Kitchen & Bath Buisness November/December 2024 - 49

RIGHT Andre Kikoski was
the interior architect for
One Hudson Yards, a 178unit,
33-story high-rise in
Manhattan. To complement
the bathrooms' marble and
quartzite surfaces, he teamed
with Kallista to custom
design the One Faucet.
Used throughout the project,
the fitting's handles are
embedded with Oro Cristallo,
the same stone found in the
building's lobby. Photo credit:
Kallista
Paul Knitter, a production housing architect in
the greater Chicago area, knows that the kitchen
is a great place to start value-engineering plans
to eliminate wasted space. " One of the first areas
worth scrutinizing is cabinet placement, " he said.
" Weeding out expensive cabinetry configurations
can sometimes improve ergonomics and
openness, resulting in a design that feels more
luxurious and functions better. "
An example: Replacing a blind corner base
and wall cabinet with a carpenter-built, walk-in
pantry provides more storage capacity with little
to no cost increase. The material costs for a corner
pantry versus a side wall placement are virtually
the same. Deep corners are hard to reach, making
portions of the countertop and the cabinets beneath
it unusable. Sacrificing a little prep surface
for a walk-in pantry is a good trade-off. Pantry
shelving can be stacked floor-to-ceiling, providing
more storage than a base cabinet.
" Larger apartments offer greater flexibility for
cabinetry, while smaller units require efficient use
of space as appliances occupy a significant portion
of the kitchen, " said Andreas Gommeringer,
president of Häcker Kitchens North America. " For compact units, designers
should prioritize functional solutions, such as drawers and trays, to
maximize storage capacity. "
OPENING THE DOOR
Common to both adaptive reuse and new-build multifamily projects is
smart home technology, a priority for homeowners (or renters) of all ages.
From the digital-native Gen Z, to the early (or late) adopters of the baby
boomer community, they're all expecting keyless entries, programmable
thermostats, customizable lighting and more perks. Designers who have
strong relationships with integrators may find an entry point into multifamily
opportunities by leveraging those connections.
LEFT At New York-based Jonathan Rose Cos.,
which owns 15,000 units, Director of Design and
Construction Christopher Edwards says the firm
has been installing water and leak sensors like
the Moen Smart Property System in its buildings
to establish a baseline of use. " If there are leaks
within a building, it's going to drain your cash
flow and the overall value of the building, " he
said. " It obviously could get much worse than
that if (the leak) goes undetected. It's critical that
we, as an industry, pay attention to this and really
monitor it proactively. " Photo credit: Moen
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Kitchen & Bath Buisness November/December 2024

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