TSW Redesigns Iconic Midtown Apartment Community

Atlanta-based TSW, an architecture, landscape architecture and planning firm (www.tsw-design.com), was retained in early 2013 by Madison Property Management to re-design Ansley Forest Apartments, a 1970’s era, 269-unit apartment complex in Midtown Atlanta, Ga. (www.AnsleyForestApartments.com). Now, after nearly two years of work, the project has moved from design to construction, with the renovation expected to be completed by Buckhaven Construction (www.buckhaven.com) in early 2015.

TSW was initially retained only to update the interiors of the one, two and three-bedroom apartments and make them more appealing to today’s renters. However, as the project progressed, the management company asked TSW also to make design changes to the building exteriors and give the entire complex a fresh new look both inside and outside, more in keeping with the in-town Atlanta neighborhood.

“Making Ansley Forest more energy-efficient and attractive to today’s renters was an exciting challenge for us at TSW,” said Jerry Spangler, AIA, LEED AP, and founding principal of TSW. “The complex appeared frozen in time. While the surrounding neighborhood has practically exploded with office, retail and multi-family development, Ansley Forest sat unchanged for decades. Because of this, the complex presented both positives and negatives in terms of re-design, and the owners wisely decided on a renovation rather than tearing down the buildings and starting over.”

On the plus side, according to Spangler, were the solid building materials used in the original construction, the variety of apartment floorplans and the generous ratio of greenspace to buildings, more common decades ago when land was less expensive. The buildings are two and three stories tall, and are surrounded by curved drives and walking paths accented by mature trees and shrubs.

“As the cliché goes, ‘They don’t build them like that anymore’,” said Spangler. “Every apartment unit has a private entrance, so there are no shared hallways. The buildings feature brick construction and are attractively spaced throughout the property. Residents enjoy private outdoor patios and garden spaces, if they live on the ground level, and balconies with skyline views above the trees, if they live in one of the two-level townhomes above the apartment flats.”

“The timing was right to do the project for several reasons,” said Sue Mied, owner of Madison Property Management. “First, as we came out of the recession, we knew other properties would be upgrading, and we wanted to stay out in front of any competition. Also, there is an increasing demand for high-quality apartment homes, especially in walkable neighborhoods. All across the nation, people – especially young adults – are opting to live intown where they can walk or bicycle to shops, restaurants, entertainment and recreation, as well as take public transportation. This same demographic is opting to rent rather than purchase a home, so the intown apartment industry is booming. Our renters were supportive of the project, and throughout the renovation, we maintained 100 percent occupancy.”

Because the owners and architects agreed there should be minimal changes to the buildings’ exterior structure, all interior improvements had to be designed within the footprint of each apartment unit. TSW began by creating open floorplans. They removed walls and opened up the closed-off kitchens, creating airy living spaces. Kitchens and bathrooms were outfitted with new fixtures that are not only more efficient, but more attractive and better scaled to fit the spaces. One of the most dramatic improvements came from replacing all of the old windows in the complex, and enlarging the window openings for about 70 percent of the windows. The new windows, along with doors to either ground-floor patios or upper-level balconies, flood the formerly dark apartments with light, and extend the living space to the outdoors.

“Once the interior renovations were underway, the building exteriors looked even more dated and tired,” said Spangler. “Knowing we couldn’t alter the building structures beyond enlarging the window openings, we focused on color and architectural accents to refresh the complex and give it a more modern sensibility. We painted the brick in a neutral color palette of off-whites and grays, then added columns and balcony dividers of cementitious siding, painted burnt orange to give the balconies more visual mass. All of the exterior window frames were painted black, which the complex owners resisted at first, but the final result is a beautiful, clean contrast of the neutrals walls with the orange columns and black window frames and balconies.”

Cosmetic changes included removing the old curved balcony awnings and replacing them with colorful flat awnings. Juliette balconies were added to some of the units, while the existing balconies received new wrought iron railings, complimenting the new exterior wrought iron light fixtures. As the project progressed, the management company brought in landscapers to remove overgrown vegetation and re-landscape around the existing mature trees and shrubs.

The final phase of the project calls for TSW to design a brand new free-standing leasing office and fitness center overlooking the outdoor pool. Because the existing building will be torn down, TSW has been able to design an attractive and energy-efficient structure featuring such innovations as photovoltaic solar panels on the roof. This final phase will begin in October 2014.

“It’s always gratifying to be able to preserve the best parts of older structures, while bringing them more in line with modern design aesthetics,” said Spangler. “While the community generally appeals to younger professionals, the renovation has had a warm reception from the older residents who have lived at Ansley Forest for many years. With Ansley Forest, I believe we have blended the best of the old and new to create comfortable, bright apartment homes that will appeal to renters of all generations for years to come.”

About TSW
Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates (TSW) is a full-service planning, architecture and landscape architecture firm. The award-winning Atlanta company was founded in 1990 and specializes in sustainable community design and architecture. TSW is a leader in the New Urbanist movement and employs a community planning and design process that links tradition and context with today’s cultural and environmental demands. Sustainable design is an integral part of all TSW work, from the master plan level to the individual building components. TSW’s staff members are LEED Accredited Professionals and their designs incorporate a range of ideas for progressive energy and resource saving solutions. www.tsw-design.com.