REI, the recreational gear retailer, has been the king of brand experience. The store is known as the place to go to purchase outdoor gear and can be credited for making novices feel like they can hike Mount Kilimanjaro.
Consumers enter the store and are educated in every possible way to get the right gear for the exact outing they have planned. In the process, they imbibe the culture of REI, completely buying into and feeling the spirit of adventure.
Multifamily professionals also are creating these experiences. Erik Earnshaw, partner and senior project architect at BGO Architects, talks about how today’s amenities are attracting residents who want to identify with what is being offered.
Some of the latest multifamily developments are offering this REI-type experience. One such development is Pegasus Ablon's Ablon @ Frisco Square that BGO Architects designed in Frisco, Texas.
Ablon @ Frisco Square's website touts "Enjoy.Life.Style." The “Lifestyle” tab of the website offers a gallery of images of the resort-style pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center, green spaces, ping pong tables, hammocks, gourmet kitchens, and huge gathering areas. These images all work together to conjure up the lifestyle in prospective residents' minds.
StreetLights Residential's The Michael at Presidio in Austin, Texas, has arranged the amenities on its website into three lifestyle-defining categories: Stay Social, Stay Fit, Eco-Love. Stay social boasts lounge entertaining areas, game rooms with big-screen TVs, a pool with grilling stations, and a coffee bar. Stay fit amenities include a strength and cardio fitness center, plus a spin room and flex studio for yoga. The eco-love amenities list electric car-charging stations, a bike and pedestrian-friendly community, and Energy Star appliances.
Today, in order to create these lifestyles, more amenities are spread throughout the development. Earnshaw says he sees everything from rooftop decks, cabanas used year-round, outdoor yoga yards, higher-level fitness or boutique fitness offerings, and spin classes. When designing a new development, multiple factors go into considering what those amenities should be.
First, the developer has to get more rent out of the overall experience. The bottom line is making a profit, so Earnshaw says that usually means using less space better. He challenges his team and the developer to capture those elements from neighboring developments and redesign with a smaller footprint at the same or at a lower price.
Next, it’s about studying the market. What is happening in the neighboring area?
“Twenty years ago, residents lived in their apartments and did nothing else,” Earnshaw says. “Today, they sleep in their apartment and do everything else outside of the apartment—in the community. They use the gym, and they drop their gym membership. So, what does the fitness center across the street have? We should have something different. Have a zen garden and yoga. If they don’t even use it, they will rent there because they envision themselves being part of it. They buy into the brand.”
He says innovation and creating an REI-esque experience comes from studying the market. Don’t stop at what’s successful though, he warns. It’s important to pay attention to what didn’t work as well.
“The biggest risk for architects would be not listening,” Earnshaw says. “We can’t think we know something without really digging in to understand. We have to listen to all the intel. You can’t always put yourself in the position of the renter if you are not the renter or that target demographic, so you have to dig in and find where and how that’s available.”
The Multifamily Executive Concept Community, Next Generation Development, takes a look at creating that experience for the residents, creating a lifestyle that they won’t only want to associate with but one that they will take part in as well. Follow the progress of the community at www.multifamilyexecutive.com/mfe-concept-community.
