“I think of Trio as a small Millennium Park,” says architect Jim Plunkard in the winter issue of New Homes. That’s not to say that it’s downtown’s new must-see tourist destination. What Plunkard means is that RDM Development‘s new West Loop project “repairs the site and the neighborhood both structurally and functionally,” and sets a new standard for the area’s new residential construction.
The development, as its name implies, has three parts: two seven-story mid-rises and a 22-story tower, all separated by landscaped courtyards with water features and reflecting pools. A four-story structure to the north has three levels of parking and one level containing 10,000 square feet of retail space. The landscaped roof of this supports a fitness facility and community center.
The architects designed the three buildings that form Trio almost completely of glass and steel, with floor-to-ceiling windows all around. The look is distinctly urban, and all that glass makes for terrific views and light. The buildings’ clean lines and simple geometry beautifully integrate these structures, which as the development name suggests, are three harmonious components of one project. But Hartshorne Plunkard’s careful proportions and friendly touches break up the scale and keep the complex from seeming overwhelming.
“Trio is not a gated community. The intent was to build it out there for all to see, yet give the residents the feeling that they are leaving the city behind when they enter their building,” says RDM President Robert Mosky. “That’s why we put most of the parking and all of the commercial off to the side, so to speak, keeping the main buildings strictly residential, yet still providing the convenience of easy access to the parking and commercial space.”
Read all of the sponsored article now, or pick up the winter issue of New Homes the first week of November.