In the recent issue of Key, the New York Times real estate magazine, an article looked at marketing condos aimed at Generation X professionals. In reading the article the description of the amenities offered and the description of the communities “lifestyles,” it all started to sound a little familiar:
“For anyone who has lived on a college campus, the feeling of Metrome and other buildings aimed at young adults in downtown San Diego will be instantly familiar. While they may have been marketed like hip hotels, the feeling of the social life in these buildings is more that of a college dorm. And just as in a dorm, these friends and acquaintances share a variety of duties and favors. They give one another rides to the airport when they fly to visit their families. They have group holiday parties. Several of the women in the network have dogs and care for one another’s pets or take them on walks together. A couple of the women in the building said that they liked knowing Testuide because he makes them feel safer (although no one has ever called on him to do anything more that escort them home from a nightclub). They vet potential suitors. If you want to take Jennifer Feldman out on a third date, for instance, you’d better be ready to pass muster in the eyes of Bethann Barry.”
The article also describes how the construction of the building supports that lifestyle commitment:
Designers of buildings have taken the cue as well. “The younger generation wants to play where they work and work where they play and do both in and around the places they live,” says Wendy Mendes, vice president of RTKL, a design firm that has helped develop condo complexes in Los Angeles, Austin, Miami and Dallas. “They desire physical spaces that allow social connections.” For Mendes, the strategy is to move community amenities from the rooftops or basements, where they are often underused, to the ground floor near the entryway. “The front-door area, which used to be a static place, has now become active,” she says. “It has wireless access and sometimes a coffee bar. In one project in Austin, we have the pool, club room, a TV viewing area and a fireplace all at lobby level. If you come to check your mailbox, you are in the social center of the building.”
In the 154-unit Braeburn building in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, there is, along with the ubiquitous fitness club, a lending library, an art studio, a workshop space, a dog walk, a Zen garden, a yoga/tai chi studio, a Wi-Fi-equipped business center and a 12-seat theater for watching videos.
Read the entire article here.
