Multifamily Performance and Value
Indoor-outdoor design statements are another way to mitigate the enclosed and sometimes claustrophobic feel of more efficient housing layouts, leading to more use of terrace doors, balconies, and sliding glass doors. Architects are also working with larger window openings with fewer mullions and cross members to boost that open feel. In many cases, renters also expect that unit doors or windows will open to exterior zones including balconies and rooftops. “Even for entire façades or selective renovations of existing residences, project teams are using large openings as not just a selling point but also as a lifestyle feature,” notes Matt Thomas, marketing director with NanaWall Systems, which makes operable glass walls.
Many new multifamily projects include larger window openings, including operable walls, for access to balconies and rooftops. Photo courtesy of NanaWall Systems |
These trends are shaking up enclosure design for the entire multifamily market, a bellwether business for many architects, contractors, and suppliers. “Fenestration in multifamily typologies is evolving to include more walls with operable windows and sliders or terraces doors. Utilizing insulated slab covers, window wall systems provide versatility and aesthetic options when compared to a conventional all-glass curtain wall,” says Dave Hewitt, vice president of sales and marketing with the window producer EFCO, a Pella Company. “The market is robust in several key metropolitan areas, including for tall buildings. Right now, for example, we're supplying three new high-rise projects in Minneapolis with high-performance window walls and terrace doors.”
Multifamily Housing Trends, Shaped by Feeble Single-Family Picture |
According to mortgage aggregator Freddie Mac, recent declines in single-family homeownership have helped propel growth in multifamily housing. The slow economic recovery is still pushing down homeownership rates, so the prospects for certain offerings—especially rental homes and apartments will continue to blossom. “Multifamily market demand is expected to be strong through 2015 primarily due to demographic trends and shift in homeownership preference,” Freddie Mac announced in a recent national forecast. Given current economic assumptions, the group anticipates about 1.7 million new renter households between late 2012 and 2015. This would include home rentals: Freddie Mac also observed that single-family rentals have expanded 16 percent, or about 3 million units, since 2007. www.freddiemac.com/multifamily/pdf/market_demand_forecast_2012-2015.pdf |
Across the country, growth tends to be concentrated in mid-rise multi-housing projects, from college campuses to retirement locations. Wood-framed projects dominate construction in projects up to five or six stories, for condominiums, townhouses, and supportive housing types, such as assisted-living facilities (ALFs). Yet traditional building approaches are rapidly giving way to prefabricated, panelized timber assemblies and meticulously detailed enclosures with air barriers, continuous insulation (CI), and techniques for draining and blocking moisture.
“Investors are more interested in life-cycle cost and overall profitability, and many buyers say they value durability and sustainability, so that makes multifamily a target for better protection against moisture and air infiltration,” says Peter Barrett, product manager for Cosella-Dörken, which makes building enclosure materials including water-resistive barriers (WRBs) and drainage sheets. “Air tightness is critical to energy management, and moisture is acknowledged as the leading cause of building degradation.”
Improvements to the enclosure extend to fenestration as well, with novel windows that have triple glazing and gas fill or blinds or shades between the glass lites. High-performance vinyl windows are increasingly specified for multifamily projects, too. “These newer products also improve energy efficiency by controlling heat while helping to bring more daylight into the apartment interiors,” says Terry Zeimetz, AIA, CSI, CCPR, commercial marketing manager with manufacturer Pella Commercial Solutions. “The between-glass blinds also mitigate the issue of allergens that can get trapped in room-side blinds.”
Recent projects use windows with triple glazing or gas fill, or both, as well as blinds or shades between the glass lites. Photo courtesy of Pella Commercial Solutions |
For structural systems, modular and prefabricated timber systems are adding new options alongside traditional, stick-built framing that dominates one- to three-family, detached dwellings. “Modular, prefabricated walls and floor systems are the most important innovation in the wood multifamily and residential market in years,” says Lisa Podesto, MS, P.E., a structural engineer and senior technical director in Building Systems for WoodWorks, an education and technical resource provider. “Assembled offsite, these systems are efficient and fast to build, with components like studs, plates, and openings already included. For large repetitive structure, these help work out lots of issues in the field and save money.”
On the operational side of the multifamily business are a number of techniques to reduce energy costs, maintenance needs, and also simplify building systems. Among the most rapidly growing are proven renewable energy systems such as geothermal heating and cooling.
“The energy extracted from the earth provides an immediate and free efficiency boost, and water-source geothermal systems can serve diverse needs, such as moving heat from the south-facing units and moving it to other units that need heat,” says Tony Landers, director of marketing with ClimateMaster, a geothermal system provider. “Other than energy needed to pump the loop, that is free conditioning by moving heat from one point to the next.”.
Notice
(Pictured: Marselle Condominium, Seattle, WA. PB Architects. Photo by Matt Todd Photography, courtesy of WoodWorks.)
www.rethinkwood.com
www.Simonton.com
www.totousa.com
www.BisonIP.com
www.cosella-dorken.com
- Used in geothermal and water-source heat pump applications
- Exceeds ASHRAE 90.1 efficiencies with twostage operation
- Uses EarthPure® (HFC-410A) zero-ozonedepletion refrigerant, making it an extremely environmentally friendly option
- Its multiple cabinet configurations and small footprint make it suitable for tight installations and for replacement/retrofit markets
- Features iGate technology, the next generation in intelligent control by using two-way communication to provide a gateway to the system.
www.climatemaster.com
www.efcocorp.com
www.NanaWall.com