Article Excerpt:
“Designing projects in the urban environment takes certain sensibilities. There’s a persistence with the design team, the developer and city officials that evolves into the best and highest use for a particular site. In an urban setting, this takes a critical understanding of historical context—and bit of a crystal ball—to succeed.
Like some second-tier Rust Belt cities, Rochester, NY, is having a building boom. Many people are drawn to cities like this for the quality of life. Many office buildings downtown are being converted into housing and people are moving to the center of the city. Businesses are looking to relocate from the suburbs and office parks into cities where it’s more vibrant. This is leading to the re-creation of office space and a resurgence of city living. Retail space is slow in gaining momentum due to competition from Amazon and other virtual shopping platforms, but urban neighborhoods are continuing to revive with a live, work, play theme.
At SWBR, we’ve created thousands of housing units and have become experts in creating lifestyle environments. What’s rewarding for us is being part of projects that manifest our mission: ‘Positively impacting lives through meaningful design.’ We take an authentic approach to design environments that instill health and resiliency.”