Poly-use design is a little-known alternative term for what is commonly known in the U.S. and most of Europe as Mixed-Use Design. Poly-use at its root means multi-use, and the phrase has been popularized in China and throughout Asia by champions of mixed-use spaces.
The most famous of these poly-use spaces is called “Poly Pazhou.” Located in Guangzhou Province in China, the Poly Pazhou Complex, also called Poly Pazhou C2 for its dizzying 1,020 ft. tall second tower, is notable for the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed Poly Skyline Plaza, which was landscaped by SWA to create a flow between the 65-story skyscraper and the gentle curvature of the nearby Pearl River.
.webp)
Mixed-use design often incorporates interior and exterior features, whether it’s matching a building’s envelope to blend with existing architecture or geography, or creating urban greenspaces like walking paths or courtyard-like parks for residents’ use. In the post-Covid world, mixed-use spaces are gaining popularity and importance as property owners look to give vacant office space new life.
What is the definition of Poly-Use or Mixed-Use Design?
Mixed-use properties aim to provide a mix of residential, cultural, commercial, institutional, or entertainment spaces within a single building or development. Key features often include pedestrian-friendly environments, green spaces, restaurants, and nightclubs above, below, or alongside of residences, generally either apartments or condominiums.
Some examples of mixed-use properties in the U.S. include:
Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles, California: A 73-story skyscraper combining a hotel, offices, retail spaces, and an observatory.
181 Fremont in San Francisco, California: An 802.5-foot tower housing offices and luxury condominiums.
CityCenterDC in Washington, D.C.: A 10-acre development featuring condominiums, apartments, offices, a luxury hotel, retail spaces, and a public park.
CODA in Atlanta, Georgia: A 21-story building that includes offices, a high-performance computing center, retail spaces, and a food hall.
Spring District in Bellevue, Washington: A 36-acre neighborhood encompassing residential units, office spaces, retail areas, and educational facilities.
Re-Imagining Urban Skyscrapers: Where Mixed-Use Design & Adaptive Reuse Meet
Perhaps nowhere in the United States is embracing the blend of mixed-use and adaptive reuse like New York City, and with good reason. According to commercial real estate industry watchers like Rosenberg & Estis, P.C., the skyscraper commercial vacancy rate remains high (between 17% and 25%, depending on location), and is still climbing in most sectors, even with rents remaining virtually unchanged since the end of 2021.
As early as Q3, 2023, Moody’s predicted the continuing increase in national skyscraper vacancy rates, calling the demand “crippled.” Further, their data shows that the larger the building, the more likely it is to remain vacant.
Within its overall trend analysis, Rosenberg & Estis projects that “The market anticipates a strong leasing pipeline and potential new construction in the latter half of 2024, along with potential conversions or repositioning of older properties.”
Conversions and repositioning are exactly what poly-use, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse are all about.
The most recent high-profile adaptive reuse building is the just-completed 25 Water Street building, now known as SOMA, designed by CentraRuddy. While not a mixed-use project as such, it is to date, the largest adaptive reuse project completed in the United States – turning the old Daily News/JP Morgan Chase building into more than 1,300 residential units and interior recreation and outdoor greenspaces. 330 units of the new residential space are allocated for the city’s Affordable Housing Program, with rents starting at $932 per month for a studio apartment.
There are a large number of projects that have either been completed or are well underway in New York that incorporate both mixed-use and adaptive reuse design:
The Flatiron Building:
This iconic building is undergoing an adaptive reuse project to convert it into a mixed-use development featuring luxury condominiums and commercial space.
The High Line Hotel:
This hotel was originally a dormitory for The General Theological Seminary.
180 Water Street:
An office building in the Financial District transformed into a mixed-use residential and retail space.
One Wall Street:
A historic office building in the Financial District converted into a luxury residential tower.
Grand Millennium:
A four-story office building in Lincoln Square converted into a mixed-use residential/hotel tower.
The High Line:
A former New York Central Railroad spur transformed into a park, greenway, and rail trail.
Brooklyn Developmental Center Mixed-Use Project:
A proposed project to redevelop an approximately 27-acre site in East New York, Brooklyn, with affordable and supportive housing, commercial space, community facilities, light manufacturing uses, and open space.
20 Massachusetts Avenue:
A repurposed seven-story office building turned mixed-use destination, including a hotel, office space, retail, and dining.
5-7 Front Street in DUMBO:
Originally an office building, now repurposed for commercial and residential use.
Important Planning Steps for Mixed-Use and Adaptive Reuse Development
For most industry-watchers, permitting, tax breaks, and design take center stage on these projects. If you’re the developer, architect, engineer, or general contractor, however, your successful execution of the job relies on the accuracy of the site data you start with. Whether that is capturing millimeter-accurate aboveground measurements of the existing and surrounding structures, coring and cutting clearances for post-tensioned concrete, or detailed, comprehensive underground utility surveys and maps, the quality of your data determines the quality of your build.
GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® for customers throughout the U.S., providing a suite of infrastructure visualization, existing conditions documentation, damage prevention, and project & facility management solutions to help you plan, manage and build better.
What can we help you visualize?
Frequently Asked Questions
How does GPRS find underground utilities, especially in complex and dense urban spaces?
GPRS employs advanced technologies to accurately locate and map underground utilities in intricate urban environments. Utilizing ground penetrating radar (GPR), GPRS transmits high-frequency radar pulses into the ground, detecting reflections from subsurface structures, including non-metallic utilities like PVC pipes, although they may require additional complementary technologies to confirm. This non-invasive method provides real-time imaging of the subsurface, essential in congested areas where traditional methods may be ineffective. Additionally, GPRS integrates electromagnetic (EM) locators to detect signals from conductive materials, such as metal pipe, or map underground pipes using a sonde whose transmitter can be traced by the EM locator. By combining GPR and EM technologies, GPRS achieves a comprehensive and precise mapping of underground utilities, ensuring safety and efficiency in urban construction projects.
How can GPRS claim 99.8% accuracy for concrete scanning & utility locating?
GPRS' 99.8% accuracy in concrete scanning and utility locating can be attributed to a combination of advanced technology, rigorous training, and standardized methodologies. All GPRS Project Managers are certified in Subsurface Investigation Methodology (SIM), an industry-leading training program that encompasses extensive field and classroom instruction. This ensures consistent, high-quality results across all projects. The integration of state-of-the-art equipment, such as GPR and EM locators, further enhances detection capabilities. This meticulous approach allows us to deliver reliable, precise, and standardized subsurface data, minimizing risks and project delays.
What is the Green Box Guarantee?
The Green Box Guarantee is GPRS's commitment to ensuring safety and reliability during concrete cutting, coring, or drilling operations. When a GPRS Project Manager designates a "Green Box" on a concrete layout, it signifies that the marked area is free of obstructions such as rebar, post tension cables, or electrical conduits. If any obstruction is encountered within this designated area, GPRS pledges to cover the material cost of the damage. This guarantee underscores GPRS's confidence in our 99.8% accuracy rate and dedication to client safety, efficiency, cost savings, and clear communication throughout the project lifecycle.
