Located on a challenging urban infill site, this 4-story, 23-unit apartment complex stands as a testament to the power of integrated design and precision engineering. Our team provided a comprehensive suite of services, including civil engineering, landscape architecture, site grading and drainage, and construction management, to transform a topographically complex parcel into a high-density residential success.

The primary hurdle for this development was a significant 10-foot elevation change spanning from the west side of the site to the east. This dramatic grade created a logistical puzzle where the entrance to the underground parking garage sat 10 feet higher than the building’s front door and 12 feet above the existing public sidewalk. Without a strategic intervention, this slope threatened to swallow valuable square footage or create awkward, inaccessible transition points for residents and visitors.

To address these complexities, our civil engineering and landscape architecture teams developed a grading plan that prioritized both aesthetics and efficiency. We designed and implemented two primary retaining walls within the site’s interior to facilitate strategic terracing. These walls allowed us to take up the 10-foot grade change internally, and by engineering them to hug the site’s natural contours, we successfully managed the elevation transitions without removing any usable building space or reducing unit density.

Through dedicated construction management and expert site grading and drainage oversight, we ensured the complex wall installations were executed with precision, maintaining both the project timeline and budget. The finished project offers a sleek, modern aesthetic that feels grounded in its environment. The transition from the public sidewalk to the high-elevation garage entrance is handled through thoughtful design and invisible engineering, providing the client with maximum ROI on a challenging lot.

This project highlights our ability to solve "unsolvable" site issues. While a 12-foot drop to a sidewalk can be a deal-breaker for some, our integrated approach turned a site challenge into a signature design feature.