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Thinking Outside the Big Box
 FITTING IN: Max Strang's "neighborhood-friendly" Home Depot design minimizes truck traffic. |
The quintessential big box store, Home Depot, is thinking outside the box for its Coconut Grove store in response to residents' concerns. The quirky urban enclave bordering Coral Gables in south Miami has always boasted a distinctive character. Many feared that would change if Home Depot came in. Local architect Max Strang, who was among the critics, submitted a design proposal to Home Depot that the retail giant accepted.
There's nothing orange, beige or big-box about his "neighborhood-friendly" design, which includes a grocery store, drugstore and one-acre park. There's no specialized contractor loading zone or outdoor lumber yard. He turned the store to face inward so that deliveries could be routed behind it along busy U.S. 1, minimizing big truck traffic in the shopping area to keep it pedestrian-friendly.
Strang is known for modern designs that blend in with their surroundings. "We're modernists," he says, "but not quite in-your-face modernism." He uses local materials like oolitic limestone, which will form a living landscape wall to soften the look. The store will be three stories with a pitched metal roof and lots of glass.
Strang's project has received national recognition as part of a trend by big retailers to be good neighbors.
Days of Old
Post offices used to be a vibrant center of a town's activity. And in cities like Winter Park, designers are again eyeing them as community focal points. Plans are in the works to redo the city's old post office into a pedestrian-friendly retail and residential center that will connect it to neighboring Central Park and posh Park Avenue.
"Trends today are fueled by an acceleration of lifestyle demands," says Larry Adams, who along with partner John Cunningham at ACi Architects is spearheading the project. "People want layers of experiences, layers of amenities. It's about where you live and how you connect with your place."
This is the second time the Winter Park-based ACi has led a post office redesign project. The first was in nearby Orlando.
Little Havana
 NOW AND LATER: Miguel Angel Barbagallo's Altos de Miami project under way in Little Havana (above) and what it will look like when it's done (right). |
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Several years ago, developer Miguel Angel Barbagallo saw potential in Little Havana and started buying property there. Today, construction is under way on Altos de Miami and Altos Plaza, two midrise condominiums -- 900-sq.-ft. units go for $350,000 -- in a neighborhood that's not seen much development.
Barbagallo, who founded Miami-based B Developments in 2001, used to be involved in high-end projects like Jade Residences at Brickell Bay. But he saw a future in offering luxury housing without the million-dollar price tag. He developed his prototype for a well-done building with a lot of amenities, good lobbies and parking.
Barbagallo likes Little Havana because it lies in what he calls the "working belt," where middle-income couples live and work. "The buildings that were there before were not a proper lifestyle for people who live and work nearby."
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