2023 Summer Issue of Urban Land - 95

Outdoor communal areas-divided by plants that bring a variety of
greens and other colors as a functional element-help break up the
spaces into areas that allow small groups to congregate. In many
ways, being on the property [of Waterford Bay] is equivalent to
sitting under a big oak tree. "
struction regardless of geography,
as illustrated by two recently completed
BKV projects-Waterford
Bay in St. Paul, Minnesota, and City
Club Apartments (CCA) Detroit in
Michigan.
Located in a serene setting
adjacent to the Mississippi River,
Waterford Bay is a four-story,
243-unit rental community on a
295,000-square-foot (27,400 sq m)
property deeply integrated into its
natural surroundings. From the building's
floor-to-ceiling glass windows
and outdoor patios offering sprawling
views of the Mississippi to the
native on-site prairie grasses and
stormwater management system that
drains directly into the river, essentially
every aspect of the design was
tied to nature.
From a biophilic standpoint, the
property's south end has a large
amount of sun exposure, and natural
vegetation surrounds all sides of the
building. Outdoor communal areas-
divided by plants that bring in a
variety of greens and other colors as
a functional element-help break up
the spaces into areas that allow small
groups to congregate. In many ways,
being on the property is equivalent
to sitting under a big oak tree. On an
outdoorness scale, Waterford Bay as
a whole would earn about a 6.5.
In contrast, the seven story, 228unit
CCA Detroit is situated in an
urban location in the heart of downtown
Detroit overlooking Grand
Circus Park. It has an active feel
throughout its indoor and outdoor
spaces that aligns with the surrounding
neighborhood. It has countless
details inspired by nature, including
curved lines that mimic movement
as well as the patterns and shapes
of the exterior courtyard, which has
a triangular shape that makes it feel
larger than it actually is. This sense
of movement makes the courtyard
feel like a new space every time one
steps into it.
The green space was designed
to accommodate maturation, allowing
the trees to fill out to create a
natural canopy. CCA Detroit also
incorporates garage doors in the
first-floor lobby area leading to the
exterior courtyard that bring in abundant
natural light. While the property
has an active feel, like that of an old
European town square or market, the
spaces themselves offer a moment
of reprieve from the area's busy surroundings.
The outdoorness of CCA
Detroit is a little less overall than that
of Waterford Bay-5 or 5.5 on the
continuum.
Industrywide, many components
of outdoorness are branching out
beyond multifamily housing to other
sectors like city and suburban offices,
government facilities, and libraries.
As an understanding of the importance
of indoor/outdoor connectivity
continues to accelerate across the
built environment, it will be interesting
to see how high the bar gets set.
One thing is certain: the sky is the
limit. UL
Located in a serene setting adjacent to the Mississippi River, Waterford Bay is
a four-story, 243-unit rental community on a 295,000-square-foot (27,400 sq
m) property deeply integrated into its natural surroundings. The outdoorness of
Waterford Bay as a whole would earn about a 6.5 on the continuum.
COLLIN KOONCE is an urban design and landscape
architecture leader, and partner at Minneapolis-based BKV
Group, a holistic design firm.
SUMMER 2023
URBAN LAND
95
COURTES TY BKV GROUP
2023 Summer Issue of Urban Land

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