Humphreys & Partners Architects, a Dallas-based firm with global offices, has unveiled a project it believes will set a standard for multifamily design of the future.

Walter Hughes

The architectural firm’s Vice President of Design Walter Hughes presented the forward-looking project at January’s 2018 International Builders’ Show in Orlando. The Pier 2 high-rise concept includes two residential towers on the Manhattan waterfront.

The concept will integrate an array of technology features that are currently available to architects and designers, such as artificial intelligence, drones, home automation, and autonomous vehicles.

“The inspiration behind this design is to provide solutions to current problems in housing, retail, and transportation.”
Walter Hughes

The design is 100 percent sustainable and includes ground level retail space outfitted with smart shopping capabilities, photovoltaic glass, wind turbines, green walls, Tesla energy via Powerwall, vertical farming as well as park and recreational areas that will have facial recognition technology along with carbon footprint reducing features.

“The inspiration behind this design is to provide solutions to current problems in housing, retail, and transportation,” Hughes told Dallas Innovates. “By showcasing what can now be done with the latest advances in technology, materials, and sustainable design we are better able to accommodate residents.”

Rendering of the Pier 2 project. [Image courtesy of Humphreys & Partners]

While Pier 2 is a high-profile New York City concept project, the firm remains active in the Dallas area with a number of current projects:

Legacy West (LVL 29), a 29-story, 316-unit high rise in Plano
One Uptown, a 19-story, 554-unit tower with restaurant and retail on the first level
Jefferson Landmark, a five-story wrap building in Farmers Branch with 324 units
Vitruvian, a five-story wrap building in Addison with 362 units

The firm also is currently building in Vietnam with projects in Van Phuc, Ha Dong, and Hanoi as well as Hai Phong. Humphreys also is slated to build 14th and Hill, a project in Los Angeles with modular design offering developers a cost-effective solution for a high-density area.

A forward-looking project like the Pier 2 concept is an example of Humphreys & Partners stretching the boundaries of building design while looking out for new technologies, materials, demographics, and lifestyle changes, Hughes said.

“The key for us, is to still provide housing that feels like a home and ensure residents have a sense of place.”

Walter Hughes

“Most of these solutions designed for Pier 2, will eventually percolate to a variety of building types and price levels, benefiting society as a whole. Conceptually, Pier 2 will have photovoltaic glass, wind turbines, and green walls allowing residents to grow their own food and clean the air they are breathing.”

Humphrey & Partners strives to stay ahead of the curve according to Hughes and Pier 2 embodies its approach of designing for a better future.

“Technology is here to stay. If anything, we will see more and more of it in our lives and it will become second nature,” Hughes said. “The key for us, is to still provide housing that feels like a home and ensure residents have a sense of place.”