30 Years Of Design

Top 5 Industry Disrupting HPA Innovations

As we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year, we are taking a look back at how it is that we were able to become the number one multifamily architecture firm in the country. The drive for innovation, the constant asking ourselves “how can we make this better,” and the minds that put the ideas onto paper and bring it into reality are the very things that have landed us here. While forward-thinking has always been the cornerstone of our operation, it also challenges us to never settle for the status quo.

For years, apartments had been designed without regard to building efficiency. By working closely with developers in identifying their needs and budgets, we developed multiple types of multifamily concepts that focus on efficiency, density and reduced construction costs.

Below are our top 5 game changing designs – these HPA-exclusive designs not only became some our clients’ favorite repeat products, but propelled us to be at the top of the multifamily industry.

1. Big House®

Conceived and trademarked in 1998, the Big House® concept was the one that really started it all. It introduces a modern solution to multifamily housing by integrating private parking garages into the building and provides tenants with direct access to individual units. The design is meant to help multifamily units feel and look more like single-family homes, while not giving up the desirable amenities of apartment living.

The Big House® is spreading to multifamily communities across the nation. Over 300 have been built to date, with the largest amount of Big Houses® built in Texas and Nevada.

Developers and real estate investors appreciate the return on net operating income with its 100 percent efficiency while residents enjoy the single-family home appeal.

While residents tend to push back against dense multifamily development in suburban areas, the Big House® continues to be a welcomed alternative – blending in seamlessly with single-family developments.

2. Home Rise®

Established in 2001, the Home Rise® became our cost-saving solution to typical high rises. While most towers have long residential corridors, the Home Rise offers a more simple floor plan with smaller and separate elevator lobbies on each side of the building. This frees up the core of the building and leads to improved efficiency, up to 87 percent.

3. E-Urban®

In 2007, we introduced this concept in response to rising construction costs. Our innovative floorplans replace the long hallways of most mid-rise apartment buildings with shorter corridors and elevator lobbies. It’s also less expensive to build due to the efficiency ratio of more than 80%, compared to about 60% for typical mid-rise designs.

4. Staks Family

We were thrilled to reveal the all new Staks® family in 2019. These ultra-efficient and super dense prototypes come in a variety of site shapes, lengths, heights and layouts; and can be architectural tailored to fit each market. With one corridor on one floor, these 2-, 3-, and 4-story buildings have the ability to achieve higher densities than typical stacked flat apartments and can infill small sites with either surface or podium parking. Check out our Prototypes page to view and compare all of our Staks® family product types.

5. MotorCove

While a building’s façade can create a welcoming impression from far away, its exterior accents at the street level bring it down to human scale—and street level is where residents interact with the building every day, which is why we created the MotorCove. This type of multifamily community is pedestrian-friendly and hides garages out of street view, allowing for a more welcoming and streamlined aesthetic at street level. With this unique four-sided architecture, the auto-court area is centrally located with units clustered around it. From flat to two-story and studio to three bedrooms, units can range from 370 square feet up to 1,600 due to the flexibility of the building shape and size.

Want to learn more about these innovative products? Let’s discuss how we can design your next exceptional multifamily development.