As part of its quest to partner with thought leaders on forging a new lifestyle experience for the middle-income worker, Forge Development Partners (Forge) is happy to announce that design firm Gensler will be its chief architectural and interior design firm for all its projects in San Francisco and San Diego. Forge, a privately held San Francisco real estate development firm, seeks to build state-of-the-art scaled essential-living apartments that help foster a sense of community and wellness for their residents while still being accessible to the average middle-income family.
“We are committed to having the best minds in the business help us define and forge the future of essential middle-income housing,” noted Forge Founder Richard Hannum. “Gensler’s unique integrated team of architects and interior designers will allow us to make smart, efficient decisions throughout the development process, helping us keep costs down while giving our future residents the modern amenities they expect in a home within their budget.”
“At Gensler, our focus is on improving the human experience and making a better world through the power of design,” said Doug Zucker, Principal at Gensler. “We are excited to help Forge create a new paradigm in housing by designing a high-quality, carbon responsible building that provides right-sized apartment homes for middle-income workers.”
Through sustainable architectural innovations, Forge and Gensler are defining what the future of middle-income essential housing looks like – one that reduces carbon and energy grid usage while also lowering operating costs allowing Forge to offer units at an attractive price point for the average family. For example, Forge and Gensler are exploring on-site photovoltaics and microturbines to generate building electricity, using excess heat from that generation to power hot water boilers, as well as systems that will allow for the reuse of grey water in building landscaping and other non-potable custodial applications.
“We’re turning Forge’s developments into powerhouses so that they are less reliant on the power grid making it more sustainable in the long-term while also reducing Forge’s operating costs. This is a win-win for the operator, the environment and our future residents,” noted Jason Fox, an architect at Gensler.
Gensler is also helping Forge design the interior spaces, a lifestyle living within a constraint space. Common areas are being looked at as multifunctional spaces with moveable walls and furniture allowing the same space to easily transition from yoga studio to a gaming or movie space. Full-service demonstration kitchens will also be included in common areas allowing residents to dine together or enjoy cooking classes.
“By thinking of these things intelligently and efficiently through an integrated internal practice we are able to implement smart and strategic planning strategies early in the design process and therefore are making more design forward and impactful design decisions. By doing this early we are also able to make efficient and cost-effective choices that ultimately allow Forge to create and market unit and amenity spaces for tomorrow’s modern work families,” noted Rashana Zaklit, Hospitality Studio Director at Gensler.
