For Carmel Partners, value creation is the product of creativity and expertise. Throughout every stage of development, this approach helps the firm stay attuned with new strategies, continually enhancing community developments in new ways each year. In this light, Carmel Partners has observed a variety of health, social and environmental benefits which come from the inclusion of usable outdoor space in landscape design. Creating neighborhood amenities at properties ‘Cumulus District,’ ‘Platform’ and ‘The Gantry,’ Carmel Partners offers fresh outdoor park spaces for physical activity and gathering places for community interaction.
Between Culver City and West Adams in Los Angeles, Cumulus District is 1,210-unit community which offers a lifestyle unlike other modern L.A. apartments. Comprised of podium and high-rise apartment buildings ‘VOX’ and ‘ARQ,’ Cumulus District unites the city’s innovators and creatives by offering a high-end, livable and walkable destination in Los Angeles. At its center, Carmel Partners created a 1-acre park known as the Zocalo, which will be activated by frequent music, food, art and fitness events. Opening summer of 2022, a Whole Foods market will become a popular destination for this L.A. neighborhood, while 50,000-square feet of additional retail space will be filled with local boutiques and chef-inspired restaurants.
The central Zocalo park is just one of Cumulus District’s outdoor amenities. Between VOX and ARQ, Cumulus District’s residents may enjoy time spent cooking or dining in outdoor amenity spaces or relaxing beside numerous resort-style pools. With no shortage of outdoor space, Carmel Partners designed Cumulus District in perfect alignment with the warm and sun-filled Los Angeles climate.
Integrating parks into urban properties has also proven to be successful on the east coast. In Washington D.C.’s Union Market, Carmel Partners developed The Gantry as a high-rise, luxury mixed use project near bustling Union Market. As a critical part of the design process, Carmel Partners prioritized an outdoor plaza to provide city-dwellers with a relaxed and open gathering place in the midst of an active and eclectic neighborhood. Adjacent to a local metro station, the plaza encourages community gatherings in the company of a distinctive sculpture by Don Hoover. A composition of beams which evoke a deconstructed rail gantry, the sculpture is an eye-catching aspect of The Gantry’s outdoor community plaza.
Another metropolitan D.C. development, Platform in Alexandria, also showcases an outdoor public park. Taking advantage of its expansive site, Carmel Partners added an open-air central park at Platform, which is now one of the property’s key outdoor features. Designed for both residents and the public, the central park includes outdoor seating, ping pong tables and other games. Like The Gantry, Platform’s park also creates a unique character through a landmark sculpture by artist Joe O’Connell. A round and immersive sculpture comprised of interlacing red, orange and yellow panels, the piece enhances the park with visual, acoustic and experiential effects.
Boasting numerous outdoor amenities, Platform invites residents to discover beautifully landscaped courtyards featuring two separate pools. Carmel Partners also designed a cabana club to complete Platform’s outdoor landscape, including a grilling area, fire pit and lounge seating.
From L.A to D.C., Carmel Partners integrates parks in project design as an opportunity to bring focus to the benefits of time spent outdoors. With lush landscaping and art installations, parks are becoming popular outdoor gathering spaces at Cumulus District, The Gantry and Platform.
About Carmel Partners
Carmel Partners is one of the leading specialists in real estate investment management with a focus on U.S. multifamily acquisition and renovation, and development and construction. The company also specializes in debt and lending opportunities. Carmel Partners, LLC was founded in 1996 and has offices across the country, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Irvine, New York City, Seattle, Washington D.C., and Denver. For more information, please visit www.carmelpartners.com.