The Griffin
DSA was approached by a property management company to design a student living community with a cohesive urban feel in Gainesville, Florida just outside the University of Florida Campus. However, there was a catch - the structure's site was on a very tight property with four different zoning classifications at each edge: an urban street to the north, single family residential to the east, a protected wetland to the south, and an existing urban development to the west. Never backing down from a challenge, our team designed this 294-bed mixed-unit student living complex, maximizing the space on the site while also adhering to the different zoning requirements. The complex contains four buildings; a main apartment-style building with one-,two-,three-,and four-bedroom unit types, and three townhome style buildings with four-, five-, and six-bedroom unit types. In addition to the residential space, the apartment-style building also includes the leasing office, gathering spaces, conference rooms, a mailroom, business center, kitchen space with cafe and bar-style seating, a gym, parking garage, and an elevated outdoor amenity deck complete with a recreation area, outdoor kitchen and seating, and a pool deck.
