Archinect - News

Apartment construction remains at 50-year high in 2024

2024-08-12T17:15:00-04:00

This year will be the first year in U.S. history that more than 500,000 new apartments are constructed, according to a new analysis of the 2024 rental market from RentCafe.

The trend, which is anticipated to abate slightly in 2025, may again resurface by 2028 with exceptions remaining in markets such as Minneapolis and Houston.

Topping the list was the greater New York metro area with 32,935 new units despite the city having permitted its lowest number of new apartments since 2016 last year. Dallas followed closely in second place, with booming Austin, Texas, finishing a distant third. Housing efforts there have struggled to keep pace after demand began to rapidly increase in 2020.

Phoenix came in fourth on the list with 20,141 new units, giving a face to the effects of the construction loophole underpinning its population boom in the face of questions surrounding water scarcity. (Paradoxically, as RentCafe points out, “[a] shift towards sustainability could be one of the reasons...

Rental apartment construction in the U.S. is at a 50-year high

2023-09-07T13:03:00-04:00

New rental apartment construction in the United States is expected to top a 50-year high in 2023. According to a report by RentCafe, nearly 461,000 units are expected to be delivered across the U.S. this year, meaning that over the past three years, 1.2 million units will have been built and brought to the market.

According to RentCafe’s analysis of Yardi Matrix data, the number of deliveries is expected to remain high until 2025, at which point the impact of current economic uneasiness will filter through to construction.

The New York metro area leads the country in terms of apartment construction, with 33,000 units to be opened in 2023. Almost one-third of the apartments will be located in Brooklyn (9,825), followed by Queens (4,430) and Manhattan (3,770).

Beyond New York, the Dallas metro area is the second most active, with 23,659 new rental units to come to market. The Dallas metro area has seen the most new apartments opened over the last three years, at 76,660 units. Other st...

Architecture fans are unhappy over the future of Robert Bruno’s quirky Steel House in Texas

2022-01-07T14:39:00-05:00

Two patrons of former Texas Tech University professor Robert Bruno’s famous Ransom Canyon are up in arms over the fate of one of American architectural history’s most significant self-built structures.

Texas Monthly is reporting that plans for the corten steel creation have caused an outcry of sorts following news of its recent conversion into a vacation rental outside of Lubbock.

Born out of a sculptural installation that now stands in front of Texas Tech’s architecture building, construction began in 1973 on the structure that eventually grew to around 2,200-square-feet. It took Bruno 35 years to complete the structure, which he moved into just months before his death from cancer in 2008. Now, over a decade after it was last inhabited, the home’s future has become the exclusive endeavor of an enterprising young realtor named Courtney Bartosh.

Bartosh began listing the home for $1.75 million back in November after acquiring the property from Bruno’s daughter Christina, who had bee...

A possible future for ADUs and its growing 'familiarity factor'

2021-03-30T15:08:00-04:00

The allure of ADU's has grown significantly. Yet, with new state laws initiated in places like California pre-fabricated options for backyard dwelling units are more accessible to those who want them.

This past month, Los Angeles launched its new ADU Standard Plan Program to streamline the approval process while "promoting good design" with preapproved plans. In our previous editorial coverage, Los Angeles hopes to cut housing red tape with preapproved ADU designs, our team showcased a selection of designs from architectural firms.

SO – IL: 1-story, 1 bedroom with options (693 sf)

Jennifer Bonner/MALL: 1-story, 1-bedroom with roof deck with options (652 sf)

sekou cooke STUDIO: 2- bedroom 2 -bathroom (1,200 sf)

Continuing with coverage of ADU growth, Bloomberg CityLab's Kriston Capps reports on California's new "backyard apartment boom." Using Los Angeles, San Jose, and Portland's ADU growth, there's more to these backyard units than extra space. Kim-Mai Cutler, a partner at the ventur...