A Cheaper Way To Build Density

Dallas-based Humphreys & Partners Architects, L.P., has developed a new “e-Urban” design for mid-rise multifamily buildings, which is 20 percent cheaper to develop than conventional construction.

"The new design gets rid of the long, hotel-style hallways that form the backbone of most mid-rise apartment buildings...only 65 percent of the total space in many conventional buildings like these can be sold, rented, or offered to residents as an amenity. The other 35 percent is taken up by hallways, lobbies, and space for boilers and other infrastructure."

"The e-Urban design allows for 87 percent of the space can be rented or sold by effectively trading long hallways for elevators."

"For example, a e-Urban design for a two-acre site would put four elevators into a five-story wood-frame building with 96 apartments. Each elevator would open onto an antechamber ringed with four or five apartment doors on each floor."

"That’s a lot of elevators, which can cost as much as $75,000 each to purchase and install...But all this hardware is relatively cheap compared to the cost of building the conventional 10-foot wide corridor connecting all of the apartments on a floor to a single elevator bank."

"The e-Urban design also saves money on the cost of parking...because the e-Urban design squeezes more apartments into a smaller building, the plan for 96 units can find room on its two-acre site for 160 outdoor parking spaces at ground level."