Movin' on Up
The Residences at 2211 Camelback

By Scott Blair

The Biltmore area of the Camelback Corridor in Phoenix is quickly becoming one of the most desirable real estate locales in the state, if not the country. Though the rewards are ample for the developer who builds here, limited available land
is making construction of new residential buildings ever tougher.

 

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A new condo development, the Residences at 2211 Camelback tackles these concerns head on by utilizing a small piece of open land partly occupied by a water retention area and surrounded by an existing office complex.

"The site is only a little over an acre and has two office buildings flanking it, while abutting an existing parking garage," said Steve Bassett, principal with Phoenix-based architect DFD CornoyerHedrick. "Getting all of that to tie together, while maximizing the views, was the biggest challenge."

The $42 million structure was designed with the greatest number of corner units possible, defined as those having at least two exterior sides. "We are getting six corner units by stepping and sliding the plan," Bassett said. "Rather than doing a simple rectangle, we shift the units to expose more than one side. This was done to take advantage of the views, which are exceptional especially once you get above the surrounding office buildings."

The 12-story cast-in place concrete structure will rest above four levels of underground parking and features 90 units ranging from 1,900 to 4,000 sq. ft. The plaza-level deck ties into the two existing office buildings to the north and west.

"The project is 100 percent sold out, so we will be doing tenant improvement for almost all the units in addition to constructing the shell," said Ryan Heeter, project manager with Tempe-based general contractor Residential Constructors, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of McCarthy Building Companies. Initial unit prices ranged from $500,000 up to $2.5 million.

Buyers were able to select from a menu of interior finish options which were put together along with a schedule of deadlines by the contractor at the beginning of the project, Heeter said. "One nice thing is that each unit is permitted separately, so if someone doesn't decide how they want their wall layout, we can let that unit fall by the wayside and keep going. It's not going to affect getting occupancy on the building for any of the other individual units."

Extravagant choices made by some buyers include a $50,000, 12-head shower complete with LED lighting and a $2,000 toilet that sits out in the middle of the bathroom floor, Heeter said.

Roof amenities include a pool and sundeck, barbeque areas, fire pit and entertainment terrace. "We've taken great measures to make sure the pool's >> waterproofing is tested, documented and that we avoid any penetrations underneath the pool area," Heeter added.

"The waterproofing is essentially a secondary bathtub underneath the pool with drains so that it never leaks."

The roof also houses some of the mechanical systems. "This project has somewhat of a unique system because each condo unit is residential, but the backbone of the system is commercial," said Gary Szymura, project manager for HACI Mechanical Contractors of Phoenix. "The cooling towers, pumps, outside air-handling units, condenser water piping and smoke-control systems are the same ones that would be installed if the building was a commercial office building."

However, each individual unit has its own heat pump, utilizing water circulated from the main systems.

The exterior finish will receive three coats of Portland cement stucco with an integral-colored finish coat to match the existing office complex. Designers utilized floor-to-ceiling glass as often as possible, Bassett said. Insulated, clear-tinted glass was used to keep the views unhindered.

The construction team also had to harmonize with the center's existing landscaping.

"For the size of the site, the hardscape is pretty complex," Heeter said. "There's a mixture of stained concrete, cement pavers, built-up landscaping beds and raised planters all the way up the driveway with date palms. So in the next couple of months the landscape out here is going to change quite a bit."

The roof will also receive six main planters housing trees with numerous stand-alone pre-cast planters.

Key Players

Owner: The Patrinely Group
General Contractor: Residential Constructors, LLC
Architect: DFD CornoyerHedrick
Electrical Contractor: Wilson Electric
Mechanical Contractor: HACI Mechanical Contractors, Inc
Concrete: Ceco Concrete; McCarthy Building Companies
Framing/ Drywall: Eliason & Knuth of Ariz., Inc

 
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