Insight
Retail & the City (and the suburbs, too)
Once upon a time, people lived in the same places where they worked and shopped. Like my grandparents, who lived over the butcher shop in Irvington, New Jersey. Their community was tied together by local retailers. Then, someone decided that it would better and cleaner and less bothersome to separate where we lived from where we worked, and from where…
Location, Location, Location
That’s the old punchline about real estate, but it’s especially true for retail. No matter how much we buy online, and no matter how many of us move back to the city, location and access remain paramount. Successful retailers, both urban and suburban, have always understood (and had) location. We are facing a future in which how things are delivered…
Where Is Retail Going Anyway?
Some say it’s going away. Some say it’s online. Others say it’s changing so fast that it’s impossible to know. While the role retail plays is changing, it remains a critical component of both the real estate industry and our public places. Even if it’s more convenient to buy certain things online, the social act of going downtown (or to…
What is a Net Zero Building?
There are several different definitions that are used for net zero energy buildings. Late in 2015, the US Department of Energy came out with a definition to help create a uniform language. The DOE definition states: “An energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported…
Smart Tips for E-newsletter Design
We’ve received a number of compliments on our quarterly e-newsletter, which is a way for us to directly share some of the news and expert content we produce on our blog with our contacts. When designing it, I used these helpful tips from the experts at Emma.com: 80% of people will delete an email if it doesn’t look good on…
Innovation in Kendall Square
When Vertex announced it was leaving Cambridgeport for Boston’s Seaport District in 2011, there was some initial concern in the city over the loss of a major tenant in this vital life sciences district. However, our client, BioMed Realty, had a vision for the vacant buildings: to create space for start-ups and up-and-coming life sciences companies that had previously been…
The Hallway as a Classroom
Hallways take up large amounts of usable space within a building, and given the inherent function of circulation as the means to move from one space to another, this is particularly true in a school building. At a time when real estate development and construction costs are soaring, owners are eager to find ways to maximize their space and are…
My AIA Story
If you are an emerging professional, you have received your packet about “I AM AIA.” This is my AIA story. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would become a licensed architect; a goal I accomplished in 2008. After licensure I asked the same question as so many others – now what? I knew I wanted to…
Food and Real Estate
Last week I was lucky enough to attend the ULI Food and Real Estate Forum in New Orleans. It rained the whole time, making it hard to sneak out of the hotel for late night beignets, but the dialogue made up for the inclement weather. The group discussions covered a wide range of topics about the role of food in our…
Activating Retail
Today’s active consumers want to make memories for themselves and their families in a way they can’t at traditional retailers, that’s why architects and designers are creating destinations that offer experiences. While this used to mean mixing in a restaurant or movie theater, the concept has evolved into something that might be called recreational retail, which engages visitors with an…