The Edge

Project Details

Project Description

The Edge, a new 79-unit loft-style residence, is the latest addition to the five-building, 500-unit Green District in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. Addressing a need for housing for young professionals not yet ready to buy or pay top market rents in established urban neighborhoods. The Edge breaks new ground, capitalizing on potential to be found in urban outlier districts overlooked by luxury rental and condo developers. The materials, design, amenities and unit layouts of The Edge reveal a departure from conventional multi-unit developments, which are built in most cases to appeal to as wide a cross section of renters as possible. In the case of The Edge, every detail of the tenant experience – from the street environment to community spaces - is part of a distinct brand design crafted by the building’s architects to meet the needs of young, urban working professionals. The Edge design is composed of several exterior materials, with varying patterns and proportions to meet the scale of neighboring buildings and add a new energy to the block. Metal panels, full-height windows, stone and angular rainscreens all combine to create a strong visual statement. Inside, each unit features high-end kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows, 10-foot ceilings and open floorplans. Pre-design research into this specific urban demographic’s lifestyle patterns led the design team to create a series of community gathering spaces inside and outside the building, with a fitness room connected in the temperate months to an outdoor barbeque patio and putting green, a community room and two inviting lobbies providing gathering spaces for tenants and their visitors. The Edge’s contemporary design advances the Green District’s theme of eco-friendly living established as a core design principal for this new, sustainable city neighborhood. The response was enthusiastic, with all units fully pre-leased on opening day.