Givens Estates – Friendship Park

Letting the Terrain Guide the Senior Living Apartment Expansion

This 125,569 square foot, senior living apartment expansion replaces lower density housing. Constructed in two phases, the buildings work with the topography to increase density and integrate a stream running between them. Targeting 55+ residents, the 80 apartments enjoy wooded views from oversized balconies or walk-out patios. A series of covered bridges and walkways connect the new structures to the community center and other campus amenities.

The design utilizes the steep site, with the buildings nestled along an ambling spring-fed stream. The topography dictated two separate apartment buildings that are each segmented at the core with an interior bridge connecting the two halves. This “elbow” maximizes the number of corner units and allows the buildings to transition in tandem with the stream that winds down the hillside. Each building also includes a pavilion for extended socialization between apartment residents.

Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography

Project Highlights

Client:
Givens Estates

Location:
Asheville, NC

Services:
Master Planning

Architecture

Interior Design

Type:
Apartments

Site Improvements

Sustainable Design

A 60-foot buffer of naturally occurring trees and plant life protects and frames the stream flowing through the middle of the Friendship Park neighborhood.

Guiding Principle

Being Polite to the Site

There is a 40 foot elevation change between the campus loop road and steam.

The buildings, walkways and landscape design address this in a way that improves access alongside the stream.

The park-like, wooded setting led the design team to embrace a contemporary version of Arts & Crafts architecture.

Market-Friendly

Modern-Mountain Style Expansion

Evocative of a treehouse, the façade for the apartment expansion has visually expressive heavy timber structures.

These structural elements are painted a deep brick red that frame covered porch-style balconies and patios. Designed to complement rather than duplicate other campus housing, these apartments range in size from 800 to 1400 square feet.