Sited on an urban corner in the neighborhood of Charlestown, the existing structure underwent a series of re-orientations, a history that French 2D threads into the new design, considering the way its three sides operate as both ‘backs’ and ‘fronts’ of the building.

The building was originally constructed in the 19th century as a pair of connected townhouses with entrances facing a wide canal and a sea of potato sheds along a trainline. Following a fire in the 1960s that destroyed the third floor, the building was reoriented, with its main entrance shifted to an abutting side street, eventually becoming a bar. The current renovation maintains the bar’s side entrance and creates three loft-style flats, entered from the short side of the building. Each loft measures 1,529 square feet with two bedrooms and two baths.

The ghosts of previous entrances are maintained along the building’s original frontage with the new window arrangements that echo the townhouse rhythm. The architects re-introduced the lost third floor, incorporating a new saw-tooth roof that creates a “mohawk-like” profile facing the elevated highway and roads beyond. The short side of the building maintains a straight-faced integration among its more traditional neighbors. “Like a friendly nod to those entering Boston from the highway, the reimagined building addresses the city as a new front face for a neighborhood that might otherwise be seen as inward-looking,” notes cofounding partner Jenny French.

For the new design, French 2D engaged in a deep interest in the imagined inner life of the building, and in creating a surface tension that accommodates it’s many historical iterations. With no signage but high political visibility (via a historically political clientele), the bar that previously inhabited the building  – ‘Old Sully’s’ – was one of the most invisible yet visible buildings in Charlestown. It also served as a location in Ben Affleck’s recent film The Town. French 2D worked through these narratives, as well as that of the original townhouses with an industrial edge, to arrive at a contemporary dwelling that allows multiple histories to be read through a single structure.

French 2D’s interest in imagined lives and layered history is explored beyond the architecture in an experimental staging project to create the interior images of the lofts. Says co-founding partner Anda French, “This project speculates on architectural production by misusing representational tools like virtual staging, a rendering technique popular in the real estate industry to sell empty homes, and by using orthographic drawings to conjure ghosts.  Plans and elevations collapse multiple realities, while final photographs are inhabited by a cast of the structure’s past and future furniture residents.”

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For decades, the real estate community has perceived architects as “artistic” types who design well but can’t crunch the numbers. This stereotype has become somewhat rooted in reality because of the flawed education system lacking in business instruction. Thankfully, over the last decade, there have been studios and individuals who proved that the transition in real estate development from working strictly in design to having more creative and business control is a viable option. Compared to other archipreneurial business models, architects pursuing real estate development is one the riskiest endeavours because of the cut-throat nature of the industry and the difficulty of getting a in the door. Nevertheless, it is possibly the most rewarding path.

Even should you feel that you lack business skills, background in architecture can give a competitive edge because you understand the process of building. For instance, many project managers in smaller architecture firms perform various roles such as recognizing potential locations that real estate developers might miss and spending a lot of time honing presentation skills. Additionally, over time, most working architects gain experience in specific typologies or areas in the AEC industry. This familiarity coupled with the ability to gradually add real estate development to their portfolio allows these architects to become design-builders.

In deciding to make this shift, your first project will depend on several circumstances including whether you already have a day job and want a low-risk scenario or if you’re completely dedicated in time and resources to pivoting towards real estate. Alternatively, you could take relevant courses, earn a MBA or real estate development degree, reach out to experienced peers for advice or mentorship, and look into work opportunities to learn and build competency under knowledgeable people or real estate developers.

Different Approaches to Become an Architect as Developer

For more specific scenarios, the following are proven paths on which to transition from architecture to real estate and become an architect as developer:

Build Your Own House

According to the acclaimed architect-developer Jonathan Segal, building your own house is the No. 1 recommended course for architects who want to start developing their own projects. You are able to cut design costs, learn about the different aspects of real estate, build a network of collaborators, and perhaps create a blog documenting the entire process in order to reach out to potential clients and other interested parties. As such, the completed project can be an excellent marketing asset and turn you from a DIY builder into a design-build expert just like Zeke Freeman, principal architect at Root Architecture + Development.

Renovate Existing Buildings

Once you’ve found and bought the right property to renovate, you need to arrange financing. To avoid overinvesting and overcomplicating the design of a first development project, you can take out a mortgage or a bank loan; release equity from your own property to re-invest in the new; or sell, rent out, or remortgage the renovated property. If this seems like a plausible path for you, a inspiring example of an architect who got into real estate development through renovation projects is Cary Tamarkin. He purchased and renovated 140 Perry Street in New York’s West Village at the tail end of a recession, a beginning success that led to his firm being one of the leading design-builds in the United States.

Build Co-Housing Communities

To learn on site and avoid assuming all the risks of development, residents and architects are able to have more control over project development by building co-housing. The two most common models of this are co-operatives and condominiums. These differ in terms of ownership, financing, and the architect’s level of involvement. By teaming up with communities, architects can share financial risks, receive part of the profit, and get their project off the ground. For more on personal experiences with co-housing, check out our interview with Berlin-based architect-developer Matthew Griffin.

Crowdfund Your First Project

By generating public excitement about your project from its origins to its completion, you can use several models of crowdfunding, a route specific to the online world. These can be small, innovative prefab structures, projects on locations of great public interest, etc. You can choose to use the donation-, reward-, pre-sales-, lending- or investment-based crowdfunding options, as well as choose between different types of campaigns to mitigate financial risks. If you’re looking to learn more on this topic, here is comprehensive list of all the crowdfunding models architects can use to finance their first development projects.

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What are your experiences with getting a project of the ground? Please share your experiences in the comments below or join The Archipreneur Community to meet your fellow Archipreneurs.

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ASH NYC is a company that blends the world of interior design with property development. In addition to being designers/developers, they are placemakers, and they take their role in impacting the urban environment very seriously: “We are only interested in projects that we feel improve their host community, that make a positive impact on a neighborhood,” said Co-Founder and CEO Ari S. Heckman in an interview with Archipreneur. “We are drawn to renovations of historic buildings, often ones that are vacant or have some kind of undesirable. We find that people really enjoy connecting with a well-adapted historic building.”

I am sure you will connect with their latest conversion – 32 Custom House. The building is a historic landmark erected in 1875 and was acquired by ASH NYC in November 2014. Its bronze ground floor storefront, rope moldings and strongly accented facade demonstrate its High Victorian Gothic architectural qualities, and give it great distinction within the historic district.

ASH NYC has completely re-imagined, developed and designed the residential building, in partnership with Kite Architects and South Coast Improvement Company.  Now it comprises 10 apartments and one retail space on the ground floor. Unique amenities include a virtual doorman, private penthouse roof terrace, city and water views, and original historic details throughout – like two historic stairwells.

“We are our own client on our development projects”, Heckman continued in the interview, “which means that the design team has an equal seat at the table when major decisions are being made.”

And here are the designs, all images © ASH NYC:

Location:

32 Custom House St, Providence, RI 02903, USA

Project Data:

• Architects: ASH NYC
• 1,115 sqm (12,000 SF)
• 5 floors
• 10 apartments, 1 retail space
• includes two historic stairwells, one elevator

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