An Austin firm touts design and communal spaces in its student housing projects

As the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, investors and builders have revealed renewed fascination in the pupil housing sector. One structure company that has been capitalizing on that demand is Austin, Texas-based mostly Rhode Associates, whose current assignments have incorporated nine off-campus pupil housing properties, with two extra beneath building in Austin and Columbus, Ohio, that will be concluded by the summer season of 2023.

Also in the works are 3 towers in Austin, every single 30 tales tall, that when they are sent in 2025 and 2026 will slide in line with that city’s “upzoning,” which raised the peak limit for college student housing to 300 ft, from 175 ft. Robert Tait, AIA, LEED AP, a Director with Rhode Companions, states that Austin has lengthy inspired a lot more enhancement so that students could stay nearer to campuses, relationship again to the passage a dozen years back of its University Community Overlay Plan.

As has been the situation for a even though, the good results of any scholar housing undertaking commonly rests with the amenities it presents. Tait confirms that it is still a nuclear arms race out there among competition, and Rhode Partners’ structures involve rock climbing, sand volleyball, and podcast spaces. Rhode, while, also showcases its buildings’ design and amenities that promote wellness and communal residing. “Students crave group,” says Tait.

THE Bigger, THE Greater

Very last March, Related Builders and Contractors gave its Pyramid Award in Development to the Rhode-created Torre Apartments, an 18-tale college student housing tower positioned in the heart of the College of Texas at Austin’s West Campus neighborhood. The building’s tiered composition—including its 62-degree setback on the north side—represents a style response to particular zoning constraints and application demands. Inside, corridors were being taken out at alternating degrees at the townhouse tiers to generate much more spacious living spots and optimize rental square footage.

Less than building in College Station, Texas, is a 300,000-sf 197-ft-tall Rhode Companions-designed developing whose 19 tales will supply 298 housing units with 802 beds. Its style and design is knowledgeable by dramatic, rounded road corners on the north, west, and east sides that support develop an undulating façade. At degree seven will be an amenity deck with an open up courtyard and pool. On the ground floor will be the University University student Lutheran Centre, research and conference rooms, a health facility and clubhouse.

This project’s Constructing Crew includes LEVY (inside structure), Rogers O’Brien (GC), RLG Consulting Engineers (SE), VE Consulting Engineers (MEP), Jones Carter (CE), ECS (geotechnical engineer), and InfiniSys (very low voltage).

In Columbus, Ohio, exactly where Rhode Associates initially designed a pupil housing heart in 2014, the five-tale Columbus Flats is beneath development. Its 228,000 sf will incorporate 143 housing models ranging from studios to five bedrooms. Its facilities will aspect a pool deck, café, spa, fitness center, clubroom, and research rooms. The setting up has been built to integrate into the bordering residential neighborhood with a brick, steel paneling, and wooden cladding façade with large photo home windows and present day fixtures.

Elford, Inc. is the GC on this venture, and is working with RLG Consulting Engineers (SE), McMullen Engineering (MEP), EP Ferries & Associates (CE), Geotechnical Consultants (geotechnical engineer), MKSK (landscape architect), and InfiniSys (very low voltage). Austin-based mostly Parallel is the developer.

Tait says that Rhode Companions is looking for pupil housing style and design alternatives in other markets. In its pipeline is a tower in Knoxville, Tenn., that is slated for completion in 2025. The college student housing sector, he states, “is very thrilling appropriate now.”