REthink Development defines its ethos as “Contextual Development” – a holistic approach to real estate development that integrates all influences, from people to the environment and from cradle to grave, through the entire development process. 

Our Definition of Development

The three core principals of contextual development are:

CONTEXT: Context within the development process surveys the past, present and future of the project site and neighborhood in order to earnestly relate it to the surrounding people, places and environment.

SUSTAINABILITY: The tenets of sustainability constitute REthink’s leadership position within the green building industry.  REthink’s design and development process brings all environmental aspects of our project to the most logical form: the maximization of environmental and health benefits produced with only a measured additional investment.

STORY: Lastly, story emerges from the nexus of context and sustainability to give meaning to the project’s form, function, and image.  Story, as it is defined here, clearly differentiates REthink projects within the marketplace and gives them a distinct marketing edge. 

In other words, REthink seeks to build upon a community’s history with a sensitivity to its needs and concerns while revitalizing the spaces in which our fellow community members live, work and play.  As a point of departure, REthink’s design is of the highest respect to ecological sensitivity.  To that end, conservationist techniques will not be sacrificed for scale to make a project economically desirable.  The result? – innovation in building design and advocacy in city planning for the health and prosperity of its residents.  

There is a difference between building interventions such as smaller-scale, street-level space and amenities as opposed to large-scale attractions.  For example, is it a new sports stadium or museum that will facilitate the attraction and retention of professionals and tourists or the support of neighborhoods to be the catalyst for community, city and regional vitality that is attractive to investment? 

To be sure, it can be argued both ways, and one interpretation does not preclude the other.  As always, the question is nuanced, yet answered clearly by REthink’s eye towards innovative development. 

Housing Creatives in Hollywood

Los Angeles is a vital and dynamic city due, in part, to its enviable number of community assets: temperate climate, coastal lines and varied topography; strong tourist and entertainment industries; and population density that supports professional sports and arts patronage and philanthropy to name a few.  Nevertheless, as REthink addresses its concern for Los Angeles’ continued vitality the issue of scale is a point of departure for development.

Young professionals are attracted to vibrant street life, readily available outdoor recreation and live, local music scenes.  In contrast to years past, young professionals in the wireless, information age choose stimulating, creative environments in which to work rather than relocating for jobs or firms.  The cityscape caption that highlights the large stadium or towers of industry that anchor a skyline are ineffective brochures to attract new residents. 

REthink Development’s Cherokee Studios is designed to respond to the needs of these young professionals.   

Cherokee Studios is an innovation in green building design positioned on Hollywood’s Fairfax Avenue to offer street-level services and amenities in-keeping with human scale that currently serve Fairfax so well.  Cherokee Studios’ design welcomes a diversity of creative industry.  Creative enthusiasts and professionals can house their need for live/work space at Cherokee.  Taken together, the reflection of scale, services, amenities and diverse demographics of the community and future residents honor the needs and traditions of Hollywood.  As a result, Cherokee embodies contextual development and will serve as a case study in commitment to arts industry advocacy and green building design.    

Cherokee Studios will be a landmark to Hollywood as the Cherokee recording house was to the music industry because it is both unique and authentic.  Cherokee Studios is unique because it is the first mixed-use, live/work building designed for LEED Platinum certification.  And the live/work lofts are authentic because of its rich recording history, the continued involvement of the recording studio’s founder, Bruce Robb, throughout the design and development process as well as its comingling of the old with the new as old studio history, material and aesthetic were redistributed for use in the new Cherokee Studios. 

For more information on REthink Development and Cherokee Studios, please visit www.REthinkDevelopment.com.  Thanks.

In today’s ailing environmental and financial climate, buildings and infrastructure have the ability to influence change.  More specifically, planners and developers have the opportunity both to shift resident energy habits and shore up utility spending with policymaking directed towards building and infrastructure.

If recent history has proven anything, it is that new construction has outpaced efforts to promote infill, density or efficient development of greenspace – all measures that could mitigate energy and spending habits.

It should be noted that new construction for housing, in fact, has outpaced population growth.  Between 1970 and 1990, for example, Chicago’s metropolitan population grew by 4% while new housing development grew as much as 46%.  Similarly in Cleveland, though population fell over the same period by 11%, developed land still increased by 33%.

And of course, all those new homes affect raw material use and energy demands.

In August, 2005 a joint survey developed by the American Planning Association (APA) and Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) investigated the attitudes of planners regarding the demand of development on energy.  Conducted online, the survey asked 4,798 APA members and netted 377 responses representing a diversity of thought concerning energy awareness in the individual planner’s community.

When asked how specific planning issues were connected to energy efficiency, sustainability ranked highest at 83.6%, environmental protection fourth at 76.7% and economic development ranked fifth at 59.9%.  Public health ranked dead last at 39.3%.

Clearly, the survey results and the benefits of green building, like economic development, are incongruous.  Perhaps the survey results indicate that planners are primarily influenced not by contemporary urban needs and innovative design, but by the planning priorities of their communities – a fair attitude to take to be sure.

What’s more, however, is that amongst the planners surveyed, their perceived roles do not poll a practicing knowledge – or, perhaps simply an understanding – of the interconnectedness between a healthy environment, a strong economy and social, or community well-being.

Nor do the survey results acknowledge that the same interconnectedness could not only combat abusive energy practices but also ameliorate their communities concerns regarding policies perceived to be as disparate as economic development and sustainability as noted above.

A different perspective may suggest that the survey’s findings indicate that climate change concerns pale in comparison to the individual community member’s desire to decrease utility bills.

A planner’s attitude on community development can therefore reflect the individual homeowner’s desire to understand the conservation of natural resources through personal finance.  This observation seems fair as green building and renewable energy systems often are discouraged in housing covenants due to their perceived unattractiveness.  More often, the price of entry into green building is prohibitive.

Lastly, when surveyed about their familiarity with green building methods and standards, 55.4% of planners were “somewhat familiar” with LEED while 21.8% said they were “very familiar,” yet 22.8% were “not familiar.”  And when asked if their own community had an energy plan, 85.5% said they did not.

It is clear that recent history has not demanded planners to demonstrate to their communities how to shift energy habits and shore up utility spending to save money through green building design.

In today’s ailing environmental and financial climate, because buildings and infrastructure have the ability to influence change, perhaps planners should demonstrate to their communities the dollars and cents – how to save money through green building design.  Planners should design not for the demands of new construction, but for the necessity of a healthy and prosperous community.

Regardless if it is the wellbeing of the environment that is of concern to the individual homeowner, or issues of aesthetic and affordability, REthink Development can demonstrate the collective spirit of the individual community member, the planner as well as the environmental and financial climate.  Concerns regarding energy consumption can be addressed through the design of your home.  Visit the ‘Projects’ tab on our website to see how.

Source:
Lewis, Megan; Naomi Friedman; and Lynn Ross.  “The Roll of Planning in the New Energy Era: Results of a Survey.”  APA 2006.

Throughout the development process, Cherokee Studios founder and producer Bruce Robb has led Rethink’s design team through on-site visits of Cherokee Lofts. The wood framing delineating the 12 condominiums has been enough for Robb to envision the production potential of Cherokee’s residential units. Robb has adroitly maneuvered construction and building design with an eye to provide future residents live/work units with the acoustical support needed for private recording spaces within each unit.

Robb provided the editorial comment upon Cherokee’s design as live/work spaces. His expertise as a recording engineer allows REthink Development to bring to market private recording studios as private residences. With Robb’s input, powder rooms were outfitted as recording booths; where there are walls, viewing windows were cut out to look upon living-room live spaces; air ducts, wall partitions and construction materials were all vetted to mitigate the transfer of errant noise to and from each unit and interior space.

Beyond the studio design, working with Robb continues to be a fruitful and pleasurable experience. Like the studio, Robb has been apart of the storied history of Hollywood record production that peeks the interest of even the casual fan.

The Hammond B3 Organ, Robb’s instrument of choice, has carried his musical career from the ‘60s folk rock outfit The Robbs (Bruce together with brothers Dee and Joe) to score producer of recent films like Lackawanna Blues. His is a storied resume. With the Robbs, and behind the organ, Bruce headlined; as an independent artist, Robb performs on albums by diverse and premier recording artists; and with film, Bruce produces and engineers live music. All the while, he has worked behind the mixing board to put music to reel.

His recording home of choice: Cherokee Studios.

Cherokee Studios is home to 300 Gold and Platinum records. Through Cherokee Studios Robb has worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elton John and David Bowie. Additionally, Robb’s contribution to motion pictures, television, commercials and gaming has supported over one billion dollars in worldwide sales. The soundtrack to Lackawana Blues was nominated for 49 various awards with 24 wins, including a Golden Globe.

Robb has expanded his involvement in the music industry to include recording studio consulting, design and construction in response to the demand of artists with whom he has worked. His work with Cherokee Lofts will produce a refuge for artists to record in the privacy and leisure of their own home.

As for now, Robb continues to walk Cherokee Lofts and consult with the REthink design team. His experience within Hollywood recording history will help develop the next chapter of Cherokee Studios’ recording legacy. Cherokee Lofts, a community of production fans and recording artists, is designed as a live/work community to have an impact upon the future of Hollywood recording as it has in its past. Surely, that will peek the interest of even the most casual fan of recording production.

Our thoughts this week at REthink are on New Orleans.  As we all know, the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Region that began in late August 2005 continues to be felt to this day.  After a visit last weekend to the Crescent City it appears that 2008 has seen the advocacy and building efforts within New Orleans begin to bear substantial fruit. 

Katrina’s impact on housing, space and infrastructure has burdened New Orleans with the need for new construction and preservation.  The fruit of rebuilding if slow to bear has purposefully not been reactive.

The 9^th Ward, for example, now can boast the work of the Make It Right (MIR) Foundation amongst other notable efforts to revitalize the City.  The challenge faced by the City presents opportunity for New Orleans to exceed previous ideas of place and community within cities and neighborhoods as well as greater regional concerns. 

To that end, the MIR homes marry centuries old communities in the global ecological atmosphere of the 21^st Century with the demand for construction of affordable housing.  MIR now has some half dozen houses (chosen by residents from amongst 13 designs) at or near completion.  The success of MIR is not limited to new construction, but includes efforts to preserve native culture.  What’s more, MIR utilizes green building techniques in their model for revitalization to fund the gap for area residents between un-affordability and homeownership.

The visit also reinforced for REthink the similarities of history and need that can be drawn between New Orleans and Los Angeles. 

While New Orleans birthed Jazz in pre-war America, Los Angeles is the home of the talking pictures and entertainment in modern America.  Los Angeles is a locus for artists of various media that produce work that is valued for its contribution to both the regional economy and local communities.  And both cities have a need for spaces for artists.

Think of it this way: If Angelenos were to REthink the landscape of its built environment, would we provide more dedicated spaces or creative workforce housing for its artists to live and work?

Artists’ contributions to the culture of communities as well as resident attraction and retention can be maintained through dedicated space.  Artists are a necessary part of daily community life and cultural heritage by reflecting and articulating the collective idea of community by its residents.  Artists, however, work in diverse settings both physically and descriptively by employment classification.  Moreover, their media is as diverse as the response to their work.  Therefore, the provision of dedicated space for artists can formalize their roles as catalysts for civic engagement to create culturally and economically vital places and assume other tasks like the mentoring of youth in the arts.  

In Los Angeles, the success of the art or artist is strongly correlated to the region’s major industries: international trade and tourism.  Simply put for example, the many containers to make landfall at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are often filled with goods designed in the region and produced in Asia.  The sorting and further processing of these goods takes place in warehouse and distribution space thus giving the creative industries a real estate impact.  In regards to music and entertainment, the tourism industry benefits from visitors to Los Angeles to experience the lifestyle of the entertainment industry.  

To be sure, artists have two distinct needs for space: living space and workspace. Furthermore, because of the diversity of their work, artists are often under-recognized, under-valued and underpaid.  Dedicated living and workspace can provide security to artists as an underserved community.  The more these spaces are available to be aggregated into creative enclaves, the more promising a solution for artists and community the space may be.

For New Orleans’ 9^th Ward, the MIR team was given a typology study that included traditional New Orleans housing types such as the Shotgun, the Camelback and the Creole Cottage.  Metrics were also developed to ensure affordability and sustainability.  Sure, Hollywood may not have historic building typologies like the 9^th Ward shotgun that was home to New Orleans’ Fats Domino for example.  The Cherokee design team nevertheless approached the recording home of artists such as Frank Sinatra and David Bowie amongst others to similarly design for preservation and the ecological atmosphere of the 21^st century.

The need for housing and infrastructure in the Gulf is certainly unique to that region.  But as America faces a down market, we can do our part to revitalize and preserve Los Angeles’ rich history of art and artists for the benefit of the region and local communities.  Please stay in touch with REthink Development so that we can continue to let you know how our projects embody historic development and innovative design for Los Angeles.