Urban Oasis

The City of Chicago’s motto is "Urbs in horto,” which translates as "city in a garden.” You understand exactly what it means the minute you see the untouched green spaces along the lake front; the enormous, colorful containers of plants along the downtown streets; and the rooftop garden on City Hall. These details never fail to amaze out-of-town visitors from more suburban and rural areas who think that they have the market on greenery while cities are all steel and concrete. For the most part they’re right – Chicago is pretty unique in its quest for green spaces, but more cities are following the lead. You can see the renewed importance of green reflected in the way developers are designing their communities. It’s true that few urbanites have a yard to call their own – and that’s traditionally because land is at a premium, so parking spaces often take precedence over park spaces. But I don’t think it should be that way, and many other developers are starting to change their minds too. Landscaping provides an aesthetic and environmental value that can’t be measured in dollars and cents. It’s the reason we designed Sienna in Evanston with one acre of landscaping so residents will have a secluded sanctuary that’s a peaceful and quiet diversion from city life. And it’s also the reason we paid careful attention to adding environmentally friendly landscaping to aquaterra in Mesa. A little green space goes along way to balance the stress in our daily lives and the stresses on the environment.

A Shot of Espresso

There’s something missing when you walk into so many American buildings today. Think about it. When was the last time you really felt a sense of arrival? The last time you really felt the energy of the building and the people in it? The last time you instantly understood a structure’s unique personality and the things that make it special? I learned a lot about creating that sense of arrival through working with John David Mooney – the world renowned artist who designed Blue Espresso, a light installation for the lobby of Vetro – to do just that. People might incorporate paintings or architectural detail in striving to achieve a sense of arrival, but few succeed. According to John David, it’s because just using art isn’t enough; a piece has to be integral to the design and relevant to the people and environment. He believes that blending art, architecture and urban planning can transform and public domain. And looking at his installation in Vetro’s lobby, I believe it too.

Seeing the World More Clearly

I’ve always been intrigued by glass – so intrigued I built my family a glass house and developed an even larger project, Vetro, with 104,000 square-feet of it. And while we architects today use several styles of glass mostly for aesthetic purposes, we nevertheless continue to experiment with the material.

For example, the unique use of glass at Vetro results in a special design. If you look at the building, and focus on the different colored panes of glass, there’s a certain vertical rhythm to the structure. Every third floor appears “super-clear” from the outside, and every fourth floor is tinted a slightly darker blue. The look of the glass from the inside, however, is perfectly clear; residents see no difference when they look outside. It’s an amazing effect from the inside and out.

The fact that glass’s qualities change with the seasons also captured my imagination. Unlike many materials, it offers a reflective surface in the summer, as it attempts to keep the enclosed area cooler, but in the winter, glass can be more absorptive, trapping warmth from the sun. It’s an added bonus that we appreciate in my home.

Of course, for me the most exciting thing about a glass building is the feeling of occupying open-space, at floor four or 40. There are no boundaries, no intrusive borders, edges or barriers, and you can let nature in just as it is.

Going Green in the Desert

Respecting the environment is an essential part of high quality design, so as we planned aquaterra my team – including project architect Fujikawa Johnson Gobel Architects, Inc. – got a taste of the LEED™ certification process. It’s amazing to see just how many “little things” can combine to make a building friendlier to the environment.

So, for example, at aquaterra we’re:

• Using building materials made with recycled products and recycling as much construction site waste as possible.
• Selecting roofing and paving materials that help reduce “heat island effect” – a phenomena that occurs when urban and suburban temperatures are two – 10 degrees higher than nearby rural areas.
• Minimizing light “trespass” and glare from its buildings and site, improving nighttime visibility and making life better for our nocturnal neighbors.
• Installing controllable lighting and thermal systems; using low emitting paints, sealants, carpets and other products; and positioning windows so residents enjoy the maximum amount of natural light.
• Including low flow toilets and efficient fixtures that will help aquaterra residents and businesses reduce water consumption anywhere from 20 – 30 percent.
• Using energy systems that meet LEED standards, performing with the highest degree of efficiency in tandem with insulated windows to make indoor climate control easier.
• Creating a pedestrian-friendly community that encourages residents to leave their cars behind.

While incorporating these elements doesn’t require huge amounts of time or money, the result is a community that will give more than it takes from the environment. And we think our residents will literally be breathing easier because of it.

Leading With Design

I firmly believe that high quality design is powerful -- it can make a living space special, but on a larger level, a well-designed building can help transform an entire community. That’s a point we’re trying to make with our latest mixed-used development, aquaterra in Mesa, Ariz. aquaterra is an exciting project because it’s an anchor of revitalization plans for Mesa’s Fiesta District, a mix of business and retail; and the community understands the importance of design as a strong differentiating factor. So we’re creating a development we think will become a landmark in the area – taking a different approach to the exterior and interior than what’s traditionally been built in the community. One of aquaterra’s most striking traits is its desert-inspired color palette that will literally create a mosaic on the Mesa landscape. But we also wanted to differentiate with the condo layouts so we called on Anna Simone, an international expert in creating smart interior spaces, to design units that cater to how people live – from room flow to storage options. In the Mesa area, we’ve found that there’s an untapped market that really appreciates design and sees it as one of the most important considerations when choosing a place to live. And with aquaterra, we’re appealing to that sensibility.

Designed for Living

How do we really use our living space? Every time I start a new project, I begin with that question. So when I set out to build a house for my own growing family – my wife and I have three young children – I wanted to make sure the interior was as much of a reflection of our needs as the exterior. When I said that I wanted to build a glass house for our family, people questioned how I could take that concept and turn it into a real family home. Working with my wife – who was a true partner in this project – the answer came in the form of balanced rooms, warm materials and high technology. All rooms in our home are built on a 16 square-foot grid with 8 feet wide connectors for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical devices, which keep the rooms pure and uncluttered. Every aspect of the house’s technology runs with an easy-to-use digital touch button – from lights to blinds to HVAC to communication. It’s so simple even the kids are learning to use it. The house is also my own experiment with transparency and reflectivity, removing borders and edges from the outside to the inside of the house, and depicting flowing, endless space. And our friends and family are amazed by the warmth the interiors radiate. So are my peers. In fact, the American Institute of Architects recently recognized us with an honor award for interior architecture. Its jury said our home’s “…transparency from the outside in and the inside out is a strong design concept. Not only does transparency unite the functional space of the floor plan with the environment, it informs the canvas about the use of color – the yellow structure, red core walls, and cherry floors tie directly to the seasonal vegetation, bringing the landscape into play as design elements.” Of course, if you ask my kids why they like living in a glass house, you’ll get a slightly different answer than the AIA jury’s response (they say, “It’s fun, daddy!), but it all comes down to the same idea; the house complements us, not vice versa.

Creating Exceptional Places to Live

As an architect and developer, I am constantly challenged with the idea of how to create exceptional places to live. Not just aesthetically pleasing homes, but homes that truly complement the owners’ lifestyles – both inside and out.

Each week, this blog will give you insight into how my team and I meet that challenge. In my nearly 20 years in this industry, I’ve found that the best solution is the one that’s the most simple and obvious. And I believe that philosophy is truly at the heart of creating an exceptional place to live – and hope people see it in our developments throughout the Chicagoland area and in Mesa, Ariz.

So thanks for joining me – I welcome your thoughts as we move forward.

Thomas Roszak
President, Roszak/ADC