Challenges in Designing Mixed-Use Properties
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Yonus: “When combining retail and residential areas into one building, it is essential to create a comfortable interface between the two sectors.”
SANTA ANA, CA—Strategizing a mixed-use project’s circulation and ensuring that parking is accessible for residents and retail customers are among the top challenges to designing mixed-use properties, SVA Architects’ senior associate partner Wahid Yonus tells GlobeSt.com. Yonus, who recently joined the firm, brings 30 years of architectural experience
with him. We sat down with him for an exclusive interview about his new role and the challenges to designing a variety of property types.
GlobeSt.com: What do you see as the key differences to designing and developing high-rise vs. low-rise properties?
Yonus: As a higher-density development, high-rise projects have the ability to accommodate more residents. Therefore, it is an ideal model for developers: high-rise properties are more economically feasible, allowing for more residences in a smaller area. Moreover, high-rise projects are optimal for metropolitan spaces and more populous areas where land values are higher. In comparison, low-rise projects are fitting for more traditionally suburban areas, where land cost is lower and lower density is the norm. Low-rise projects are more family oriented, while high-rise projects are more ideal for single residents or for couples without children…
