The Berkley Riverfront Is a Now a Dynamic Touchstone for KC’s New Era of Growth
By Theresa Curtis, Principal Architect and Vice President
What began as an achievement for environmentalists is now a first-class, emerging neighborhood. Kansas City’s Berkley Riverfront, formerly a site for the deposit of contaminants associated with 19th century gas and resin production, experienced a cleanup in 2003 to prime it for renewal, three decades in the making.
Plans are in the works for more development, including streetcar expansion and boutique hotels, as well as groundbreaking cultural achievements, such as the first professional women’s soccer stadium in the U.S.
However, the Riverfront has already established itself as an integral part of the urban milieu.This is due in large part to the opening of CORE, NorthPoint’s luxury multifamily community designed by Kansas City architecture firm NSPJ. These residences provide a unique offering that intuitively meet the needs of modern city living situated in a key part of Kansas City’s history.
CORE has made its full impact known. NSPJ’s architecture for this project received a Design KC Award in the multifamily residences category, shared with NorthPoint Development (developer), Neighbors Construction (general contractor) and Lowery Design Group (interior designer). CORE has also been honored with a Kansas City Business Journal Capstone Award.
In delivering this project, NSPJ Architects demonstrated a multifamily design philosophy focused on attracting and retaining residents through uncommon amenities and features, while also communicating a respect for Kansas City’s past, as well as its revitalized present and future.
Appealing and Durable Multifamily Home Amenities that Meet and Anticipate Residents’ Needs
A successful multifamily architecture company must create properties that align with residents’ present and future needs. Considering residents’ requirements in their current circumstances, as well as those they may require in the future, can ensure their loyalty and retention in a housing option that was once only viewed as temporary.
To attract millennial and Gen Z residents, who together account for a large portion of multifamily residents today, NSPJ developed immediately enticing amenities that are also durable, meaning that they are projected to grow with these two generations’ needs.
NSPJ Architects’ most attractive retention-focused design decisions include:
- A resort-like atmosphere, including a 24-hour fitness center, outdoor recreation opportunities, a dog spa, bicycle room, a yoga room and a heated, saltwater pool with ample deck space.
- Vistas that frame the Kansas City skyline, which amplifies CORE’s position as an urban destination.
- Contemporary industrial-style architecture that echoes the aesthetic appeal of a thriving, densely populated city.
- Work-from-home and co-working spaces for workers with hybrid schedules.
These design decisions meet this demographic in the present moment, and NSPJ ensured that these same amenities would maintain their appeal over time:
- Luxury multifamily architectural firms must include sophisticated and elegant design concepts to provide a desirable housing option for a demographic that is less concerned with home ownership (or are unable to afford single homes), even as they demonstrate an interest in characteristics of a suburban lifestyle.
- Many of CORE’s recreation spaces, including those for biking and pet-friendly parks, deliver a suburban facet to this multifamily community without losing its urban feel.
- Americans aged 35 to 54 hold nearly as many gym memberships as their millennial counterparts, ensuring that on-site fitness amenities will remain valuable as this demographic ages.
- Although work from home opportunities have slowed post-pandemic, the opportunity for a flexible schedule that includes remote work has stabilized itself as a part of business culture, ensuring that our coworking spaces will remain viable outside their necessity when the property was designed.
Thoughtful Revitalization Through the Eyes of NSPJ’s Multifamily Architecture Firm
The term revitalization must be used in the appropriate context, so that it does not frame existing or past development as inferior. In the case of the Berkley Riverfront, NSPJ felt that it was important to acknowledge the contributions of industry on the riverfront, which sustained Kansas City’s economy at crucial moments. Therefore, revitalization, during the design of CORE’s luxury residences, was an invitation for a multifamily architecture company to design opportunities for a new sustaining economic force in Kansas City, while paying homage to this history.
As a response, NSPJ created a luxury multifamily property in a modern, yet industrial architectural style to recall the history and impact of this storied locale. Its amenities and design decisions intuit the modern workforce’s evolving needs for leisure and labor. As opposed to the plants and factories of the past, the Berkley Riverfront and CORE are now home to 21st century professionals that are leading Kansas City into its next era of prosperity.
NSPJ Discovers and Activates Key Dynamics Inherent in Multifamily Architecture
Multifamily architecture does not exist in a vacuum. The history of the land on which multifamily properties are developed holds key information that can inform design decisions that resonate with a new generation of residents.
Similarly, considering residents’ future needs can inform how amenities for their present lifestyle can help retain their multifamily home’s appeal, as opposed to indulging in current trends that preoccupy multifamily architecture companies.
Discover more multifamily work from the NSPJ team, or contact us online or by phone at (913) 831-1415 for project inquiries.
