The building
Twenty-four apartments on three floors of eight, entered through a brick tower at the corner. Choose a view to open the model.
- Homes
- 24, eight on each floor
- Floors
- Three, over a basement
- Parking
- 26 spaces on the site
Better apartments start with a better plan.
We design apartment and mixed-use buildings with close attention to unit layouts, daylight and efficient circulation. Working with owners and developers, we test the site’s potential and develop the design through approvals and permit drawings.
Greenwood Avenue, Trenton · Under construction
How 24 apartments fit one building
Eight apartments on each floor, connected by a central corridor and two stairs. Open up Greenwood Avenue to see how the plan comes together.
- End homes, about 900 sq ft
- Middle homes, about 700 sq ft
Eight homes on every floor
Four smaller apartments sit in the middle of each floor and four larger ones take the ends, all opening off one corridor. The same plan repeats on all three floors, so walls, stairs and the elevator line up from the basement to the roof.
- Accessible
- Every apartment is designed as an accessible Type A unit
Two stairs, an elevator and one corridor
A stair at each end gives every home two ways out, and one corridor reaches all eight doors on a floor. The elevator and a stair sit beside the entrance, so the way in and the way up are in the same place.
Arriving from the street
The brick tower at the corner is the front door. Inside it are a small lobby and the package room, with the elevator and a stair right beside them; from there the corridor leads to every apartment.
The plan, seen from the street
Each apartment brings its own windows to the street, so the plan behind the front sets its rhythm. Brick carries the two lower floors along the street and the tower at the corner; lighter siding finishes the top floor and the far end.
Multifamily & mixed-use projects
Understand the site before committing to the project.
A feasibility study tests what can fit and what it will take to get it approved. We look at zoning, unit layouts, circulation and the likely consultant needs, giving you a more useful basis for the next decision.
What we evaluate in a feasibility study
- 01ZoningPermitted use, unit count, height, open area, rear yard and parking
- 02Approval pathWhether the plan fits as of right or needs zoning relief, and the time relief adds
- 03Test layoutsUnit counts and mixes that fit the lot, with stairs and exits
- 04Building codeConstruction type, fire separation and sprinklers where they apply
- 05Other reviewsIn Philadelphia, the Water Department, Streets or the Historical Commission when the site calls for them; elsewhere, the local planning or zoning board
- 06ConsultantsStructural, MEP, civil, land surveyor, geotechnical engineer, zoning attorney: who is needed and who hires them
Services
From the first look at a site to the building itself: feasibility, design, approvals and permit drawings for new and existing buildings.
Typical scope
- Zoning review: permitted uses, building size and the areas where a proposal may need relief.
- Preliminary layouts: testing unit counts, apartment sizes and circulation within the available space.
- Next steps: identifying likely approvals, consultant needs and questions requiring further investigation.
Permits and approvals
- Zoning relief through an attorney when the design needs it. In Philadelphia it is often about four to five months from filing to the hearing, in our experience, and the decision rests with the Board.
- In Philadelphia, a Water Department utility plan, Streets Department review and Historical Commission review can apply; townships and New Jersey towns have their own planning, engineering and historic reviews.
Helpful to send
- The address or parcel number
- What you have in mind: units, uses, height
- Whether you own it, have it under agreement or are looking
- Any survey, title report or earlier plans
Greenwood AvenueTemple ApartmentsMontgomery AvenueTalk about a site
Typical scope
- Concept layouts, massing and 3D views, tested against the zoning and the code.
- Zoning drawings when the design needs relief, and presentation drawings for the community meeting and the hearing.
- Permit drawings coordinated with the structural, MEP and civil engineers the building needs, including the utility plan for new service.
- Answers to the plan reviewer’s comments, and construction administration when you add it.
Permits and approvals
- A new building usually needs a zoning permit as well as a building permit; relief, when it is needed, goes through a zoning attorney.
- In Philadelphia, new buildings and new water or sewer service need a Water Department utility plan; townships and New Jersey towns have their own planning, engineering and site plan reviews.
Helpful to send
- The address or parcel number
- The number of units and any ground-floor use you have in mind
- Any feasibility study, survey or earlier plans
- Your timeline, and any date that drives it
Greenwood AvenueTyler StreetTemple ApartmentsTalk about a new building
Typical scope
- A laser-scanned survey and existing-conditions drawings of the building.
- Unit layouts around stairs, exits and fire separation, with a shop or office on the ground floor when the building has one.
- Structural and MEP coordination for new floors, openings and services.
- Make-safe drawings first when L&I has cited the building as unsafe. Other violations are often resolved with a regular permit.
Permits and approvals
- Adding units usually needs a zoning permit as well as a building permit, and zoning relief if the district doesn’t allow it by right.
- Changing the number of units or the use can require a Certificate of Occupancy.
- Historic buildings and districts need Historical Commission review in Philadelphia, and local historic review elsewhere.
Helpful to send
- The address
- How many units there are now and how many you have in mind
- What is on the ground floor today
- Whether anyone lives or works there now
Federal StreetPine Street Mixed-UsePine Street ConversionTalk about a building
Scanning, modeling & visualization
We laser-scan existing spaces and use that information to develop drawings and 3D models for the project. A detailed record of the building gives the design team a clearer starting point for renovations and additions.
Part of most projects that start from an existing building. Also available on its own: a point cloud, with existing-conditions drawings and a 3D model if you need them.
See the proposed building, interiors and materials before construction begins. Renderings help communicate the design and make the choices easier to understand.
Added to a project when they help. Also available on their own.
A rendered video that moves through and around a proposed design, to understand its spaces, proportions and relationship to the site.
Added to a project when it helps. Also available on its own.
Clear, colored floor plans and diagrams of the design, ready for listings, leasing and brochures.
Added to a project when it helps.
How it runs
Feasibility comes before a full design. When the building needs zoning relief, your zoning attorney carries the appeal with our drawings.
- 01Feasibility
- 02Concept
- 03Zoning, when neededIn Philadelphia, often 4 to 5 months from filing to hearing, in our experience
- 04Permit set
- 05Filing and review
Questions people ask
We prepare the zoning drawings and can present the design. A zoning attorney, hired by the owner, files the appeal and runs the community meeting and the hearing.
When engineering is in your proposal, we hire and coordinate it, and their sealed drawings go in with ours. Surveyors, geotechnical engineers, attorneys and special-inspection agencies are hired by the owner.
Yes. Give them view-only access to the project portal: they see progress, drawings and messages, never fees or invoices.
Next step
Have a site in mind?
Send the address, your intended use and any drawings you have. We’ll discuss the project and the right place to start.
Get a ballpark design fee A preliminary architectural fee range by email, for houses and buildings of up to four homes. The design fee only, not the cost of construction.