Millennium East Village

This radical transformation of an abandoned mobile home park forms a community-oriented, 5-story, 362-unit mixed-use project that gently embraces the street and brings natural light and ventilation into every unit. Design themes include:

·     Contextually-appropriate massing with open circulation

·     Generous outdoor amenities

·     Welcoming and accessible to the neighborhood

·     Community-driven design focused on social interaction

Rejecting the ideas of double-loaded corridor “donut buildings” and oppressive 5-story street facades, Millennium East Village is by contrast immensely open and inviting. Four linear interlocking bands zig-zag southward across the site, interrupted only by a cross street near the southern end. This strategy creates wandering single-loaded corridors that allow for natural light and cross-ventilation in units, and opportunities for leisure areas with vistas on multiple levels. 

Shifting floor plates reveal active visual connections to above-grade and at-grade spaces that promote a community feeling among tenants. Using passive solar design principles, the north-south orientation gathers filtered light into the meandering courtyards and erodes the otherwise massive scale. Fenestration responds to solar orientation with perforated metal screens and balcony articulations that enhance privacy and protect units from excessive heat gain, while generating a project that is at once dynamic and alive.

Sustainable strategies to LEED Platinum levels include rooftop photovoltaic panels, daylight sensors for lighting control, drought-tolerant plantings, below-grade drip irrigation, grey water reuse and drywells that harvest excess water from hard surfaces. 

The nearby metro rail station makes this building within walking distance of multiple transit options while substantial bike parking makes car-free living an attractive option for tenants and visitors alike.