health care projects opening in 2024. The telehealth center will improve access to care for rural patients, a medically underserved population.
Clinical workforce shortages will be a continuing challenge for health systems in the year ahead, according to McKinsey & Company. HKS is designing facilities to address the health care staffing crisis. To further this work, the firm is partnering with design brand MillerKnoll on a study to identify factors that contribute to nurse burnout and to learn how these factors relate to the built environment. The study findings will be published this year.
At the 2024 Environments for Aging conference, HKS and industry partners will present a case study of Elevate Senior Living’s Clearwater, Florida community. HKS’ design for Elevate Clearwater is intended to help address the senior living affordability crisis. The number of middle-income older adults in need of affordable care and housing options is swiftly rising, as demonstrated by a study into the “forgotten middle” senior cohort, by research group NORC at the University of Chicago.
2 – Commercial Office Reinvention
It’s clear by now that hybrid and remote work are here to stay. Changes to work habits over the last four years caused major fluctuations in corporate real estate portfolios, leading to increased vacancy rates and diminishing valuations worldwide. But according to Deloitte’s 2024 commercial real estate outlook, newer, higher quality assets are outperforming older spaces and new construction projects designed to accommodate hybrid work strategies are on the rise.
HKS commercial interior designers are creating offices with hybrid-ready technologies and attractive amenities for companies like Textron Systems in Arlington, Virginia and AGI in Naperville, Illinois. HKS’ advisory groups have also teamed with influential companies, including CoreLogic, to develop strategies and design concepts for their robust asset portfolios that help them keep up with the evolving real estate landscape.
The firm’s industry-leading research on brain healthy workplaces has yielded exciting discoveries about how offices that prioritize employee well-being can be designed, delivered and operated. Piloting strategies in the firm’s own real estate portfolio and advocating for “breaking the workstation,” HKS researchers and designers are setting new standards for inclusive, productive office environments. In 2024, HKS will present these ideas to a global audience at South by Southwest® (SXSW®) and continue to design workplaces for new modes of working.
Fluctuations in the commercial office sector and retail are providing new opportunities in mixed-use development. PwC and ULI’s Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2024 report indicates that real estate investors are increasingly diversifying or pivoting their portfolios to counteract disuse of downtown offices and regional malls.
A shift toward developments with a variety of localized services and amenities is occurring — and HKS designers and planners are at the forefront of creating exciting new projects with unique anchors. In Hangzhou, China, the 2023 Asian Games Athlete Village Waterfront Mixed-Use is becoming a prime destination for retail and entertainment, not unlike HKS-designed SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park in Los Angeles with its newest attraction, Cosm. Beyond these new mixes, HKS designers are creating dynamic properties such as NoMaCNTR in Washington, DC, to join hotel and residential uses — a combination on the rise in many major cities.
In 2024, HKS is expanding its ability to serve communities with mixed-use planning and design, fostering sustainable growth for cities in the years to come. The Austin Light Rail team — consisting of Austin Transit Partnership, HKS, UNStudio and Gehl — is set to finalize design guidelines for proposed station locations that will provide opportunities for Austin residents to live in more affordable locations and promote urban expansion into less dense areas. As the transit network expands, it will unlock real estate opportunities and give rise to a variety of diverse and exciting mixed-use properties. This work complements the Transit Oriented Developments projects HKS is working on to elevate the health and well-being of our communities nationwide.
HKS designers are also set to craft a new master plan for the Georgia World Congress Center’s 220-acre campus in downtown Atlanta this year. The cohesive, sustainability-driven master plan will create a legible pedestrian-friendly environment that maximizes economic potential of the convention center campus. This will integrate the campus’ global canvas with surrounding historic neighborhoods using a comprehensive framework.
In their report on 2024 real estate trends, PwC and ULI write that that “the movement to convert existing buildings from office to multifamily (or any other asset class, really), offers a meaningful achievement in saving carbon emissions.”
In a highly poetic adaptive reuse project, HKS reimagined a defunct airport terminal, which dated to the 1940s, as a creative, contemporary workspace for online travel company Expedia Group.
In 2024, HKS will continue to advance adaptive reuse design across different markets and geographies.
5 – Creating a Better World through ESG
Balancing holistic sustainability — including decarbonization, climate resilience, and equitable design practices — with business goals is imperative for commercial real estate investors according to 2024 outlooks by both Deloitte and PwC. Leading the architecture and design industries to a brighter future, HKS is committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).
HKS leaders recently demonstrated the depth of the firm’s ESG efforts through thought leadership — speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the United Nations Science Summit on Brain Capital, and at the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) conference, where HKS was also a Diamond Sponsor.
Driven by ESG goals, HKS designers strive to enhance human and environmental well-being through the places they create day in and day out. The firm’s growing portfolio of high-performing projects includes the world’s first WELL-certified airport facility, a COTE Top-Ten Award-winning campus in California and a IIDA Global Excellence Award finalist hospital in Saudi Arabia to name a few. In 2024, HKS architects, sustainable design leaders and advisors will continue developing building portfolio sustainability guidelines and high-performance designs for major tech companies and educational institutions.
HKS will also align with the Science Based Targets Initiative, which recently established building sector guidelines, to ensure the firm’s carbon neutrality goals are science-backed and can be properly benchmarked. The firm will provide voluntary disclosures about its offsets portfolio to meet regulatory requirements, enhance transparency and improve accountability.
Most excitingly, 2024 marks the 10-year anniversary of Citizen HKS, a firmwide initiative that impacts lives and drives change through design, community service and financial philanthropy. HKS designers around the world will celebrate the pro-bono design work and service projects they have contributed to through Citizen HKS and re-commit to enhancing their communities for years to come.
Jeremiah Community
Virginia's Jeremiah Community Offers a Lifetime of Care, Security and Well-Being
Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
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The Challenge
Rising population and soaring living costs will likely escalate homelessness and housing insecurity nationwide. This absence of permanent housing fuels hefty spending by localities on managing crime, public health issues, and social injustices. Micah Ecumenical Ministries, experienced in aiding Fredericksburg, VA’s homeless, proposes an intentional solution: a holistic supportive housing community. Partnering with Citizen HKS and engaging the community, the Jeremiah Community aims to offer affordable, permanent homes tailored to the unhoused. This initiative includes health care programs, access to nature and faith, fostering a cohesive community for those transitioning from homelessness to a stable, supportive environment.
The Design Solution
The Jeremiah Community focuses on lifelong healing through deliberate design choices, ensuring well-being, safety, and accessibility. Citizen HKS, contributing expertise in place analysis, master planning, and unit design, collaborates with Micah’s partnerships at the University of Mary Washington Healthcare System and Virginia Supportive Housing. They strategically position essential facilities like the health care clinic, market, maker space, chapel, community center, and gardens to create varied public, social, and personal spaces catering to community healing needs— ranging from physical to spiritual.
Citizen HKS’ holistic approach balances environmentally friendly strategies and urban design principles on the dense site. Pathways carve pocket neighborhoods, connecting diverse programming while emphasizing nature’s role in wellness. These areas, centered around shared green spaces, encourage communal immersion in nature, addressing erosion and heat island effects passively.
This sustainable urban plan showcases how integrated design strategies create healing spaces within the Jeremiah Community, supporting individual and communal well-being for all.
The Design Impact
The Jeremiah Community seeks to eliminate chronic homelessness by offering ongoing care and stable housing for more than 100 individuals. Citizen HKS’ design approach emphasizes Housing, Purpose, and Relationship principles, empowering the unhoused community in the design process. This collaboration fosters a master plan prioritizing affordability and a sustainable, healthy environment for transitioning to permanent homes. As this community pursues choice and self-determination, our design journey will continue to align with their progress as we engage in future project phases.
Project Features
109 single-family or duplex homes
80 multifamily SRO apartments
Community spaces
Community center
Health clinic
Market
Maker space
Chapel
Memorial garden
Public transit
Hiking and Biking Trails
“Without the [unhoused] community, I would have lost the only possession I had left [when I was on the streets] – hope.”
Peg Phillips, Micah, Servant-Leader of Neighbor Care
StationSoccer
Building Social Infrastructure with the Power of Play
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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The Challenge
Like in many large American cities, neighborhoods in Atlanta are divided by a variety of factors such as race and income, and low-income neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color have historically had less access to resources than wealthy and white neighborhoods. This includes less access to sports facilities and green spaces, as well as less access to pay-to-play sports leagues.
Global design firm HKS collaborated with public and private interests through its pro bono practice, Citizen HKS, to help bridge this gap with an unlikely pairing: transit stations and soccer.
The Design Solution
HKS joined the partnership of Soccer in the Streets, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), the city of Atlanta’s Department of City Planning and the Atlanta United Foundation to help develop a cohesive vision for StationSoccer: a multi-site master plan to integrate youth soccer fields into underutilized land in and near 10 MARTA stations around the city. The soccer fields host the “League of Stations,” a free youth soccer league.
The HKS project team used extensive geographic information system (GIS) data to identify distinctions in factors such as demographics, walkability, land use and per capita income, but also engaged with each community to gain a wholistic understanding of the character of each neighborhood.
Based on the research, HKS developed a unique program for each station that honors and serves the identity and culture of the community. For example, the neighborhood around Kensington Station has a large number of immigrants, so artist Kevin Bongang was commissioned to design a mural on the asphalt around the soccer field to represent the mosaic of cultures in the area. At East Lake Station, bike racks are also sculptural objects to highlight the prominence of biking in the community.
StationSoccer also offers educational and community programming at its fields. Stations may feature a community garden, a learning center inside a decommissioned MARTA rail car, a mobile health truck or event space, all of which are included in a “kit of parts” that allows each station to be customized for each neighborhood’s unique needs. Each station also features benches made of Golden Spikes that pay homage to Atlanta United as a benefactor and Atlanta’s history as a railroad hub.
The Design Impact
The League of Stations is the world’s first transit soccer league and now impacts 5,000 children in Atlanta. Because StationSoccer fields are built into transit itself, they’re accessible to not only those whole live near a particular station, but those who have access to MARTA’s entire service area.
Soccer in the Streets has partnered with schools for years, but the new StationSoccer fields allow students from nearby schools to join a recreational league to play soccer outside of school. According to Soccer in the Streets’ annual impact reports, parents are thankful for the opportunity for their children to spend time outside and be active, especially as the world emerges from the COVD-19 pandemic.
Once neglected greyfield land, StationSoccer fields are now vibrant community spaces that promote healthy lifestyles and amplify the identities of the neighborhoods they serve. StationSoccer is healthier for the environment, too. The heat island effect and runoff are reduced by replacing impervious pavement with pervious surfaces and with the infusion of nature and shade.
StationSoccer has gained national attention with a visit from Pete Buttigieg, U.S. secretary of transportation. StationSoccer is now featured on the U.S. Department of Transportation website as an example of a successful transit-oriented development that combines transit, wellness and sport while cultivating healthy communities. The StationSoccer masterplan and design process are also featured in the AIA Equitable Communities Resource as a premier example of how architects can help create equitable communities.
Wuxi Golden Bay Industrial Park Southern Starting Zone
Project
Wuxi Golden Bay Industrial Park Southern Starting Zone
Ancient Cultural Heritage and Future Intelligence Find a Way to Coexist
Wuxi, China
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The Challenge
The challenge faced in the design of the Golden Bay Industrial Park in Wuxi is to create a modern and vibrant urban industrial complex that attracts high-tech enterprises while preserving the city’s cultural heritage and emphasizing green and sustainable development. The goal is to integrate the old city with the new development, promote the fusion of industry and urban life, and explore innovative office spaces that foster collaboration and interaction.
The Design Solution
There are three key trends in the modern workplace: smart office, iconic office, and green office. The campus is divided into three main blocks, each with its own pleasant courtyard space, seamlessly linked by bridges and walkways. The centerpiece of the HKS-led design is a 120-meter iconic tower on Block A, facing the Jin Kui Park and serving as a gateway to the city. The park incorporates greenery and waterfront landscapes into the courtyards, creating a harmonious blend of nature and industry.
The concept of “金匮云盒” (Golden Treasury Cloud Box) is inspired by the city’s cultural heritage and envisioned a future with intelligent technology, green ecology, and cultural display. The design aims to provide diverse office spaces catering to different types of businesses and encourage interaction through public open spaces. The rooftop “City Living Room” offered a panoramic view of the Jin Kui Park, becoming a landmark space for the community.
The Design Impact
The design of the project is expected to have significant impacts on the development of the Wuxi Economic Development District. By promoting a mix of smart, iconic, and green workplace, the campus can attract a wide range of enterprises, from large corporations to innovative startups, fostering a dynamic and vibrant business environment. The integration of the old city with the new development and the emphasis on low-carbon principles demonstrate a commitment to sustainable urban growth. The project’ focus on energy-efficient technologies, green materials, and shared resources contributes to reducing carbon emissions and promoting environmental responsibility.
Inequity is often viewed through the wide lens of socioeconomic and racial disparity, but it manifests itself in more places than one might expect. It’s built into every aspect of a person’s daily environment — even, for example, in something as mundane as the amount of time it takes to get to the grocery store.
As a part of its quarterly Limitless series, global design firm HKS recently hosted a panel to discuss inequity in the built environment and the cooperative effort necessary to improve it.
Dan Noble, HKS President and CEO, gave opening remarks. Erin Peavey, Health and Well-being Design Leader at HKS, moderated the panel, which examined the city of Dallas as a setting for the creation of healthier and more equitable development and redevelopment. Panelists were Dr. Maria Martinez-Cosio, Dr. Christopher J. Dowdy, Dallas City Council Member Jaynie Schultz and Murphy D. Cheathum II. Dr. Lorin Carter, founder and CEO of C Suite Equity Consulting, was the keynote speaker.
“A lot of people don’t intuitively understand the relationship between health, well-being and the built environment,” Peavey said. “They don’t understand that the way our cities are designed is this constant underlying influence.”
Inequity Manifests Itself in More Ways Than You Might Expect
As the Dallas area experiences a population boom that could earn it the title of the third-largest metropolitan area in the country in the next decade, its southern half hasn’t experienced the same rapid development as the northern half. Much of that area was labeled as “hazardous” by the now-defunct Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, a federal agency founded in the 1930s that is often viewed as the creator of the practice of redlining. Redlining is a discriminatory practice of withholding loans or other financial resources from neighborhoods based on residents’ race or ethnicity, marking them with redlines that show their status.
The inequity that oppressive systems like redlining have created is, in many ways, limitless. In her keynote speech, Carter expanded on the concept of social determinants of health.
“This is not high blood pressure or whether or not you have asthma,” Carter said. “These are all things (like) … where you’re born, how you grow, you work, you live and age, and all the wider sets of forces, systems and constructs that we live within … that impact our overall quality of life.”
Carter presented a series of maps that illustrated a variety of social determinants of health in the Dallas metroplex. The maps closely resembled the ‘30s-era redlining map, with the most negatively affected areas in present-day Dallas having been marked as undesirable for development nearly 100 years ago.
For example, according to a 2010 map by the city’s Office of Economic Development, almost all prominent business headquarters are located on Dallas’ north side, with many located in areas that are difficult for residents of South Dallas to reach without personal transportation. A job proximity index map showed that residents of South Dallas and parts of East Dallas live near significantly fewer job opportunities than residents of North Dallas, and another map showed that most racially/ethnically concentrated areas of poverty (R/ECAPS) are in South Dallas.
Carter also highlighted a study by University of Texas health systems that revealed major differences in life expectancies by ZIP code in Dallas and demonstrated an interactive map with color-coded sections of average life expectancy.
Dowdy, Vice President of Strategy and Larry James Fellow at Forest Forward, also noted the study’s findings.
“Depending on where you’re born here in Dallas, that can take five or 10 years off your life, which is arbitrary and horrific,” Dowdy said.
Cooperative Solutions for Building Equity in Urban Environments
The panel agreed that extensive collaboration during the design process with the communities a development plans to serve is vital to building equity in those communities.
Martinez-Cosio also noted that although efforts to include community stakeholders in the development process are well-intentioned, some burden residents more than they give them a voice.
“We’re all billing for our time (to attend these community meetings), but we expect residents to sit and attend these night meetings without daycare, without getting time off work,” Martinez-Cosio said. “We expect them to do all this to rectify part of what we’ve created.”
Dowdy noted that marginalized communities may not trust developers or local government after being let down and “de-resourced” in the past, so it may take years to cultivate the relationships necessary for true collaborative and equitable development.
“We need to think about all the things people need, not just drop in a shiny project and say we’re done,” Dowdy said. “We need to think about how to, over years and years, develop trust and struggle alongside and think through different strategies so that we can develop the cultural and economic enterprises that are going to make the most sense for that neighborhood to give them power over the things they’re going to enjoy.”
Cheathum, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager for the Americas at global commercial real estate services firm CBRE, noted the power of the private sector in helping to effect change.
“Private business, private equity and private investment are always going to lead the way,” Cheathum said. “Government policy is great. Nonprofit is great, but we all know private dollars lead government policy.”
The Dallas City Council is contributing to addressing inequity in the built environment through its Racial Equity Plan adopted in 2022, said Schultz, City Council member for District 11 and chair of the City Council’s Workforce, Education and Equity committee.
The plan’s “racial equity indicators were our checkup. Now we know the prognosis, and we are beginning to have conversations that, for years, we avoided as a city,” Schultz said.
While the panel explored the need for a well-rounded, collaborative effort among city leaders to build equity in underserved communities, individuals — especially young people — can still make an impact on their own.
Dowdy highlighted how easy it can be for passionate designers to unintentionally lose their spark for meaningful work when faced with the potential to earn large sums of money. He called on designers to keep in touch with the desire to make a difference.
“A life in solidarity with the people who really deserve your attention is a life repairing the damage we’ve done to these communities,” Dowdy said. “It’s up to us to learn our trades but also to keep our character.”
Cheathum, who now works for one of the world’s largest real estate services and investment firms, said he didn’t know real estate development was an industry until he was 27 years old. He believes professionals can help bring sustainable wealth to low-income communities by exposing people to professions they wouldn’t ordinarily encounter.
“What you all can do individually is show people — who look like you or don’t look like you — your profession, the skills it takes to do what you do and put them on a path to go generate that revenue and income, and then reinvest that income wherever they choose to live.”
Billion-dollar disasters are becoming more frequent, threatening the health, infrastructure and social, financial and environmental well-being of communities worldwide.
In response to these pressing issues, global design firm HKS and the American Institute of Architects announce the publication of the Resilience Design Toolkit. HKS and AIA created this new resource to help architects anticipate hazards that may arise throughout a building’s life and provide features to reduce risk and vulnerability.
Rand Ekman, Chief Sustainability Officer and a Partner at HKS, said the firm is gratified “to help advance the industry in partnership with the AIA” through this publication.
The Resilience Design Toolkit is a guide to designing for resilience, or what architect Sammy Shams, a Sustainable Design Professional at HKS and one of the authors of the Toolkit, described as the capacity to “adapt, withstand and bounce back faster” after a catastrophe.
“In the face of uncertainty and the imperative for future-proofing, architects encounter significant hurdles. Yet, armed with the Resilience Design Toolkit, we hold the potential to revolutionize resilience, making it accessible and fair. By leveraging this toolkit, architects can serve as catalysts, fostering the development of remarkable, resilient and sustainable communities,” said Luz Toro, AIA Manager, Resilience & Climate Adaptation.
The Resilience Design Toolkit originated from the work of a taskforce HKS assembled in 2019 to better understand the effects of sea level rise on coastal projects. This led to subsequent research the firm conducted in 2021 and 2022 to explore resilience design and develop a tool to help architects on all types of projects assess potential hazards objectively and mitigate the effects of these hazards through design.
The Toolkit details five steps for integrating resilience thinking into a project, beginning with architects’ initial interactions with client and community stakeholders and continuing through post-occupancy. These steps are intended to serve as a framework for evaluating and implementing resilience design strategies.
The Toolkit also provides an overview of resilience design; a glossary of relevant terms and acronyms; and descriptions of other tools, processes, ratings and certifications that make up the resilience landscape.
In addition to the Resilience Design Toolkit, HKS is announcing a new service the firm is offering to advise clients in making resilience design decisions.
“We want to help our clients position their real estate assets to be successful for years,” said Ekman. “The underlying purpose of doing this kind of work is to help our communities and help our clients.”
Skyiera Mixed-Use Master Plan
Creating a Cultural Destination within New Cairo
New Cairo, Egypt
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The Challenge
The client noticed a lack of connectivity and community-focused destinations within the sporadically developed New Cairo. HKS was tasked with designing a masterplan that supported the creation of inviting and functional public spaces with the right amenities and cultural attractions. The well-being of residents and the success of a region was dependent on the development of vibrant and livable communities.
The Design Solution
In response, HKS designed a new 1 million square meter (11.7 million sf) masterplan that incorporated a variety of uses such as a business hub, world-class retail center and two hotels with branded residences to attract a diverse range of visitors.
One of the most important elements of the masterplan is Nile Park, with plenty of green space, seating areas, playgrounds and recreational facilities. It serves as a vital community resource, providing a place for people to gather, relax and enjoy the outdoors. Within the park, a 2,000-seat performing arts theatre serves as a cultural destination and hosts a wide variety of performances and events throughout the year, becoming a key anchor for the community.
The Design Impact
Skyiera creates a vibrant and livable community that includes the infrastructure, amenities and attractions necessary to support a diverse range of residents and visitors. Providing spaces for work, play and cultural enrichment, the masterplan would be a major step towards building a sustainable and successful community in New Cairo.
The Architect’s Newspaper: Austin Transit Partnership Announce Team Making Improvements to Transit Network
HKS in 2023: Projects To Get Excited About
HKS in 2023: Projects To Get Excited About
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Amy Eagle
Kathleen M. O’Donnell
Niel Prunier
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Named by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies in 2022, global design firm HKS is looking to grow our business and bring exciting, positive impact to communities around the world this year.
From improving design through innovation, research and equity-centered approaches, here’s an insightful snapshot of some projects and initiatives that we’re excited to see in 2023:
Pioneering Research and Designs that Transform Communities
1. Brain Health Research – HKS recently launched brand-new findings from the brain health study we conducted in partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth® with insights into how people and companies can work smarter, more collaboratively and healthier. The report also includes what we’ve learned about designing workplaces to enhance cognitive functions and well-being.
2. Project Connect – The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) just announced a major partnership with an international design team led by HKS, UNStudio and Gehl to create system-wide architecture and urban design for the light rail program of Project Connect, a major expansion of Austin’s public transit system.The collaborative team is getting to work on designing a technologically advanced, human-centric transit experience true to Austin’s culture and landscape.
3. HKS New York City Office – Located in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, HKS’ new New York City Office will open this spring. With a design inspired by the city’s complex transportation system and artistic culture, the office will be a center of creativity and innovation that serves as gateway destination for HKS’ global clients. Goals for the design include adaptable collaboration, acoustic comfort, access to nature and daylight — all key elements to support the health and productivity of designers working in one of the world’s biggest and busiest cities.
4. The Ritz-Carlton, Portland – HKS crafted the vision, developed the planning and strategy, sculpted the interior architecture and designed the furniture and finishes of the Ritz-Carlton that debuts this summer in downtown Portland, Oregon. This 35-story mixed-used high rise was created in partnership with Portland-based GBD Architects and BPM Real Estate Group. The interiors of the multifaceted building’s hotel, residential, retail and office spaces celebrate the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, native culture and craft and Portland’s spirit of exploration.
Game-changing Venues for Extraordinary Entertainment Experiences
5. ES CON Field Hokkaido – ES CON Field Hokkaido ballpark is a 35,000-capacity baseball stadium scheduled to open for play this spring in Japan. Home to the Pacific League’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Baseball Club, the complex is the heart of a dynamic, master-planned mixed-used development. The stadium’s retractable roof and sliding glass outfield doors – which help grow natural turf – are among many firsts for a ballpark in the Asian market. Other highlights include a pair of 88-meter-long video boards that create an immersive digital experience, and traditional Japanese onsen natural hot spring baths that fans can enjoy while watching games.
6. Cosm — The first public venue for global experiential media company Cosm is undergoing construction throughout 2023 at Inglewood, CA’s Hollywood Park, home of HKS-designed SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater. The venue will feature live sports, entertainment events and arts and music experiences in a future-forward immersive digital technology environment. Cosm is sure to bring even more cutting-edge entertainment value to the Los Angeles area when it opens next year.
State-of-the-art Education and Health Care Environments
7. Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center O’Quinn Medical Tower at McNair – The new O’Quinn Medical Tower, opening this spring, will house the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, outpatient radiology and endoscopy services and an ambulatory surgery center. The medical tower and an adjacent 850-car parking garage addition are part of a multi-year project to consolidate patient care on Baylor St. Luke’s McNair Campus in Houston. This campus is located next to the Texas Medical Center and new TMC Helix Park, an area under development for world-class health care and research innovation.
8. UC San Diego Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood – Opening in the fall, UC San Diego’s Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood is a mixed-use student residential community that will also serve as a major public gateway to UC San Diego’s campus. Comprised of five buildings with student housing, academic, administration, a conference center and amenities such as dining, retail, and fitness, the Neighborhood is designed to enhance well-being and minimize environmental impact.
9. Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Patient Tower – This full-service pediatric facility in Richmond, Virginia includes emergency, inpatient and outpatient care all connected to a robust academic medical center and the hospital’s award-winning CHoR Pavilion, also designed by HKS. Because children’s health care often causes significant stress on young patients, families, and care team members, the tower’s research-informed design is intended to create an oasis for children and make people feel calm and at ease. All areas feature easily navigable circulation patterns, natural light and soothing artwork and are intended to promote choice. The building will open this spring.
10. Mount Sinai Beth Israel Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center – Work at the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center for Mount Sinai Beth Israel, a teaching hospital in New York City, involved the complete renovation of a six-story structure originally built in 1898. The facility, due to open this spring, is designed to support mental health care, physical health care, addiction treatment, social services and integrated outpatient care. It will be the first center for comprehensive behavioral health care in New York state.
These HKS projects, along with many others scheduled for 2023, continue to demonstrate how architecture and design can bring joy, comfort and connection anywhere in the world.
“These projects reflect our commitment to service and pursuit of excellence for our clients, partners and colleagues in the new year,” said Dan Noble, HKS President and CEO. “We appreciate the collaboration and partnership that led to these successes and look forward to the future.”
These projects reflect our commitment to service and pursuit of excellence for our clients, partners and colleagues in the new year.
Dan Noble, HKS President and CEO
Austin Transit Partnership Announces Collaboration with HKS, UNStudio and Gehl to Lead Architecture and Urban Design for Project Connect
Austin Transit Partnership Announces Collaboration with HKS, UNStudio and Gehl to Lead Architecture and Urban Design for Project Connect
By HKS
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Team to Emphasize Human-Centered Design in Transformative Expansion of Austin Transit
The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) announced a partnership with an international design team led by HKS, UNStudio and Gehl to create system-wide architecture and urban design for the light rail program of Project Connect, a major expansion of Austin’s public transit system. Project Connect is a transformative, voter-approved investment that includes light rail, expanded bus routes, and more services across the city.
HKS, UNStudio and Gehl will design a technologically advanced, human-centric transit experience true to Austin’s culture and landscape. The team comprises architects and planners with collaborative mindsets and local knowledge. Their global infrastructure expertise includes similar award-winning projects in Los Angeles, Melbourne, The Netherlands, Doha, and Beijing.
“We are thrilled to work with this visionary, interdisciplinary design team” says Peter Mullan, ATP Executive Vice President for Architecture and Urban Design. “The design team brings both broad international expertise delivering transit and public realm projects at the highest level of design and an acute sensitivity to Austin’s specific culture and heritage. Project Connect gives us the opportunity to stitch our community together more closely and to adapt our core values to our continued growth and our increasingly urban future. To deliver on that promise, we need to bring a human-centered approach to the center of our design process, and this team brings that focus to our collective work. ”In November 2020, Austin voters approved Project Connect and the creation of the independent entity Austin Transit Partnership to implement this landmark investment in transit. In partnership with the City of Austin, CapMetro and the community, ATP will deliver on the community’s vision for transit in a way that embeds equity, sustainability and transparency as overarching priorities.
Design research and visioning will begin in March 2023, and will continue through the Project Development phase. ATP will share an updated light rail implementation plan in spring 2023.
HKS is a global architecture, design and planning firm with offices in Austin. Chi Lee, HKS Principal and Austin Office Director, says: “We are humbled by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to demonstrate people-first design that prioritizes equity, well-being and resilience as we design stations for the future light rail program. Project Connect will transform Austin by making more neighborhoods accessible and affordable while promoting sustainable growth and development.”
“Project Connect will transform Austin by making more neighborhoods accessible and affordable while promoting sustainable growth and development.”
Ben van Berkel, Founder and Principal Architect of global architecture design network UNStudio, adds: “Project Connect will be transformational for the City of Austin. Austin is a city experiencing rapid change as more and more people are drawn to its high quality of life and vibrant cultural scene. Project Connect will advance this by creating a human-centric transit system that celebrates Austin’s culture, history and diversity, while making the city more accessible for all of its citizens through an efficient and sustainable transportation system. We are thrilled to contribute to the city of Austin in such a meaningful way alongside our partners HKS and Gehl.”
Gehl is an urban strategy and design firm that centers public life and the human experience in the city transformation process. Anna Muessig, Director at Gehl, concludes: “Mobility systems work when they center people’s needs in the design process and when mobility infrastructure is an integrated part of a high quality public realm. We are honored to be part of this fantastic team and to work with ATP and the people of Austin to design a station system that celebrates the city’s culture and invites people to choose transit to get around.”
Project Connect is designed to improve access to essential jobs, health care, education, entertainment and more—making our communities more livable, equitable and sustainable. This transformative investment includes $300 million in funding to prevent the displacement of people and creating more affordable places to live.
Citizens of Austin who would like to get involved in Project Connect are invited to do so.
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