Give The People What They Want: Amenities That Bring Tenants

Multifamily amenities remain a competitive race of one-upmanship of dog spas and nature trails. Some amenities, such as location and walkability, will never wane. Others come and go. During Bisnow's Multifamily Annual Conference last week, Transwestern managing director Mark Culwell, AMLI president Phil Tague, LRK principal Craig Henry and panel moderator Jordan Foster Construction's JJ Williams (second from left) talked amenities trends.

What's Changed

These days, few apartments come with fireplaces in every unit. Complexes are less likely to have tennis courts, media rooms and strict security patrol. Craig (far right) says LRK has converted many media rooms and has seen a shift towards more niche spaces such as music studios. AMLI has also built a few makers spaces (mostly used as a place to put together all that Ikea furniture), bike repair rooms and even a beer brewing room. 

What's Remained The Same

Regardless of how much package storage architects allot, operators will always need more, Craig says. According to Phil (far left), an ideal package situation would allow residents to pick up packages without operating staff as middlemen. While smart technology might wow Millennials, it can actually deter Baby Boomers who are adverse to gadgets, Mark (second from right) says. 

What's Coming

Structured and underground parking might be non-negotiables in current buildings, but with the rise of ride sharing, public transit and driverless cars, architects will soon be wondering what to do with all those parking structures, Mark says. Building LEED and otherwise sustainable buildings will move less towards trendy and more towards mandatory. Phil says AMLI feels it has a "moral responsibility" to build sustainable buildings.