Modera Mosaic is a mid-rise apartment community built atop ground-floor retail, with an above-grade parking structure for both residents and shoppers. It is an example of contemporary architecture served up with an urban twist—brick and metal exterior, residential-grade aluminum windows and hotel-inspired amenities in an open design. The facade organization helps to define the character of the building by regulating scale, massing and facade rhythms. Interaction between the different uses, experiential retail, residential, retail anchor, entertainment, office building and supporting parking. Street level activation, and interaction between the retail and the residential above, was an important consideration in the design. Flexibility is provided to allow free retail expression and store front design, a very important ingredient for successful retail. Retail rules the ground level, however, residential requires a presence; an address. The latter is achieved through the unique expression of grand entrance lobbies that are the link to the public realm of retail and the private, residential world above.
Close to a decade in the making, Modera Mosaic and the accompanying four buildings designed in two phases are an excellent example of contemporary architecture which complements the surrounding architecture with articulation, bold colors, and a strong street presence. Pedestrians and cars share the same street space with the understanding that it can be reclaimed at any time for farmer’s markets, public events, art exhibits, and the like.
Lessons learned and innovations over the last decades have influenced and changed building codes, zoning ordinances, and industry standards at the service of better designed communities. From street sections being influenced by alternative modes of transportation, building science, and sustainable building systems the profession is ever-changing in adapting to tomorrows demands on the built environment.
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