EVstudio recently inked a major multi-family commission in Colorado Springs.  With 288 units on roughly 6 acres the development is targeting the Colorado College and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs populations.  We also have two 100 plus unit projects in Central Texas slated for the spring.

Heading the multi-family push is Rich Muller who comes to EVstudio from Houston, Texas where he had worked in the multi-family arena for several years and has over 3,000 designed units to his credit.  His specialty is high-density, urban developments as well as suburban garden-style apartments.

EVstudio recently joined the Apartment Association of Metro Denver and is looking forward to becoming an active member in the Association, offering classes and lending an architect’s perspective to the industry.

If you are planning on a multi-family development over the next year, please feel free to contact EVstudio to discuss entitlements, density and overall strategy.

Originally posted 2012-01-19 13:59:26.

Related posts:

1. Letter on Denver Zoning From AIA, HBA, Realtors & Apartment Association
2. Cost per Square Foot for Construction for 8 to 24 Story Apartment Buildings
3. EVstudio to Speak at National Association of Realtors "Core Green Class"

The project is called Alta Vista de La Montana and consists of two multi-unit residential apartment buildings.

Below are some great pictures provided by Shaw's project engineers showing the major steps of constructing a post tension foundation.

Step 1: Trench the ribs and set plumbing that is below the slab elevation

Step 2: Pour the ribs (if doing a two pour placement) and stab in rebar to tie the ribs to the slab

Step 3: Vapor Barrier, final plumbing, tendons, and reinforcement of the slab

Step 4: Slab placement, a half stress (roughly 24hrs),  then full stress of the tendons  within 7 days

Step 5: Construction can begin within just a couple days of the slab placement

Related posts:

1. Post Tension Slab-on-Grade Foundation
2. Value Engineering of Slab-on-Grade Foundation
3. Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating in Post Tension Slab-on-grade Foundations

The source for this data is RSMeans, the industry leader in construction cost estimating.

Construction Cost per Square Foot for 8 to 24 Story Apartment building

As we have seen for nearly all project types in previous research, New York tops the chart as the highest cost per square foot for this project type while cities in the south are among the lowest cost per square foot. The median cost per square foot falls around $220 per square foot.

Apartment buildings are well known to have a huge spectrum of amenities and services from high end spas, theaters, shops and restaurants within a larger mixed use program, while affordable housing apartments would generally keep to a simpler program. Regardless of the kind of apartment or multifamily project you are considering, EVstudio can help to inform your initial design concepts while keeping in mind your project budget. Then ultimately providing you with award winning architectural and engineering design for the realization of your project.

Related posts:

1. Construction Cost per Square Foot for Hotels, Motels and Apartments
2. Price Per Square Foot Construction Cost for Medical Office Buildings
3. Cost per Square Foot of Construction for Institutional Buildings

So, how much does it cost to build a hotel, motel or apartment building by square foot? While this will depend heavily on the design of the building, and its location, there is some guidance based on data collected nationally and analyzed by RSMeans, the industry leader in construction cost estimating and analysis. Local economy is a very important factor in construction cost as well as the type of construction you intend to build. Note, that not all types of construction cost the same per square foot, and even more importantly, the cost of construction per square foot varies significantly with location.

Below are three different types of hospitality and multifamily construction and the varying cost per square foot to expect for each in different regions.  All graph images are courtesy of RSMeans Construction Cost Data. Data source: Reed Construction Data – RSMeans/Charts: Reed Construction Data – CanaData

Construction Cost per Square Foot of 2-3 Story Motel

As you can see from the range of cost per square foot, location alone can represent as much as 70% of the cost driver for a 2-3 Story Motel. The median for this type of construction is between $170 and $180 per square foot. Not surprisingly, New York tops the charts for most expensive city to build in at over $234 per square foot. Winston-Salem consistently ranks as the most inexpensive city to build in at $134 per square foot for motels.

Construction Cost per Square Foot for 4-7 Story Hotel

Building vertical always provides an economy of scale for larger structures, and that is noted with taller hotel construction. As these costs are spread out over greater square footage, we see a median cost in the mid $160 range with $217 on the high end and $124 on the low end.

Construction Cost per Square Foot 4-7 Story Apartment Building

At the lowest end of the cost spectrum is the 4-7 story apartment building. Similar to the Hotels, taking advantage of the vertical construction, apartment buildings also are not required to have the variety of functions that are necessary in a hotel. While amenities will be very specific to projects, on average, apartment buildings median cost are in the low $160's per square foot with a range of $121 on the low end to $212 on the high end.

It is increasingly important to understand the cost drivers for any commercial project and how building type, construction type and location can all be huge variables that will drive your cost per square foot. These are always a part of the initial programming discussions and the Architect will play a huge role in helping to define the ranges of cost to expect for the project.

Related posts:

1. Cost per Square Foot of Commercial Construction by Region
2. Price Per Square Foot Construction Cost for Medical Office Buildings
3. Construction Cost per Square Foot of Community Centers in Major US Cities

EVstudio recently designed the post tension foundations for 6 apartment buildings, 6 garages and a clubhouse for the Villa’s at Park West in Pueblo, CO.  The footprints of the apartment buildings range from 7,500 sqft up to 11,250 sqft.  The project has six different building types and 5 different unit types.  Unit types range from 1 bedroom with 650 sqft to 3 bedrooms with 1,260 sqft.

This was a great project to be a part of and EVstudio really enjoyed working with the entire team.  This was our first time working with Rick Taylor owner of Blue Spruce Constructors, LLC and his team.  Also part of the post tension team, is the foundation contractor Carl Boone owner of C&L Development Inc. and the post tension material supplier Greg Arbour of KLG.

Related posts:

1. Hyatt Summerfield Suites DIA – Post Tension Ribs Poured and Plumbing Going In
2. Structural Engineer’s Decision On Soil Bearing Area Used For Post Tension Slabs
3. Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity Duplex Exterior Complete