Urban Land - The LRK-designed project, Residences at La Cantera, was recently featured in Urban Land magazine in the article, “The Worth of Water: Becoming Water Wise in an Era of Scarcity.” With water scarcity, population growth, and water quality issues greatly affecting real estate markets and affordability, developers and land use professionals have an increasingly significant role to play in promoting water conservation, efficiency, and reuse. The Residences at La Cantera in San Antonio features a drought-tolerant landscaping strategy centered around the community’s 1.5-acre park. Native and drought-tolerant plants were installed and mulched landscape beds at least four inches deep help retain moisture. Roof runoff and air conditioning condensate are collected in a 10,000-gallon cistern and the accumulated water is used to irrigate the park and renew pond water. The owner estimates this approach provides an annual savings of $8,840 in water costs and $500,000 added asset value in addition to helping protect future water supplies.

USGBC – Creating a space that felt like home for families of children receiving treatment at Methodist Lebonheur Hospital was the driving vision of FedExFamilyHouse. "We had to balance operational efficiency with the need for it to be really comfortable and feel like a place you would want to stay," said LRK Principal Tony Pellicciotti. "The average visit is maybe two days, but we've had families stay for over a year. If you're living out of a hotel for that long, it's not a comfortable situation. You need to have a home."

Additionally, FedExFamilyHouse received LEED Gold certification for its sustainable building process and features, including significant reductions in energy use (23%) and water use (46%), access to various forms of public transportation, and recycling stations in common areas. "The commitment by ownership, design team and contractors together to this holistic sustainability approach is what really sets the project apart," said LRK Associate and 2020 LEED Fellow Krissy Flickinger.

The Conveyor – This week’s Crosstown Concourse newsletter takes a look at the ways the building promotes physical and mental wellness and the unseen network of environmentally friendly infrastructure that promotes the health and vitality of our planet.

“Crosstown has the infrastructure and the outdoor spaces, the shared mission of getting people to move within the space and congregate, coupled with cultural, educational, and health programming,” said LRK’s Rogean Cadieux-Smith who led the efforts for Crosstown’s Fitwel certification. Read more.

Trane Technologies – With HVAC demand expected to triple by 2050, Trane explains that connected buildings that utilize digital controls will play a crucial role in ongoing efficient energy management and sustainable building operations.

Crosstown Concourse includes more than 1,200 pieces of connected equipment and about 100 energy meters installed throughout the building. All were utilized to optimize daily operations, track and bill tenant energy use, troubleshoot issues, establish scheduling and make setpoint changes.

To date, Crosstown Concourse’s energy costs and carbon emissions – driven by advanced, real-time analytics – have reduced 3 percent year-over-year since the building’s 2017 re-opening. The facility is on track to save $760,000 in annual utility costs and 8,400 tons of carbon emissions per year compared to the LEED baseline. These savings and efficiencies will help power community growth for generations to come.

Forbes—Crosstown Concourse was recently featured in Forbes as “the most interesting adapted use project in America.” The article detailed the extensive process of turning the dilapidated Sears center into a vertical urban village. With inspiration from Todd Richardson and Christopher Miner, the creators of Crosstown Arts, and cooperation from the building owner Stanley Cates, the plan for a contemporary arts center emerged. Extensive funding was required to pull off this innovative design idea, but Crosstown now boasts a large community of artists, medical practitioners, students, and teachers. Crosstown Concourse is home to multiple restaurants, Crosstown Arts, Church Health, CBU, Memphis Teacher Residency, and many other community-based organizations. The upper floors also include 265 apartments with over 500 residents including St. Jude families receiving treatment, Ph.D. residents, teachers in training, and artist fellows. The open atriums with cascading staircases bring together the community in a place of adapted reuse to work, learn, exercise, eat, and enjoy the arts.

Storyboard Memphis—Crosstown Concourse, an LRK designed project, achieved the highest level of Fitwel certification of three stars. LRK’s Rogean Cadieux-Smith, a Fitwel ambassador, stated, “This program has not only proven but also promoted the broader vision of Crosstown Concourse, which is community wellness.” Consisting of education, medical, and exercise facilities, Crosstown Concourse has become a gathering place for the greater Memphis community. As the first architect in Memphis to be a certified Fitwel ambassador, Cadieux-Smith is leading programs to train her fellow LRK coworkers to focus on active design and Fitwel for their current and future projects.