Project Description

Founders Row

Founders Row is a Multi-Unit Residential and Live-Work building flanking Founders Square, one of two formal parks in the Peninsula Neighborhood. Founders Row was designed to create a strong sense of spatial enclosure to the first park space encountered as you enter the neighborhood. The Peninsula Neighborhood is a new neighborhood being built on a peninsula in the heart of Iowa City overlooking the Iowa River. The ongoing development of the neighborhood is guided by a form-based code utilizing the principles of New Urbanism. The Peninsula Neighborhood includes a mix of single family and multi-family residences arranged along a compact network of streets featuring small, formal parks and neighborhood commercial at its center.

The design challenge was to create a building that presented a high-quality architectural presence on Founders Square and the two side streets at each end of the building while including private attached garages to all units. Initially, as the neighborhood was being developed, the Live-Work units were not readily marketable, so the units had to be designed for initial use as residential flats with the infrastructure and plan layout to accommodate a future conversion to a personal service or office use.

The open floor plans of the Founders Row Flats feature a large central living room with a full width patio or balcony. The kitchen and dining area is central to the plan and overlooks the living area. Each unit features two bedrooms and two bathrooms flanking the central living space, providing privacy and a place of retreat to each bedroom suite.

 

Project Data

PROJECT TYPE: Residential / Live-Work

UNIT SIZES: 1165 to 1450 Square Feet + 2-Car Garages

ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES PROVIDED: Design, Construction Documents, Promotional Renderings

PROJECT STATUS: Completed Spring 2012