Avenue 64 Mixed-Use Project Enlivens Downtown Emeryville

With the completion of Avenue 64-MVE & Partners' latest project for BRE Properties-Emeryville joins the growing cadre of California cities revitalizing their downtowns and old industrial zones through smart, transit-oriented mixed-use projects.

Avenue 64, designed by MVE & Partners, one of the 10-largest architecture firms in California, covers more than three acres in a former industrial district of Emeryville. The project has 341,000 square feet of built space, including 224 rental housing units and 3,873 square feet of retail, which includes a 3,184-square-foot leasing office space.

In addition to spectacular bay views-all housing units are placed carefully to maximize view corridors-Avenue 64's location in Emeryville makes it attractive to professionals working in Oakland, San Francisco and other neighborhoods in the Bay Area.

"Emeryville is between San Francisco and Oakland, and has many high-tech employees looking for an interesting, urban lifestyle," said Ernesto Vasquez, AIA, partner at MVE & Partners. "Avenue 64 offers the tech and related communities a warm, yet metropolitan, setting for living."

Creating a sense of place and community has become a hallmark of MVE & Partners' urban projects and one that is embraced by BRE Properties. Avenue 64 is no exception. The new urban village comprises four buildings laced together by walkways, gallery spaces and common areas. The courtyard configuration shields residents from nearby freeway noise, while creating space for community amenities expected in an upscale development-lush landscaping, swimming pool, audiovisual lounge, health club, as well as business center and conference room for telecommuting and home-based businesses. The three- and four-story-high structures are classified as "podium buildings," which are defined by multiple stories of useable space rising above subterranean or on-grade parking.

As a true mixed-use project, Avenue 64 offers ground-floor retail space fronting Christie Avenue to establish a pedestrian presence and connection to nearby developments. "This project brings color, architecture and a sense of community to a part of Emeryville that needed it," said Vasquez. "Importantly, the new project embraces the surrounding neighborhoods, and is integrative, and thus gains from, and adds to, the neighborhood."

BRE brought together a talented team of professionals for the project. In addition to Vasquez, the MVE & Partners design team included Chek Tang, AIA, Principal; John Kosi, Associate Partner and design lead; and Radziah Loh, Associate and project architect. Project affiliates were Sundt Construction (contractor), The Guzzardo Partnership (landscape architects) and L.S. Mason (structural engineers).

MVE & Partners is a national architecture, planning and interiors firm with a portfolio spanning more than 30 years. MVE's design and delivery services include the creation of residential, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, retail, transit, interior and planning solutions from offices in Irvine and Oakland, CA, and in Honolulu, HI. Educational and civic projects are completed by MVE Institutional, an affiliated company. MVE & Partners bridges forward-thinking design initiatives, such as sustainability, smart-growth and urbanization to the timely completion of projects. While design diversity is the cornerstone of the firm, the defining approach is the creation of meaningful, attractive environments that enhance community and quality of life.