The Block 13 Development is a unique project combining two highly disparate sites in terms of scale, use, and context, into one cohesive mixed-use complex. It includes both small and medium-scale multi-family housing on a site with existing residential units and a large-scale research and development park planned for the adjacent site.

Borrowing from the existing residences, designers used contextual cues to develop the overall planning strategy, grid and orientation. Within this organization, the building volumes transition from medium scale to larger scale to match the adjacent buildings. The program orients the residential buildings towards the adjacent residential context and the larger programs, including the clubhouse, fitness center and hotel, toward the future research and development site. At a micro scale, the building volumes are further refined with facades that are subtlety distinctive to respond to the various solar orientations. This helps to break the mass of the entire project into a human scale and offers the best possible energy efficiency.