The ICON community in Scottsdale, Ariz., features a semi-private elevator entry from the ground level.
Eric Figge The ICON community in Scottsdale, Ariz., features a semi-private elevator entry from the ground level.

Gala and ICON, the latest multifamily projects in the long-standing partnership between Irvine, Calif.-based Robert Hidey Architects (RHA) and Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based builder The New Home Co. build on the earlier success of the Avanti community with unique entrance layouts. Each unit in all three projects—one market rate, two luxury—features semi-private elevator access from the parking level, each in varying configurations.

The 72-unit Avanti community, which opened in Calabasas, Calif., in 2016, consists of six buildings with three levels of single-story condo residences above a lobby and garage podium. Each of the units occupies one corner of each floor and measures 2,177 to 2,600 square feet in size, with prices starting in the mid-$1,000,000s. The exterior façades are inspired by classical European and Italian design, and the units feature private covered decks and open floor plans.

The entry path for Avanti leads residents through the garage to one of two semi-private elevators, each of which serves six of a building’s 12 units. With an individualized security code, the two-sided elevator leads residents directly to a private vestibule, which leads into their main unit. This vestibule also leads to a common hallway, which is accessible from the ground floor lobby.

According to the developer, Avanti proved popular with downsizing baby boomers, and its success inspired the creation of ICON and Gala. Unlike Avanti, ICON, located on the Silverleaf golf community in Scottsdale, Ariz., employs more modernist aesthetics in its exteriors and offers private stall parking for each unit. From these stalls, residents enjoy a similar entry path like the one at Avanti, with security codes to private vestibles that lead into their main units.

“The elevator at ICON uses a security code that each only serves one unit,” says Luis Enciso of Robert Hidey Architects. “You cannot take the elevator to another level or unit unless you have the security code. In case you are riding with your neighbor, it will open to the vestibule that leads to your main entry, keeping your residence private and secure.”

Each of the ICON units offers open, column-free floor plans with retractable walls on its deck spaces. Units will range from 2,179 to 3,174 square feet, and start at $1.7 million.

Gala, a 120-unit community condominium community in Davis, Calif., is a market-rate community with units starting in the mid-$400,000s, constructed as the multifamily component of The New Home Co.’s The Cannery farm-to-table community. The community is laid out much like Avanti, with three levels of flats above a parking podium in each building, with a farmhouse-style architectural aesthetic that reflects The Cannery’s ethos.

Unlike Avanti and ICON, Gala is not a gated community. Its elevators lead to a common corridor, from which the majority of units feature a vestibule shared between two residences. The floors accommodate five units instead of four, and the middle unit does not have a vestibule.