The Estelle sets a new standard for apartment living in Birmingham, Alabama, with a design focused on placemaking and community building. In a newly revitalized area, the 280-unit garden-style community provides a bridge between downtown and suburban living, located at a crucial intersection and on a burgeoning trail systems that connects the area to downtown Birmingham, retail centers, and local university campuses.
The development caters to students and young professionals and has been designed with roommate living in mind; each unit is set up with multiple rooms that have private bathrooms and a study area. Built-in study nooks provide small areas intended for flexible remote work or studying within each unit. Responding to the technology advancements in work and school, solid walls were intentionally placed behind each desk for meetings and work done via webcam.
Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, an emphasis was put on luxury amenity areas that would draw residents outside of their apartments. The Estelle provides a multitude of common areas for residents to connect and to gather. Amenities, such as a luxury pool surrounded by a fire pit, hammock areas, and cornhole; a community clubhouse with both indoor and outdoor kitchens; a dog park and spa; a yoga center; a yoga lawn; and a fitness center are located throughout the property.
The interior common spaces foster community with study rooms, a living-room style collaboration area, gathering spaces for small or large groups, and a grab-and-go convenience market center.
Each apartment building is designed with light colors and gracious porches overlooking the amenity spaces. Higher and taller windows were installed to fill each unit with natural light. Porches were intentionally spaced away from the front of the living room windows so that light would freely flow inside.
To reduce the scale of the development, site plan efficiency was maximized and utilized for every amount of square footage in the units and common areas. The plan was achieved by giving maximum impact on community areas and landscaping with clean design to individual units.
