Across North American housing markets, the growing demand for multifamily development reflects a fundamental shift away from homeownership. Rising home prices driven by limited supply, financing challenges that have constrained the condo market, and a cross-generational preference for flexibility over long-term mortgage commitments have led more people to rent longer—and, in many cases, indefinitely. 

As the renter population expands and diversifies, the market has moved beyond one-size-fits-all apartments aimed primarily at younger renters. Today’s successful multifamily communities must support a wider range of lifestyles, offering varied unit types, amenities, and experiences that remain relevant across life stages. 

Our approach to multifamily and mixed-use design is grounded in a deep understanding of both local market dynamics and site-specific conditions. By aligning people-centered experiences with performance, efficiency, and adaptability, ZGF develops tailored design solutions that respond to a site, its surrounding neighborhood, and market demands. This integrated approach supports long-term value for developers—driving resident retention, lowering operating costs, and enabling rents that remain competitive over time.

Three recent projects—Phase One of the Bridge District in Washington, DC; 11W in Portland, Oregon; and Century City in Surrey, British Columbia—illustrate how this strategy translates into vibrant communities and strong financial performance. 

Community Building and Placemaking 

At the neighborhood scale, successful multifamily projects create value by complementing and amplifying the character of the communities they are part of. Celebrating the unique assets of the surrounding neighborhood—and even treating them as an extension of the amenity offering—allows developers to create inviting communities with distinct identities, increasing resident loyalty and market differentiation.

In Portland, 11W plays a catalytic role in the West End, integrating into a vibrant, evolving downtown neighborhood. Paired with the adjacent 12W building, the mixed-use development brings together residential, office, and retail uses to create an 18-hour environment, supporting street life throughout the day and evening. Ground-floor retail is positioned to activate city corners and designed with a modular approach, allowing spaces to evolve alongside changing retail trends—helping attract new restaurants and shops to the area. Paired with outdoor terraces and large operable sliding doors that provide indoor-outdoor connections, these strategies have increased the neighborhood’s vitality. 

Century City in Surrey, BC—within the Greater Vancouver metropolitan region—adds density adjacent to a large transit hub while strengthening connections to nearby parks and public spaces. Positioned across from  a major civic park, the development intentionally draws the openness of the landscape through the site, creating shared amenity spaces that feel outward-looking and integrated with the broader neighborhood rather than inward and insular.

Building Value for Residents 

ZGF approaches interior amenities in multifamily developments as strategic tools for both leasing momentum and retention. The most effective amenities deliver a memorable first impression that encourages prospective residents to join the community, while also providing the everyday functionality that encourages them to stay over time. 

At 11W, amenities are organized on multiple floors, serving both commercial and residential tenants and helping create a vertical community. A shared event kitchen, pool, game room, fitness spaces with outdoor connections, coworking areas, and expansive planted decks support both daily use and social gatherings. At street level, the lobby functions as a true front porch—balancing openness and privacy while encouraging informal interaction and reinforcing a strong sense of arrival. 

Century City reflects changing preferences toward smaller but higher-quality units, supported with amenity spaces and visitor parking shared across the rental towers. By consolidating these spaces, the project delivers elevated experiences for residents while fostering a strong sense of community. That sense of community is further reinforced by extending amenities outdoors into a large central courtyard, where private outdoor spaces interact with semi-public areas featuring orchards and a flexible gathering space that brings together residents and the public.  

Maximizing Developer Return 

From the earliest planning stages, ZGF works closely with developers to align design decisions with financial performance at every scale—from site strategy to building systems to individual units. A deep understanding of local market dynamics allows unit types, amenities, and building systems to be precisely tailored for residents, while maintaining cost discipline and operational efficiency. 

Value creation begins at the unit level. At Phase One of the Bridge District, units are intentionally slightly larger than typical market offerings, incorporating dedicated work nooks and generous storage to respond to the growing prevalence of remote and hybrid work. Across the three residential towers—Stratos, Alula, and Poplar House—ZGF developed distinct residential brands that appeal to different renter profiles while sharing common infrastructure, such as leasing and core amenities. This strategy delivers differentiated experiences without sacrificing economies of scale.

Cost and performance were also central to the Bridge District’s façade design. Terracotta cladding was selected for its durability, cost efficiency, speed of installation, and low-carbon profile.  ZGF worked closely with the manufacturer to optimize the panels in a way that kept costs comparable to a traditional masonry facade, while delivering a rich and varied facade that belied its relatively low cost. The facade also uses two glass types, depending on a unit’s orientation. Higher-performing glass on southern and eastern exposures minimizes solar heat gain and reduces energy costs, while a lower cost and higher VLT glass on the north and west allow more light deep into those units while keeping material costs down.

Century City further demonstrates ZGF’s focus on long-term operational value. The project integrates digital access systems and tracks key building components in BIM models, making it easier for owners to assess performance and manage operations throughout the building lifecycle. This approach reflects a broader shift toward prioritizing long-term performance and value beyond initial delivery.

Today’s multifamily market is defined by longer-term renters, greater demographic diversity, and heightened expectations for both experience and building performance. Meeting these demands requires more than adding housing—it requires design strategies that are deeply informed by place, responsive to market realities, and calibrated for long-term financial return. 

Projects such as Phase One of the Bridge District, 11W, and Century City demonstrate how tailored, multi-scale design can deliver differentiated communities that lease efficiently, retain residents, and perform over time. By aligning neighborhood context, resident experience, and operational efficiency from the outset, ZGF helps developers create multifamily assets that are not only compelling at opening, but resilient, adaptable, and profitable throughout their lifecycle.