In Pictures: Element31 maximizes space on a unique lot
Element31, a 208-unit apartment development at 1245 Brickyard Road, is over half-way complete. The development consists of four floors of residential above a two-story parking structure. The section on the north and east sides are framed out, while half of the west side of the project is framed up to the second of the four floors.
The development occupies an unique shaped lot. The u-shaped lot wraps around the seven-story Brickyard Office Tower. The Element31 apartments maximize the entire lot that was originally an aging parking structure directly across from Brickyard Plaza, a suburban-style shopping center that features mostly discount retail and a Harmon’s grocery store.
Element31 has little setback from the Brickyard Office Tower, creating density along Brickyard Road. Instead of demolishing the office tower, the developers of Element31 have shown that new development can be built around existing structures. In a city with an excess of surface parking lots and underutilized spaces, there is ample opportunity for development that shows that new development doesn’t always need to come at the expense of existing structures.
