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Above Image Shows An iDA Lab Low-Density Redevelopment Concept – 10 Homes On 2 Lots With A Community Room.
We, the residential development community at large, are entering an unprecedented season of public/private partnership with an unassailably noble goal of housing everybody in our beloved and beleaguered California. Forces of supply, demand, and policy are aligning at a moment in history when it could not be more sorely needed. At the center of this perfect storm? RHNA, the Regional Housing Needs Assessment.
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment is a tool used by the California State Department of Housing and Community Development to establish the quantity of additional housing units presumed to be needed throughout the state using the criteria of population, jobs base, transportation, and other factors. Numbers are established on a regional basis, and the local Council of Governments (COG) assigns a share to each city within the region. Cities respond by updating their Housing Element, a component of the city’s General Plan that demonstrates how sufficient potential building sites are available in the jurisdiction and zoned to accommodate the designated allotment of new homes, at a range of affordability levels. The current assessment, coming in the midst of an intractable housing crisis, allots a very high proportion of the total number to units affordable to extremely low- and very low-income households.
A housing element is updated about every 8 years. From the previous cycle to the current, the leap in required allotments was substantial for most municipalities, and many are reeling from the load they are being requested to carry. To put that into perspective, the updated RHNA number for SOUTHERN California is 1,342,827 new dwellings spread over 191 cities. On a practical level, it is necessary to produce 180,000 units annually in California to keep up with demand; since the financial crisis, the pace has been about 100,000 per year, so supply continues to fall behind. It would take nearly 170,000 unit deliveries per year over the cycle period to produce the assigned number.
Nearly 50 cities in the region have appealed to the State to challenge their allotments; almost all have been denied. In the previous RHNA cycle, only a tiny percentage of municipalities delivered on their numbers, and it is generally observed there was no real penalty for missing them. In the current cycle, that has changed; cities now face consequences from the State if they fail to produce, by the deadline in October, an updated Housing Element certifiable by the HCD. These consequences can include the changing of the City’s RHNA cycle from 8 years to 4, which would impose a horrendous workload on the Planning Department, or the imposition of moratoria on the issuing of ANY building permits, or even the mandated approval of proposed housing developments. In other words, California State law has grown teeth.
Demand for housing continually increases in California, even in spite of the State’s much-lamented recent net out-migration of households. It is difficult to ignore the underlying fundamentals of supply and demand, and the more than 40% of existing households who are “housing stressed,” devoting more than 35% of their monthly household income to cover their housing costs. These households comprise the majority of those leaving the state in search of more affordable living situations. Thus, the RHNA numbers emphasize the production of housing that will encourage more of these folks to stay.
As the demand for housing, particularly affordable housing grows continually, available land for housing development, of course, is decreasing. This imbalance sets up a fundamental tension for most cities, particularly those who already feel they are “built out.” In the City where I work, the RHNA requirement would demand enough dwelling units to accommodate over 20% of the existing population based on the City’s average household size. That is a major load, by anyone’s estimation. Of those, nearly half are earmarked to be affordable to households earning between 0 – 80% AMI.
Many Cities are holding public workshops to consider plausible alternative approaches to possibly reach these intimidating numbers. Unless a City happens to be surrounded by vast tracts of open land that are not already dedicated to public open space, and therefore inviolable, the search for developable parcels to hit the allotted numbers will be a scrappy affair. Thankfully, with the State’s new ADU law, there’s a resource hiding in plain sight, which is existing backyards of single family dwellings. That’s a start, and it’s a bonus that most accessory dwelling units, or “granny flats” tend to be more affordable than an apartment in a managed community with amenities. If there is any undeveloped land large enough to support a neighborhood of single family detached housing, then to improve it with a design that incorporates both an ADU and perhaps a Junior ADU on each lot would yield more than double the density for that neighborhood that one might normally expect from SFD tracts.
But ADUs, great as they are, will ultimately represent only the tiniest little trickle of production. It is obviously necessary to scout locations for multifamily projects at varying ranges of density, and that’s really where the rub is, as those properties are in extremely short supply; that is, at least under the current zoning. The State has recognized that developments up to 30 dwelling units per acre are considered affordable and can count toward the designated total. At a recent City Housing Element update workshop, I posed a question about the need for re-zoning and up-zoning of entire swaths of the City, particularly large lots, in order to reach the RHNA numbers. The response was quite encouraging; it was agreed that yes, in order to have a prayer at identifying sufficient sites with adequate capacity for new housing, it would be necessary to amend underlying zoning, either by overlay, such as a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), or by outright zone changes. If new zoning is proposed, it would also require an update of the City’s General Plan, so the assumptions made in the Housing Element could legally be supported and encouraged by City policy. It was evident the City was seeking help from its citizens to identify such potential sites, as they indicated that if a participant owned land that needed a re-zone, and they were considering housing, they should approach the planning staff with a proposal, which would be given serious consideration.
How awesome is that? I know the behavior of brokers and land acquisition people seeking to find deals; they drive by an underutilized site, in a good location, and wonder “Huh; could we make this work?” I believe the position of the City on this is that they will take any reasonably plausible lead that can be brought to their attention. When it is necessary to conjure 20,000+ new dwellings, no reasonable offer will be refused for consideration. Of course, there will still be an entitlement process required to make it possible, but we’re veterans of that process and used to it.
I deeply and sincerely hope this process will usher in a new season of profound cooperation between the Cities and the private developers who will actually produce the dwellings. Remember the City only has to identify the potential sites; they are still almost entirely dependent on the development community to deliver the new homes. In a sense, almost anyone can be a developer at some level, and all are needed—from the typical empty nester, high equity homeowner seeking to increase the value of their investment with an ADU to the large institutional organizations with the clout to produce hundreds of units at a time.
So keep your eyes open for awesome opportunities that didn’t exist yesterday! Working together we can accomplish the impossible.
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Developers everywhere today are searching for ways to lower construction costs for multifamily projects – not just to make them attainable for folks with lower incomes, most often it’s to make projects even pencil out. Many have looked to off-site fabrication solutions, including volumetric modular and panelization in hopes of saving money, but in too many cases, that promise hasn’t been delivered upon. What are the key things to consider in advance when contemplating a modular or prefabricated option?
First, it is necessary to dispel the myth that if your stick-designed project isn’t penciling, shifting to a modular solution will fix it. That is absolutely not the case. Whereas it is plausible to pull the plug on a modular design that isn’t achieving any one of many project objectives and revert to a stick frame with manageable amounts of pain, the reverse situation—ditching a conventional design in favor of modular, will be a disaster, because in virtually every case, all that was drawn in anticipation of a conventional solution will need to be jettisoned and re-conceived.
That said, there are situations in which modular may really be a preferred solution. For example, if you manage to design a modular building you really like and construct it over and over again it gets better, faster, and hence more cost-efficient with every iteration. In other words, to reap the benefits of an essentially mass-produced product, it is the best case to produce it in large numbers. This is the reason you see so much current modular product going into low rise hotel properties where reliable repetition reigns supreme, and everything is done “by the book.”
I offer a fundamental encouragement to anyone considering a modular project: conceive of it as modular or prefabricated from the very word “go.” It helps to have a passionate advocate on the team. Next, it is essential to be as informed as possible about what modular design “likes” in order to play to the strengths of the strategy. In a word: discipline. Successful modular undertakings have extraordinarily disciplined team members—principally with the developer, but extending throughout the design team, including the construction and marketing people! Finally, it is important to get to know the presumed fabricator as early in the process as is humanly possible, because there are design and production nuances that vary from one shop to another, as well as which member of which team draws what in the construction documents.
Simplicity and repetition are the golden values in keeping a modular design on the straight and narrow. Factory fabrication is necessarily a repetitive process—assembly lines thrive on continuing to crank out the same widget over and over again without interruption. Think about the Model T—Ford’s strategy for mass production is what put that rather prosaic vehicle into the driveways of so many Americans. What this means is the project design must be approached with the goal of having the absolute bare minimum number of unit types. It may not be immediately apparent with this mindset that apartment plans are not mirrored in building plate layouts, but rather rotated. Why? Because that eliminates the need to prepare an entirely new set of jigs for a run of boxes with the guts flipped. This simple rule of thumb for design planning is one of a myriad of guidelines, which, if rigorously held to without wavering will produce the optimum results. With wood modular construction, I like to say the best strategy is to design for the minimum number of maximum sized boxes, which also get the most bang for the buck on the shipping expenses. Steel modular is a bit different but the same simplicity rules govern.
From an aesthetic perspective, I like to say that modular buildings like to be “straight, flat, and rational,” meaning they won’t necessarily play nice with fussy forms or gratuitous façade manipulations. In the language of Robert Venturi, these projects definitely want to be a “decorated shed” rather than a “Long Island Duck.” This doesn’t mean ugly; simple geometric forms articulated with color and strategically placed “building jewelry” like eyebrows and awnings can provide a satisfying look while adhering to the rules. Naturally, this may not fly in every jurisdiction or with every taste maker, but clean, modern lines are growing in popularity everywhere.
What does it take to be able to design within the parameters that enhance the chances of a competitive modular project? I’ll say it again: discipline. The team must be prepared to respond to questions that begin with “Wouldn’t it be nice if . . .” with firm resolve to the mission because they will almost always lead to bespoke solutions that frustrate the original intention of simplicity. One or two little customizations along the way can usually be incorporated, but by about the time of the third one, I alert the team it’s time to pull the plug. Also, production lines hate changes, so a firm resolve in decision making long before fabrication begins is vitally important; stopping a production line to make a change will squander the entire advantage of the process.
There’s a place for modular construction to really stand up as the preferred approach. At this time when we need so much attainable housing to dig us out of a massive deficit, it is perfectly reasonable to contemplate a prefabricated solution, especially if you can settle on a desirable design that will be attractive in multiple markets where you can build it over and over again. Culturally, markets with high barriers to entry, especially core coastal markets where land and labor costs are extraordinarily high may be the golden ticket for modular to deliver on the promise, helping to control expenses and shave time off the project delivery schedule.
Now here’s the kicker to this discussion. Even where the basic economics and constraints might not support an off-site fabricated project, there are many fundamental attitudes and approaches in the modular and pre-fabrication world that can be appropriated for stick building, resulting in more efficient, less expensive products. Simplicity, repetition, and an aversion to fussiness will always result in lower construction costs. And who doesn’t want that?
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*Original article was written by Daniel Gehman, AIA, LEED AP and published in Builder and Developer.
It’s serendipity when disparate trends overlap in harmony. Like the way social distancing and emphasis on small groups combine to suit Generation Z (“Zoomers”— considered those born in 1997 or after), who are coming of age in a strange season. Observe any clutch of early-twenty-somethings and you’ll assess they don’t so much as form households but posses — groups of friends assembled around common interests. While many of this demographic are still living with mom and dad, most will eventually leave the nest for a multifamily community, where they will remain until they partner up, reproduce, and move to the suburbs.
Yet whether at the ‘rents or in a community, their pack behavior characterizes them. While GenZ posses may debate “whose place to meet at tonight,” they will more likely find a third place — neither dwelling nor work site — to hang out. Prior to the pandemic, these locations were public — the gym, the bar, or the coffee shop. With stay at home, the third place needs to be more semi-private. In the multifamily world, whether urban or suburban, this influences the design of common areas.
One strategy to address this behavior is to dis-aggregate shared spaces so that rather than accommodate the multitudes, each can cater to modest-sized groups, with more and varied pockets of space, both indoors and outdoors — call them “posse pods.” If the gathering place straddles the boundary between inside and out, even better — today it’s still preferable to meet in fresh air. An operable wall or sectional glass garage door, plus furniture and equipment that can easily spill outside not only looks cool but is highly functional.
Boundaries between these spaces do not have to be stout physical barriers, as long as adequate social distancing is kept in mind. This applies equally to interior and exterior spaces; interior spaces can be separated by tall planters or decorative non-perforated screens. Within the spaces themselves, user-configurable elements (like furniture and operable walls) are a bonus.
Flexibility is key to the success of these pods — based on the habits of the residents. For Generation Z, getting together may not always be purely about socializing — they may include intermittent working on the laptop/phone. Let’s call that “work-reation,” or moving seamlessly from work to play, mixing in enough personal interface to maintain a quality life balance. If they’re working remotely anyway, workspace is wherever they happen to be (provided there’s screaming fast wifi.) To support that, they will also occasionally want spaces that support work functions in a more structured manner, such as a formal conference room (“Zoom room”).
Multiple pods in reasonable proximity allow random encounters among residents like the chance meetings that take place in a co-working environment. Social networking and professional networking become indistinguishable, and both pursuits are enhanced as a result.
While this strategy of space planning plays to the preferences of the Zoomers and supports their habits, it also encourages physical distancing and the avoidance of large groups of people, particularly indoors. Plus, to have a greater assortment of more varied chill areas will be appealing to a Generation Z when taking a virtual tour of the property.
When we emerge from the current dilemma, how much of this will still be applicable? Popular trends discussed here are not likely to fall out of favor, even when the big group activities and tighter physical distancing are cool again; they’re just a good way to live. Eventually there will be another generation yet to take the place of the Zoomers, but by then, it’ll be time to refresh our properties anyway.
Denser By Design
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Can we agree we’re way past debating that at least here in California, we need to produce a lot more housing than we’ve been doing? Great. So where do we put it? It has been acceptable for a long time to make room for denser communities where there’s convenient access to meaningful transit and close to urban cores, thanks to state bonus density laws and more locally relevant ordinances, such as the Transit Oriented Communities Overlay in Los Angeles. But what we really need is an “all in, all the time” strategy to creatively find as many places as possible to locate new dwellings, urban and suburban. So it’s time to prospect for possibilities everywhere, including existing neighborhoods.
ADUs Are Coming!
The tide is turning for at least a part of this challenge. It has been said that “The single greatest source of real estate for the production of new attainable dwelling units in Los Angeles is back yards.” This has been verified by multiple studies. A few years back California passed laws making the production of accessory dwelling units much easier by relaxing regulations concerning rental restrictions, parking requirements, and even setbacks in some cases. What had been a bit of a cottage industry (please forgive the pun) got an adrenaline injection and really caught fire. As noted by Dan Bertolet and Nisma Gabobe of the Sightline Institute, “Prior to 2017, Los Angeles was permitting 100 to 200 ADUs per year. In 2017, ADU permits leaped to 2,326, and then in 2018 they nearly doubled to 4,171, accounting for one fifth of all permits. In contrast, in the years before 2017, ADU permits comprised a mere 1 percent of the total.” By default, these dwellings tend to be more attainable because they are small, they don’t require much, if any, upgraded infrastructure, and they are not amenitized. They are typically starter or transition homes, for sure. And they have the very obvious benefit of significantly increasing the density of existing neighborhoods.
. . . But Hold On Just A Minute There
Densifying existing single family neighborhoods? Them’s fightin’ words. We love our existing neighborhoods, and we’re highly organized, well-funded, and super vocal, and a substantial voting block to boot, so you don’t want to tangle with us. While we agree in principle that more housing is needed, when the rubber hits the road, we don’t want it in our backyards. Or down the block. Or in the neighborhood at all: “Please build more housing, just not here.” And this resistance is on top of the already excessive regulation and abuse of environmental law (in California) that hampers the production of housing almost everywhere.
But to walk for a moment in the shoes of the NIMBYs, they often express completely valid concerns; it is entirely possible and logical that some existing single family neighborhoods are not perfect candidates for the addition of a slew of new ADUs. But plenty are—we just have to be discerning to seek and find them.
In the meanwhile, of course, with the laws in place, it is possible and beneficial to build new houses that come with ADUs already in place. Beyond the most obvious advantage of providing more attainable dwellings, ADUs have other distinct benefits for owners of the homes to which they are attached (or detached, as the case may be), including income to help the primary owner afford the mortgage, or the opportunity to expand the household to include an extended family over successive generations (initially occupied by the owner’s aging parent, moving to a boomerang kid or newly minted young family, until they take over the main house and the original owner moves to the ADU. The possibilities are endless.) When designed into a new master planned community or development, there are often no adjacent neighborhoods to disrupt.
Densifying SFD Neighborhoods
For years, planners, builders, and architects have been reaching for higher densities within single family developments, with 20 DU or more being the holy grail. We’ve come close with products such as 3 story “detached townhomes,” or progressive designs that park less than might be expected, and don’t build bedrooms for cars. But imagine if in the same footprint as a traditional 3-story townhome (with parking), we could develop a townhome over flat combo, each with its own separate entry, with the flat playing the role of the ADU in this situation. That would immediately double the density of the neighborhood, while still parking 2 cars for the townhome and one for the flat—it’s an attached condition that feels detached. And the community would still have the look and feel of a modern single family development. With the current market proliferation of single family rentals, this type of stacked duplex would feel right at home.
Villages, Not Tracts
With tools like these at our disposal, it’s time to evolve our thinking about lower density residential planning to embrace the concept of villages rather than tracts. Denser single family neighborhoods, including those with built-in ADUs, are plotted alongside a variety of attached dwelling concepts, offering a range of price points to attract a broader mix of families; these are adjacent to appropriately scaled walk-up apartments, which is yet another price point on the attainability scale. In a village concept, there are pockets of amenities and open space distributed throughout which are shared and enjoyed by all residents. This type of village, with denser enclaves of dwellings interspersed with green spaces becomes a highly walkable environment when the pedestrian realm is thoughtfully enhanced, in sharp contrast to traditional suburban neighborhoods with vast tracts of detached homes with long driveways and fewer attractions to comfortably walk to. A denser village community is, well, communal by nature, and completely in keeping with the typically younger demographic moving into them.
We need more of everything, everywhere. Each little creative, careful incremental step forward will help us inch towards a state with enough housing for everyone. Let’s work together to find ways to say “Yes.”
Deep Satisfaction to the Mind
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*Original article was written by Daniel Gehman, AIA, LEED AP, for and published in the MFE 2020 Concept Community Report
As we endure this unprecedented global pandemic we have all been in a season of mental reframing—adjusting expectations, strategies, and anticipated outcomes. By the time you read this, I hope the dust will be settling on the qualities and characteristics of life that best provide meaning and definition. With everything still fluid as we struggle to arrive at the “new normal,” I want to seize the moment and suggest we consider altering our expectations of what is beautiful in housing. Gen Z is a generation coming of age and entering the household formation years having been branded not only by this crisis but possibly by their parents’ experience in the Great Recession. This generation has been described as motivated by a heightened sense of pragmatism coupled with “ethical consumption” and a search for “truth.” What will this mean when it comes to their choice in housing, especially from an aesthetics perspective?
Personal pragmatism in action can be characterized by a desire to balance one’s expenses, not over-reaching for either status or luxury before they can be afforded. Partnered with this mindset is often a conviction not to consume more than what is needed, but to understand, without pretense, exactly what it is they will be getting for their money.
When “beauty” and “housing” are mentioned together, most of our minds turn to cosmetic or distinctly surface is-sues. We know that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but it has also been said that “beauty is only skin deep.” What if the holistic understanding of beauty was expanded beyond mere packaging?
Dictionary.com defines beauty as: “The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).
“Beauty” in architecture is a wildly subjective topic. There are voices in our industry that pursue “harmony” or “compatibility” of a proposed structure within its given context as if it were the highest imaginable objective. This often gives rise to design solutions, in the quest for community/agency approvals, that unnecessarily complicate the envelope (through excessive ornamentation, geometric modulation, or both), increasing the cost of the building, which in turn raises the rent.
There is also a “keeping up with the Joneses” phenomenon in multifamily that suggests a project’s amenity offerings must be over the top in order to be competitive. But what if I don’t need or ever plan to enjoy a bowling lane or climbing wall? If I don’t use it, I still have to pay for it, along with everyone else in the community, and, again, the rent climbs.
What if we shifted the lens of our mental cameras to view the values of simplicity, commodity, functionality, and an agreeable atmosphere as beautiful? Over 2,000 years ago Vitruvius, the Roman architect, engineer, and soldier, argued for the beauty of simple but pure forms and pleasing proportionality, suggesting that abundant ornamentation was superfluous or even distracting. He also valued “functionality” (or “commodity”) along with strength and beauty. In fact, in his well-known statement of what defined quality building design, “commodity” precedes firmness or delight, so maybe he was on to something in his order-ing of priorities by putting usefulness upfront.
In a search for a home that fits, could focus on a dwelling that provides what one needs without pro-viding (and charging for) things one does not need be of high importance to a Gen Z? What if a developer, propelled by passion, intention, and discipline, deliberately chose to pursue functionality first, including only the most necessary components of functional, comfortable living to deliver homes in the most efficient manner that cost less to rent, accommodating many more households? What if being disciplined in every aspect of the community design and construction could allow this type of development to be done while still making a modest profit, without subsidy? Wouldn’t making housing for many more people pro-vide a deep satisfaction to the mind? What if all this disruption by the pandemic and its lingering impacts caused this kind of thinking to lead to a huge increase in the amount of housing being created that is attainable for many at manageable costs? Now that would be a thing of beauty.
Millennial Homebuyers Spurring Suburban Trends
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*Original article was written by Cassie Cherry, LEED AP, for and published in the October 2020 issue of Builder and Developer Magazine.
One thing we can all agree on these days: The silver lining for this year has most certainly been the residential housing sector. With low interest rates and ‘windfall savings’ from the postponement / cancellation of many celebrations, travels, and life events – there are even more opportunities to get into a home.
In Danielian Associates’ recent industry-wide survey, nearly 50% of Millennials who identified as ‘currently renting’ said they plan to purchase a home in the next two years despite the pandemic and economic uncertainty. Work from home has morphed into work-from-anywhere, which has effectively opened up additional housing options for those previously unable to relocate. Lesser densities, larger private outdoor spaces, and lower priced for sale housing opportunities are very attractive to the older, Millennial homebuyers that are now planning to start or have started their own families.
Over the summer and in response to demand, we have seen rapid growth in the SFD housing product types that are stretching out into secondary and even tertiary markets. For those urban dwellers wishing to escape to the suburbs, the adage drive until you qualify is becoming a more attractive option now without the pressures of a long commute. Current vacancy rates in the San Francisco multifamily markets are probably the most aggressive example of the outward migration away from the urban core.
With that being said, the oldest segment of Gen Z is now in the early 20s. They are leaving college and entering the work force. While their generational cohort preferences are distinct and unique as a result of their own life experiences, they are not dissimilar from the previous generation of Millennials in the preference for connected, walkable spaces and a desire to live in urban locations. Gen Z has now surpassed the Millennials as the largest generation, and they will be looking for places to live. Multifamily housing has traditionally been the entry point, so purely from a numbers perspective we need to keep building these products to keep up with growing populations and housing demand.
While the recent focus may have quickly shifted to single family housing, multifamily housing is still an important piece of our housing puzzle and will not be going away. Many architectural resources have been spent on rethinking single family home design in the post-pandemic world. We need to be sure we are also addressing post-pandemic design options within our multifamily product types as well. Health and wellness, flexible spaces, daylighting, entry context, safe package handling, indoor air quality, and opportunities for indoor / outdoor living and private outdoor spaces are equally as important and perhaps more challenging to achieve within multifamily housing units. Additionally, we will need to also rethink the common area amenities – opting instead for multiple smaller, more intimate social gathering spaces instead of a single, larger one. The outdoors has become the new frontier for recreation, dining, and social gathering spaces and the planning and design for multifamily projects will need to reflect that. Creative teamwork and collaboration by builders, planners, architects, interior designers, and landscape architects can help achieve project goals while also ensuring these multifamily projects remain timeless while meeting today’s consumer preferences.
Increasing Demand for Attainable Housing
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In our recent industry-wide survey, nearly 50% of Millennials who identified as “currently renting” said they plan to purchase a home in the next two years despite the pandemic and economic uncertainty. With many individuals riding out quarantines in one-bedroom apartments or living with roommates, will this be the catalyst for additional first-time homebuyers entering the housing market, effectively further increasing demand for attainable housing? There was already a significant shortage of this product type across many markets, and we expect to see strong demand continue to grow.
Sales in this product segment have remained strong throughout the first half of 2020, with lower price point homes outselling move-ups and other products nearly 3 to 1. Ali Wolf, Chief Economist for Meyers Research, reported this week how low mortgage rates and the strength of the ‘hypothetical buyer pool’ will continue to fuel demand.
Our team has been hard at work designing homes that provide first-time buyers with purchase opportunities and offer alternatives to apartment living. Take a sneak peek at one of Danielian’s iDA Lab concepts designed to help meet the growing demand for attainable housing.
Danielian iDA Lab ‘Attainable Housing’ Concept Plans
Originally designed to provide Millennials an alternative to apartment living, these floor plans were created to maximize interior square footage and provide meaningful outdoor space thanks to use easements and alternative parking arrangements. Open floor plans with flexible spaces provide the homebuyer opportunities to create their own personal living experience that is best suited to their individual needs.
The above floor plan concepts take advantage of 34 x 40 lot dimensions while yielding 1,075 SF in Plan 2 and 1,000 SF in Plan 1.
In order for these small footprints to feel open and liveable, we focused on maximizing indoor / outdoor living connections and placed them off both the living rooms and kitchens. These outdoor spaces are then interconnected, to maximize yard size and usability. Plan 1 uses a single car garage along with an outdoor parking space that shares outdoor flex space that can also be used for outdoor dining. Plan 2 focuses its outdoor space off the front yard and utilizes a tandem outdoor parking layout with a sizeable storage room, in lieu of a standard garage. Of course, municipalities and local buyer demographics would factor into actual parking considerations.
These plans represent just one of our many R&D solutions we have developed in response to today’s homebuilding challenges. These plans can be adapted to meets the needs of both for sale residential and single family rental communities, with elevation styles tailored to meet local buyer demographics.
The Danielian Team is very excited to announce that we have several of these plans under construction with builder clients in various locations and look forward to sharing details of the built communities in the very near future!
‘Safer at Home’ Shifting Ideas of Design
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*Original article was written by Cassie Cherry, LEED AP, for and published in the June 2020 issue of Green Home Builder Magazine:
For over three months now our industry has been making it happen. We have been inviting colleagues, clients, and competitors into our homes virtually. We have learned to adapt, be resourceful, and leverage technology at a speed we never thought possible.
From a sociological impact, there have been some profoundly positive aspects that have come alongside the ‘safer at home’ orders. In a recent poll, half of all Californians have reported enjoying the increased family time, a third reported they were more self-sufficient, and another third reported a greater sense of community spirit and altruism. With the abrupt stop of life’s hustle and social activities, there has been an increased sense of grounding and mindfulness taking root. Safety, security, and well-being have become central to our daily lives while we slow down and search for new ways to communicate in genuine and meaningful ways with those around us.
When asked how future home designs may look in light of these sociological changes, Louis Bretaña, Senior Designer and Associate at Danielian Associates shared, “This is a reset button for our industry and will produce a longterm shift in how we practice architecture.” One thing is certain, the idea of home has changed. How will the effects of this pandemic shape home design in the future?
The Danielian Team has been hard at work in our iDA Lab studio, designing for the future and exploring that very question. We recently reached out to the industry and conducted a survey, investigating how the idea of home has changed and what that means for the future of residential design.
Over half of all respondents said that the pandemic has shifted what they prioritize in a home – a substantial impact. Particularly noteworthy was our demographic sampling was well distributed at nearly a third each for Boomers, Gen X’ers, and Millennials. Meaning, this information will have an impact across all product types.
Below are some notable findings from our research endeavors:
By a wide margin, the single biggest demand is for open floor plans with flexible spaces. With homes now currently tripling their job descriptions, flexible spaces in all product types will become an even greater focal point. Our design studios have been utilizing flexible spaces in smaller lot floorplans for many years to maximize space. These spaces at all scales can be used for family time and entertaining as well as at home workouts, school time activities, hobby space, impromptu jam sessions, quiet reading corners, extra office and study space, and group “zoom rooms.”
Nearly 50% of Millennials we surveyed who are currently renting said they plan to purchase a home in the next two years, despite the pandemic. With many individuals riding out quarantine in one-bedroom apartments or living with roommates, will this be the catalyst for more first-time homebuyers entering the housing market? There was already a significant shortage of this product type, we expect to see the strong demand in this market segment continue to grow.
Truly, there is never enough storage in a home. While this doesn’t come as a surprise, the idea of being able to store bulk purchases and supplies is now more appealing than ever. Closely behind flexible space, more storage was the second biggest feature that survey respondents were looking for. Additional storage opportunities that make organization easy and leverage clever use of space are a perfect way to set your home apart.
67% of our survey respondents had a dedicated work space in their home, yet over 90% said these spaces were lacking or not ideal. Among the increased home technology and Wi- Fi, will we see a return to formal office spaces and more reliable hard wire connections?
Simple details in the fit and finish of homes like antimicrobial fixtures and finishes, air filtration, and water purification systems can help differentiate products in a competitive market. We have seen very recently that these small details are making positive impacts in sales velocity where they have been implemented.
Meaningful outdoor space with indoor/outdoor connections in the home is always in demand, but again here, we expect this to become an even bigger focus. Sufficient outdoor space rounded out the top three demands in our survey. This becomes a bigger design challenge in smaller lot and single family attached products. Approaching outdoor spaces with potential homeowner uses in mind (outdoor cooking, space to work out, designated areas for gardening even if it is small, etc.) will help maximize opportunities to create these experiences even when lot space is constrained. They say what is old eventually becomes new again – will we see a return of sleeping porches where opportunities for private outdoor space is limited?
To view the original article, please visit Green Home Builder Magazine.
DA Wins Gold Nugget Award for ICON Palm Springs
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ICON Palm Springs Wins a Gold Nugget for Best Architectural Design of a Single Family Detached Home at the 2019 Gold Nugget Awards Presented by PCBC and the California Building Industry Association
Judges for the 2019 Gold Nugget Awards announced the Danielian-designed ICON Palm Springs project a Grand Award winner. Built by Far West Industries with interiors designed by AI Designs, the ICON collection features modern architecture and an authentic Palm Springs experience with ample room for entertaining and indoor-outdoor living throughout. The open floor plans and generously sized flex room options ensure that homeowners can customize each new home and make it their own.
ICON Palm Springs had previously been announced as a Merit Award winner in early May in anticipation of the 56th Gold Nugget Awards ceremony.
“The relatively small square footages of these floor plans were a bit of a challenge. The design team was asked to develop a modern architectural theme that carried seamlessly from the exterior to the interior and ‘lived much larger’ than its true size,” said John Danielian, AIA, President at Danielian Associates. “Our firm takes great pride in working collaboratively to develop design solutions that support successful projects and enable our clients to meet their goals. I am very proud to say that we achieved those results at ICON.”
The 56th Annual Gold Nugget Awards were held on Friday, May 31st in San Francisco, CA in conjunction with the PCBC Show. Each year the awards recognize outstanding architectural and planning achievements in home and community design, retail and commercial design, site planning, mixed-use development and specialty housing categories. Grand Award winners were selected from a pool of over 600 submissions with all entries judged by esteemed industry professionals. ICON Palm Springs was announced the Grand Award winner out of a revered group of finalists in its category, including Trilogy at Monarch Dunes – Valles Collection – The Solvang by Shea Homes and Bassenian Lagoni Architecture, Vita at Altis – Plan 3 by Pardee Homes and Bassenian Lagoni, and Altura – The Bryce by McCaffrey Homes and KTGY Architecture + Planning.
What’s Next In Single Family Architecture
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An overview of the top design trends that will be seen throughout the rest of the year
As appeared in the February 2019 issue of Builder & Developer Magazine
Many experts and industry professionals expect 2019 to be a pivotal year in residential homebuilding. While demand for new homes is generally still strong in most market segments, buyers are now finding that they have more options available. This means they can be more selective about their purchases. Now, more than ever, home design can help builders differentiate their products and help realize faster sales velocities.
Here are the top design trends we anticipate seeing this year in single-family architecture.
THE INDOOR-OUTDOOR LIVING REIGN CONTINUES
There is no mistaking the elevated user experience that indoor-outdoor living brings to homebuyers. While this has normally been associated with the Sun Belt and more moderate climates, we are seeing indoor-outdoor living elements included across the US. One public builder recently reported that 20 percent of its buyers nationally are opting into their indoor-outdoor program.
Smaller floor plans and attainable housing will need to look for additional, creative ways to incorporate indoor-outdooring. A kitchen window that opens up to a small outside bar or a dining nook positioned perfectly to give an al fresco feel – a little creativity here can yield a heightened homeowner experience with minimal impact to bottom line costs.
Danielian’s District at the Edge showcases unique architecture with a pop of color in this California based design.
CUSTOMIZATION
With the ability to customize and control nearly everything at a consumer’s fingertips, architectural customization will be a way for homebuilders to differentiate themselves.
A few leading builders have adopted programs that allow buyers to add in options and make floor plans changes that are not tied to a specific construction schedule. If a buyer comes in and decides to purchase a specific home that is already framed, the options have already been included in the home’s design. This grants buyers greater flexibility and the ability to customize their home for the way they live. Expect to see more opportunities for customization.
INNOVATION IN ATTAINABILITY
With high demand from millennials and first-time buyers to purchase homes alongside high land costs in many markets, in which we are seeing perhaps a slightly softening market condition, is a lack of attainable housing supply.
Look for substantial innovation this year in small lot products. Having a planning and architecture team working together under one roof will be advantageous here, as good planning can maximize home values while your architecture team works in tandem to create smaller footprints that both live large and maximize privacy.
The ABC Green Home 3.0 showcases modern style architecture designed by Danielian Associates.
MATERIALS & FINISH WORK
Also knowing where to value engineer and where a simple upgrade will enhance a small space can add tremendous appeal. A single statement or highlight feature within a small floor plan, such as a full-height kitchen backsplash or an enhanced feature wall, can be included in price-sensitive products and give even first-time homebuyers a sense of luxury. These small touches, carefully added, will help create a more elegant space and a better living experience with minimal cost impact.
Across all products types, modern and transitional design is still very popular. We also see increasing demand for contemporary farmhouse design. Look for creative use of industrial materials in residential applications and increased use of lighting as a design highlight.
TECHNOLOGY
Smart homes are now the industry standard. The best home technology will function as a cohesive system, be absolutely seamless, and be simple to use. Look for continued innovation in the application of technology within the home, particularly with the active adult markets.
There is some fantastic technology within the multifamily housing industry using smart robots and an AI stack. This system increases usable square footing by storing, managing, and retrieving objects on-demand in the ceiling. These systems are already being used in existing rental products in high-cost areas like San Francisco and Seattle. Perhaps we will see this technology cross over to higher density single-family housing as well.
The Altair Irvine development, developed by Lennar features Danielian’s signature Undertainment Floor.
WHAT IS NEXT?
In addition to these design movement trends, we turned to the Danielian Team to hear straight from the source what they expect to see in single-family residential architecture and planning in 2019:
Joe Wicentowich – Co-housing will become a growing trend, particularly as it relates to attainability. Look for more “co-op living” to address the growing attainable housing issue.
Alena Chernolevskaya – Look for increased use of off-site home manufacturing technologies and on-site assembly to save on construction and labor costs.
Louis Bretana – Smaller floor plans and attainable design should allow options for communal spaces, depending on the level of interaction desired at any given time. Lifestyles and trends are always in flux so versatility in design of public and private spaces is equally important.
Miguel Martinez – Safety and security are two hot button issues. Creative use of voids in floor plans can affordably create safe spaces in homes at all price points. Peace of mind is priceless, particularly for families.
Jeff Stevens – Redevelopment of malls and other large commercial spaces and integrating residential onsite to grow demand for a broader range of services while also increasing available housing supply. Rethinking these commercial spaces to create experiences, entertainment and retail – creating a true ‘Live, Work, Shop, Play!’
Robin Titcher – The increase in catastrophic wildfires will create a demand for fireproof homes. Beyond far beyond the current code, expect to see substantial innovation in creating a fully fireproof home.
Andrew Schaffner – Increasingly frequent package deliveries continue to be a management issue for homeowners. Expect to see innovative ways for secure package delivery and storage incorporated into residential architecture.
Victor Alvarez – Expect to see increases in VR / AR technologies to enhance communication between designer and client and also between builder and homebuyer.
Rene Alvarado – Look for increased incorporation of eco-friendly materials, particularly as it applies to indoor health and wellness.
Mike Boyd – With co-living becoming more accepted, the next evolution would be a hybrid of communal living combined with communal work spaces. Micro units that share common areas and in separate but connected location sharing “we work” style offices. These micro communities could be grouped together to create larger, walkable, and more sustainable communities.