Now + Next: Avalon Oakridge
In TAT’s latest issue of Now + Next Magazine, Avalon Oakridge in Durham, North Carolina headlines our project cover story.
Avalon Oakridge is a master planned, two-phased, multi-building development providing 930 units in the rapidly emerging market of Durham, North Carolina. In collaboration with AvalonBay Communities, the goal is to reimagine a pivotal 15- acre wooded parcel into a sustainable, contextually appropriate, and distinguished multifamily community.
Phase One includes 645 units within two street-facing buildings wrapping around parking structures with centrally located resident amenities. In homage to the historic mills and factories characteristic of Durham, the exterior incorporates brick, corrugated metal, and steel. The main entry is accentuated by a hierarchy of metal canopies leading to the double-height great room with vistas of the pool and woodlands beyond. An illuminated wood-like cornice folds into a vertical fin element to further define the amenity space from the LEED Silver residential building. Rod-hung balconies and porches create an inviting aesthetic and provide an interstitial space between the building and the street. Phase Two will be initiated in 2025.
Client: AvalonBay Communities
Renderer: The Architectural Team
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The newly created street, with a protected bike lane, generous sidewalks, shade trees, and vehicular lanes, informs the design approach guided by Durham’s Unified Development Ordinance. This creative constraint results in three design typologies for the building and streetscape: a forecourt, which allows for a transition between the public circulation and apartment home privacy; friendly-scaled courtyards; and a public woonerf – Dutch for “living street” – intended for shared use by pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars.