D Magazine - The Hamilton at The Epic, a 26-story luxury apartment building in the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, has been named a finalist in the Best New Multifamily Project category of D Magazine's ninth annual Commercial Real Estate Awards program. Winners will be announced on April 28. LRK is pleased to have provided architectural services for the project.

Huntsville Business Journal - A ground-breaking ceremony was held earlier this week for the five-story Metronome apartments, located in the heart of Huntsville’s MidCity District. The 296-unit multifamily community will also feature retail, restaurants, and fitness on the ground-floor. “The MidCity District appeals to the socially active community — it’s a place where people can walk to parks with their kids and dogs, shop Trader Joe’s for groceries, explore new restaurants and bars and engage in entertainment options like the Huntsville Amphitheater and Topgolf,” said Max Grelier, co-founder of RCP Companies, the developer. LRK is providing architectural services for the project.

Daily Memphian - Orleans Station, a 10.2-acre mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Memphis’s Medical District, received approval from the State Building Commission earlier this week. Featuring 372 apartments, 16,000 square feet of retail, and a central plaza, the development is planned to bring hundreds of new residents to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center campus and re-energize the Medical District. LRK, who is providing architectural and planning services for the project, took design inspiration from older buildings on the UTHSC campus and nearby Victorian Village. Construction is expected to be complete in August 2023.

BD+C’s The Weekly – BD+C editor Rob Cassidy recently chatted with developer McLean Wilson, LRK’s Jonathan Smith, Danny Bounds of Bounds & Gillespie Architects, and Dave Green with Robbins & Morton, the general contractor, about the award-winning Central Station Hotel. Check out the March 4th episode of The Weekly.

REBusinessOnline - The LRK-designed renovation of The Hill shopping center is featured in the February issue of Shopping Center Business magazine, along with quotes from Principal Craig Henry. The article explores how experiential retail has responded to the pandemic and how design will continue to shift to be reflective of a post-COVID world. Henry “envisions large outdoor spaces being divided up to offer smaller, more intimate opportunities for socializing. If done correctly, each space would offer its own aesthetic and experience. Visitors are likely to discover a different space each time they visit and will want to come back for continued exploring. These spaces are intimate and not crowded, as smaller grouped areas may be preferable in the future.”

Home Builder Digest - LRK is honored to be featured in Home Builder Digest as one of Memphis’s best residential architects. LRK has a 35-year history of designing memorable homes. Each home has distinctive architectural detailing, engaging forms and proportions, and appropriate materials, all carefully crafted to blend with the setting. 

Philadelphia’s Danielle Lake and Nando Micale are leading an Urban Design Studio at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. The ten students are in the Urban Design concentration of the Master of City and Regional Planning program. They are looking at changing mixed-use trends for urban districts, the concept of Third Place, equity and accessibility, and plans for resiliency along Philadelphia’s next new riverfront neighborhood.

LRK is pleased to welcome new architects to our staff!

“As we enter a new year, we welcome talent to our team from Philly to Louisiana,” said Amy Smith, LRK Principal and Director of Human Resources. “It’s especially exciting to invite new perspectives to our projects as they begin their careers with LRK.”

BD+C – Central Station Hotel was recently featured in BD+C magazine as a Bronze Reconstruction Award winner. The hotel is situated within the renovated Central Station building, a 103-year-old, operational train station located in downtown Memphis. The spaces were designed and curated to ensure its uniqueness would stand out against the rest of the hotels in the Memphis area and even in the nation. “A great anchor in a revitalizing historic district,” said juror Suzanne Germann, of Landmarks Illinois. “Reused many of the original elements, and overcame challenges of working in an active train station.”

LRK’s Tony Pellicciotti recently presented Crosstown Concourse at a Creative Placemaking Session for the ULI Europe 2021 Conference. Crosstown was the only US project to be presented. The conference was held virtually on Feb. 1, and it included the presentation of a white paper by ULI members from Copenhagen, a panel discussion featuring global case studies from Denmark, UK, US (Crosstown Concourse), and Asia, and a facilitated discussion with attendees.

Memphis Business Journal - The main takeaway from a recent Economic Outlook Panel hosted by the Memphis Business Journal is that panelists are optimistic about the future, citing the resiliency of Memphis and how Mid-Southerners have come together during the pandemic. LRK’s Frank Ricks spoke about how COVID has affected the design community and stated that it has prompted new concerns about how people can gather safely, but that need has not gone way. “As humans, we desire to be together,” Ricks said. “Part of our job is to figure out how to design places for people to gather and build community.”

Community Impact Newspaper - Epicenter, the town center in the mixed-use community of Agritopia, announced seven additional retail tenants when it opens in fall of 2021. Designed as a walkable development, Agritopia features a farm, community garden, single-family residential homes, a senior living community, a private school, restaurant, coffee shop, and maker space for local crafters. LRK was commissioned to design the last piece of the puzzle, Epicenter, a true urban town center for the community. Epicenter will feature 50,000 square feet of ground floor retail with 320 high-end apartments located above.

GC Magazine – LRK is featured in GC Magazine as one of Memphis’s top retail architects along with Curb Market, a project designed by LRK and associate architect Peter Culley. Located in mixed-use Crosstown Concourse, Curb Market is a boutique grocery store focusing on locally-sourced, healthy foods. The article states that, “Curb Market was designed to cater to this diverse community and at the same time, aesthetically align its interiors with the vision of the store to make use of natural, eco-friendly materials.“

D CEO – The Hamilton has been named a finalist in D CEO’s 2021 Commercial Real Estate Awards in the Projects and Deals category. All finalists will be featured in the April issue of D CEO and winners will be celebrated at a ceremony later this spring. Finalists are representative of real estate transactions that have had a large impact on their neighborhoods and sectors.  

70 and 73 – LRK Associate Chris Cosenza presented the Evesham Township Downtown Vision Plan at last week's Township Planning Board hearing. The board voted 9-0 to adopt the Vision Plan to be a sub-plan of the Master Plan. Board chairperson Alicia Marrone said, "it's really a wonderful guiding document."

Cosenza noted the goal of the plan is to make historic Marlton Village more vibrant, with civic gathering places and improved connectivity, and an inviting mix of shops, restaurants, and services along a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape.

LRK’s Frank Ricks is serving as a panelist for the Memphis Business Journal’s Tennessee Economic Outlook for 2021 being held virtually this Friday, January 22, at 9:00 a.m. The event will cover topics such as hiring, growth, investments, and what recovery in the local economy may look like in 2021. The event is presented/moderated by Bo Allen, Regional President for First Horizon’s West TN, AR, and North MS regions, and other panelists include Reginald Coopwood, President & CEO of Regional One Health and Caren Nichol, Member of Evans Petree’s Property Tax Group. 

Multi-Housing News – Dockside Clemson, a student housing project in Clemson, South Carolina, has received financing. Located along Tiger Boulevard and Lake Hartwell, the development is situated a mile from Clemson University and offers studio, one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units. Along with lake-front views and dock access, the community will feature ground-floor retail, a fitness center, swimming pool, and tech lounge. LRK provided planning services for the development.

BD+C - Central Station Hotel as recently honored with a Bronze Reconstruction Award by BD+C magazine. The winners were announced in the December issue of BD+C and projects will be featured on BDCnetwork throughout December and January. LRK provided architectural design for the hotel in association with Bounds & Gillespie.

Facilities & Destinations - The Renasant Convention Center was included in the fall 2020 issue of Facilities & Destinations magazine. Featured in a five-page spread, the article describes the $200 million redevelopment of the convention center which focused on creating a more flexible facility and connecting attendees to the outdoors. In addition, the article spotlights local attractions and states, “Memphis is among the most intriguing midmarket destinations a planner can select.”