newman architects residential communities
DESCRIPTION
Portfolio of Newman Architects' recent multi-family housing.TRANSCRIPT
Designing Better
Residential Communities
Many of our efforts in the fi eld of urban redevelopment have involved the
design of market-rate and affordable housing. We have developed strategies
for the planning and design of housing communities that enhance the quality
of life for urban dwellers, owners and managers.
It is our experience that housing, both public and private, succeeds best when
both the design process and the built outcome match the needs of residents.
Housing should enable a sense of community and participation, be in scale
and character, be integrated into its neighborhood fabric, and provide a sense
of security. Housing should connect to open and green space, amenities that
all people need to have in their lives in order to be fully human, and which also
defi nes a domain of belonging within a larger urban fabric.
Trumbull on the Park is a mixed-use development
project located at one of the major points of entry
into the commercial heart of Connecticut’s capital
city. Facing Bushnell Park, a large city “green”, the
project’s new nine-storey apartment structure
contains 100 rental units in 1,2, and 3 bedroom
confi gurations. Each apartment living room has
a large bay window providing natural light and
views to the park. The ground fl oor retail frontage
reinforces pedestrian street life.
Trumbull on the ParkHartford, Connecticut
The project contains an 8-level, 600-space
parking structure screened from view by
the apartment “liner” building. Also part of
the project are three restored 19th and early
20th century buildings, now apartments.
This project lies in the Lewis Street Historic
District, a precinct which preserves some of
the best examples in Hartford of traditional
19th Century residential architecture.
Washington Boulevard
Mixed-Use DevelopmentStamford, Connecticut
This high-end rental loft development in Stamford is
both a gateway to the downtown from the north and a
gateway to a new park from the downtown to the east. The
development contains structured parking in the basement
and fi rst fl oor, a surround of retail and building amenities
along public ways, and 200 residential units.
Conceived as three layers, the building has an animated
quasi-public fi rst fl oor, a stack of units in the middle, and is
topped with loft units and articulated elements which lift the
building and gesture skyward. The massing of the building
transitions between the high-rise central business district
and the planned central park at the Mill River.
The Arts Center District, Audubon CourtNew Haven, Connecticut
Housing as a building type offers a won der ful opportunity to renew the
vernacular of a city torn by urban decay. We have at tempt ed to mend this
fabric through the design and master plan of Audubon Court.
With its gabled brick facades, bays
and porches, this design continued the
domestic urban residential char ac ter
of the existing neighborhood.
Audubon Court encloses a group
of 70 townhouse con do min i ums
and apart ments above ground fl oor
com mer cial space. The court has a
central green, one of the two interior
court yards in the Arts Center District
master plan that rep li cates Yale
University’s nearby quadrangles,
providing both com mu ni ty and
security for urban living.
Section
Audubon Court (continued)
All townhouse front doors face the
green, a quiet, open space that serves
as an “outdoor living room,” while
street level storefronts accommodate
retail shops open to the public.
Whitney Grove SquareNew Haven, Connecticut
Although its uses are diverse, Whitney Grove is carefully
integrated into the neighborhood streetscape though the design
of its sidewalks, street furniture, fences, hedges, stoops, and
portals. At the south end of the site, facing toward New Haven’s
offi ce precinct, is an eight story offi ce building with retail space
at street level. The project massing gradually steps down in
height, complementing the size and scale of adjacent residential
neighbors.
Thirty-seven townhouses, with
landscaped interior courtyards
behind, continue the layering of
like-uses from public to private
spaces: front doors face front
doors, back doors face back doors,
and backyards face backyards.
Streets are the most important
spaces in cities. When special
attention is given to the layering of
scales and placing of like-uses on
both sides of the street, it makes
for a healthy street. These ideas
infl uenced our design of Whitney
Grove.
Whitney Grove (continued)
Ninth Square DistrictNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven was one of the fi rst New World set tle ments to begin with a town
plan consisting of a grid of nine blocks, or squares, with the town green at its
center. The Ninth Square, located at the southeast corner of the grid, has a
rich past and a quality of ar chi tec ture that has led to its registry as a National
Historic District. By the late 1980’s, however, it had suc cumbed to urban
blight. A plan for re new al was de vel oped that iden ti fi ed housing as the key to
restoring life to the district.
In the Ninth Square we made new
retail spaces on the ground fl oor and
housing above to inject new life into
its streets. The housing - 335 studio,
one-bedroom and two-bedroom
apartments - is fully occupied, and
retail is supporting downtown New
Haven’s revitalized restaurant and
en ter tain ment district.
Ninth Square District (continued)
In continuation of our successful redevelopment
of New Haven’s downtown Ninth Square
District, pictured here is Newman Architects’
submission for the redevelopment of the
former Coliseum Site in downtown New Haven.
The recently awarded project includes many
but not all of the previous projects program
elements. We proposed a mixed-use project
that includes all the parcels of the development
site bounded by North Frontage Road, State,
George, and Orange Streets, a site that is part
of the Ninth Square precinct.
Mixed-Use Development
Former Coliseum SiteNew Haven, Connecticut
Center Pointe is the adaptive re-use
of two connected historic buildings
in downtown New Haven from
commercial uses into market-rate
studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom
apartments. The renovation retains
the ground fl oor for commercial uses.
The upper levels of the two buildings
will be connected with stairs to resolve
the elevation differences between their
upper fl oors.
Center Pointe of New HavenNew Haven, Connecticut
Newman Architects has designed a
new, multistory mixed-use building
for the Bridgeport Housing Authority,
the leading provider of public
housing in the City; and Southwest
Community Health Center. Southwest
is a federally-qualifi ed community
health center that offers medical,
dental, and behavioral health services
to uninsured and under insured
residents of the Greater Bridgeport
area.
Mixed-Use Housing
and Clinical
Services Building
Southwest Community
Health Center and Bridgeport
Housing AuthorityBridgeport, Connecticut
In Construction
Mixed-Use Village
University of Ontario Institute of
Technology
& Durham CollegeOshawa, Canada
The Mixed-Use Village project for Tribute
Communities will create a center for the
emerging satellite community of Oshawa,
Ontario, part of the Greater Toronto Area’s
expansion outward into former farmland
north of Lake Ontario. The Village site is
well chosen for growing a town center.
It is located at the confl uence of several
new residential communities, a rapidly
growing University of Ontario Institute of
Technology and Durham College.
The Village will create an iconic
‘college town’ in which local
residents, students, and faculty
can enrich each other’s lives. It
will seamlessly integrate vital
retail, residential, commercial,
institutional, and civic facilities into
a vibrant community, optimizing
all forms of connectivity between
new and existing institutions to
maximize social, cultural, and
economic synergies.
Mixed-Use Village (continued)
Mansfi eld Town Center, University of ConnecticutMansfi eld, ConnecticutMansfi eld, Connecticut
This new village has a central green and a pedestrian-oriented
residential neighborhood to its east. The two-acre green faces
Storrs Road and is bordered by the new UCONN School of Fine
Arts on one edge, and three-story buildings containing stores,
offi ces and apartments on the other three sides. The green
will be a central public space, with the University on one side,
sharing the space with civic offi ces, businesses and townspeople.
Emphasizing the University as part of the town, it will be a place
for students, faculty and visitors to congregate off-campus. The
diagonal pedestrian path through the campus will extend through
the green to the neighborhood, to form a continuous ribbon of
connection linking town residents to all parts of the University.
Metro Center IIStamford, Connecticut
This project is a new mixed-use development on
six acres adjacent to the Stamford Intermodal
Transportation Center. Principal program
elements include a commercial offi ce tower of
300,000 sf; 250 units in a mix of market and
affordable rental; and condominium resident
apartment and townhouse buildings; associated
parking and street-level retail uses.
Park Square West DevelopmentStamford, Connecticut
A major component of the master plan for downtown Stamford, Park Square
West Development will provide three new residential towers containing 420
units of market rate housing. The project also contains associated parking
structures and commercial space along a newly formed streets and pedestrian
alleys.
For over a decade, Newman Archi-
tects has had an important role in
the planning and design of many
mixed-use and housing initiatives
in the downtown and “West Side”
neighborhood, including over 1,000
of new units of multi-family housing
developed by Charter Oak Commu-
nities. Beginning with the redevelop-
ment of a distressed, 1930’s era pub-
lic housing complex into the critically
acclaimed community of Southwood
Square, our projects have set a new
local standard for effective housing
design and construction. In our multi-
phased redevelopment of Fairfi eld
Court, another HOPE VI public hous-
ing revitalization effort, we took on a
variety of site conditions and build-
ing programs, resulting in an array
of highly regarded and commercially
successful new housing. The Fair-
gate Residences is the fi nal phase of
implementation, and has been cited
by HUD’s Regional Director as the
best model of what can be achieved
through the HOPE VI program.
The revitalization at Southwood Square creates a
new neighborhood to replace a “housing project”
by transforming a deteriorating residential site
into a mixed income neighborhood that integrates
public assisted and market rate housing into one
community. The arrangement of spaces and
streets is intended to create a “center.” The design
incorporates moderate density housing units of
varying architectural character, on a network of new
streets which reconnect to the existing neighborhood
street pattern, while clearly defi ning public and private
spaces in a secure manner. All buildings range in
height from two to four stories, and are designed in a
number of traditional vernacular styles to seamlessly
merge with the existing environs. Family units of 2, 3,
and 4 bedrooms are typically townhouses entered at
grade.
Southwood SquareStamford, Connecticut
Located in the emerging Mill River
corridor district at the western edge of
the CBD, the Post House Apartments
provide 60 1-bedroom units in a 5.5
story supportive services housing
environment. The Mill River corridor
Fairfi eld Court Hope VI
Revitalization
Post House ApartmentsStamford, Connecticut
Phase II
is master planned for housing in 5 and
6-story buildings to allow a substantial
increase in housing adjacent to the
urban core, along a renewed park
system edging the river. This is the
second new building in this precinct.
Fairfi eld Court Hope VI
Revitalization
Taylor Street HousingStamford, Connecticut
Phase I
As in other parts of the West
Side neighborhood, Taylor Street
is composed primarily of closely
spaced multi-family residences in
two and three storey houses on small
lots. Parking is usually provided in
side yards or in detached garages
on the rear of the properties. The
challenge at this site was to design at
a signifi cantly higher density than the
existing neighborhood - specifi cally,
24 units on 3/4 of an acre - while
maintaining connections to the
residential scale and architectural
character of surrounding homes.
Our project accomplishes these
goals in a 3.5 story building that
mixes 16 apartments above 8 family
townhouses.
Fairfi eld Court Hope VI Revitalization
Fairgate ResidencesStamford, Connecticut
The Fairgate Residences is the fi nal phase of a three phase master plan developed by Newman Architects’ to renew
Fairfi eld Court a public housing site in the “West Side” neighborhood of Stamford. Fairgate replaces 144 apartments
of obsolete, substandard public housing, built in the 1930’s, with 90 new townhouse units providing residences for
publicly assisted families and market rate tenants. A 10,000 sf community building for tenant services, daycare, and
meeting rooms and 5,000 sf of new retail space provide a mix of uses integrating the new project into the activities
of the neighborhood.
Vidal Court RevitalizationStamford, Connecticut - In Construction
We were selected by Charter Oak
Communities to be the master
planner and architect for the
design of 350 new housing units
for low- and moderate-income
working families and for market rate
households in the city of Stamford.
The revitalization of Vidal Court,
an obsolete, state-assisted public
housing complex, will make a crucial
contribution to the transformation of
an entire neighborhood into a stable,
economically balanced community
that will attract economic investment
and nurture family-friendly living.
Palmer Square - Phase II
Westwood - Phase I
Vidal Court Site - Existing Site
Greenfi eld - Phase III
Arnold Hall Residential
and Retail
Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut
The Elm Street Residence Hall
Design/Build project provides 47
new undergraduate beds in suite
arrangements to accommodate the
immediate swing space needs of the
University. The suites are grouped
around traditional common entryway
bathroom stairwells and the building
forms a new courtyard which is
connected to Davenport College.
Located on a small existing parking
lot, the building façade acts as an infi ll
building in the manner of a normative
retail and residential structure.
Headington Hall
University of OklahomaNorman, Oklahoma
Under Construction
Newman Architects has been engaged as Design Architect for a
new 188,000 square feet, 380 bed suite style residence hall at
the University of Oklahoma. Collaborating as Architect of Record
is the fi rm of Studio Architecture of Oklahoma City.
The project forms a key corner of a newly developed campus edge, creating a gateway into the Athletic quadrant of
the University. Working with Jones Lang LaSalle on initial market prototyping and retail benchmarking, the design was
able to balance public and university-owned spaces. The new building will house freshman and sophomore student
athletes and non-athletes in single and double rooming arrangements and will include specialized dining facilities,
fi tness, recreation and retail spaces.
New Village Apartments
and Residential Facilities
Master Plan
Fairfi eld UniversityFairfi eld, Connecticut
Fairfield University’s New Village
Apartments implements part of the
University’s residential master plan to
attract more upper class students to
live on campus with a residence hall
offering low-rise independent-living
apartments in a verdant setting.
The New Village Apartments wraps
the northeast edge of a wooded
campus site to greet pedestrians
coming from the campus to the west
and to form a signifi cant new exterior
green space to its south for the whole
Village campus precinct. The new
dorm adds critical mass to what had
been an undersized residential area,
while preserving sensitive natural
green areas that include a stream to
the east and a stream and wetlands
with a pond to the southwest.
Articulation into plan segments helps break
down the scale of the building both internally
and externally. Playful use of brick colors
unifi es and energizes Village campus buildings,
while further scaling down the New Village
Apartments.
New Village Apartments (continued)
Our Philosophy As architects, we believe that what we make can improve the lives of people.
We want to realize the idea of a better, richer place, made palpable through
the shaping of space, place, form, and climate.
The places we make refl ect our affection for ordinary human interchange and
commerce, and for what lies beneath. People need to belong to something
larger, to make connections with others and the world, and to make order out
of chaos. So the architecture they inhabit needs to represent something larger
than either the individual or the group, yet provide places where they can both
be themselves and recognize the social and cultural structures that surround
them.
Design Process
Team StructureAn open office environment supports our ‘studio’ style organization, with staff grouped into teams supporting principals-
in-charge to address project challenges in a flexible manner - delivering talent where needed, when needed, with
efficiency and effectiveness. We add consultants to the team as each project progresses to provide the right engineering
and specialty expertise for the task.
Consensus BuildingWe listen. We meet regularly with stake-holders to gather essential project information and to assist with decision
making, building the essential consensus to move the project forward to completion. Our communication and coordination
skills achieve success with complex constellations of constituency groups and in demanding regulatory environments.
Building Information Modeling - BIMNewman Architects was an early adopter of 3-D Building Information Modeling to support our design process. We
use BIM for all projects, enhancing our ability to study a variety of project alternatives quickly, to monitor project scope
and cost, to improve coordination and reduce conflicts, and to support enhanced project visualization. With MEPF
systems coordinated in 3-D, our BIM models have reduced contractor bids, construction clashes during construction
and anticipated construction costs.
Integrated DeliveryWe use our leadership in 3-D design to support the construction process. We are participating in the development of
new practices in the delivery of architectural projects, collaborating with construction managers at all phases of design,
bidding, and construction, utilizing BIM as the common platform for communication of intention and realization.
Design VisualizationWe employ a wide range of powerful visualization methods to help our clients and ourselves understand and test design
concepts and alternatives, including: physical and virtual modeling, photo-realistic synthetic imaging and fly-over and
tour-though animation.
Public OutreachWe have developed an extensive repertoire of skills and tools for helping institutions successfully present to the public
and to obtain community acceptance of proposed projects.
Cost and Schedule ControlWe maintain control of cost and schedule through a range of tools and processes. We specify the creative use of testing
and mockups to verify feasibility and constructability; early setting and periodic review of project schedules together
with the use of Microsoft Project scheduling tools; early setting, benchmark testing, and periodic review of budgets;
rigorous and regular risk assessment at each project phase; and BIM systems that export detailed information about
scope to guide estimating and procurement. We have also gathered extensive experience with alternative procurement
and contract-delivery strategies that can speed schedules and reduce cost, including: fast-track documentation, design-
build, early enabling projects, and early-purchasing.
Quality ControlWe employ an arsenal of quality-control techniques, including: a detailed office design and procedures manual; outside
code/regulatory reviews; internal third-party document reviews of our work and that of our consultants at each project
phase to ensure correctness, coordination, and constructability; coordination with project CM’s in developing and
checking documents; and BIM systems that unify project information in single models and greatly reduce opportunities
for conflicts.
“Throughout your career, you have used your talents
to bring beauty and light to many buildings in the public
realm. I—as well as other citizens from New Haven and
beyond—am reminded of your work every time I take the
train from the New Haven Railroad Station or visit the New
Haven Arts Center.”
Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro
State of Connecticut
“I am very closely familiar with a good deal of Newman’s
work, having frequently visited and used--almost inhabited-
-many of the public spaces that he has designed or helped
to build. At Yale Law School and Yale colleges, for example,
where he has done such sensitive and creative renovation,
I have appreciated his ability to retain the best of the past
while adding new features and advantages. At these and
other academic settings, he has demonstrated insight into
the particular human traits and needs likely to be present-
-insight that involves deep and profound recognition of the
interests and activities of those who will use them.”
Richard Blumenthal
United States Senator, State of Connecticut
“The design by Newman Architects has been a resounding
aesthetic and functional success. The result came because
your fi rm went above and beyond the call in listening to
neighbors and other stakeholders and to make sure that
their concerns were both heard and addressed in the
design.”
Michael Morand
Associate V.P. Yale University
for New Haven and State Affairs
“In addition to the knowledge Newman Architects brings
to the table, they are excellent listeners. They are open to
the client and are always willing to listen and to understand
our needs…Newman Architects also added glamour
to the ordinary concept of suites. Our award-winning
building is praised by students, parents and other staff at
the University. It is a functional design yet it manages to
capture the eye and take advantage of the surroundings…
Newman Architects go beyond what we expect from
architects. They have a passion for designing environments
that support the University’s vision and the aspirations of a
housing department.”
Logan Trimble
Director of Operations, Department of Residential Life