Nancy, Author at Optima - Page 30 of 39

Chicago’s Public Art: Crown Fountain

Posted on July 27, 2020May 24, 2024 by Nancy

As we continue to explore Chicago’s public art, we recognize and celebrate that sculpture comes in all shapes, forms and purposes. Today, we’re exploring an iconic Chicago fixture, oft-overlooked in the medium: Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain. Alongside being the perfect place to cool off on a hot summer day in the city — or to people watch — Crown Fountain is a fascinating and experimentally expressive work of sculptural art.

Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, Crown Fountain consists of two fifty-foot glass block towers at opposite ends of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers project video footage of faces, collected from 1,000 different Chicago residents, and spurt water from an outlet in the screen centered on the video projections’ mouths. The interactive sculpture is a reference to the traditional use of gargoyles, often used as the source of water projects in fountains, where the mythical creatures’ eruption of water symbolizes giving life. Overall, construction took six months and cost $17 million, adding Crown Fountain to Chicago’s collection of world-renowned public art in July of 2004.

The video footage of the faces projected was a collaborative project between the artist, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Columbia College Chicago (CCC). 75 ethnic, social and religious organizations were asked to nominate individuals for the project, and those individuals were then filmed by SAIC students using professional-grade equipment. Filming the footage was such an intensive process that it became an informal master’s course in public art. Overall, 1,051 subjects were filmed and 960 subjects’ footage is utilized for the sculpture.

Crown Fountain was inevitably one of Millennium Park’s most controversial installations. Many were worried that the height of the towers would interrupt the architecture of the public park. Yet the sculpture won its place in the public heart with its quirkiness and comfort, inviting all to laugh and play with it. Crown Fountain’s legacy, like the legacy of Chicago, is one that celebrates community, playfulness, art and innovation.

Creative Container Gardening

Posted on July 22, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

In cities throughout the country, container gardening is a staple in multifamily housing where space may be limited. And while at home during shelter-in-place orders, many were inspired to test out their green thumbs. We’ve always prioritized green spaces within our projects, from rooftop foliage to lush vertical landscapes, and we love to see our residents doing the same. For those looking to get creative with container gardening, here are a few ideas and inventions to help inspire:

Know Your Basics

This may seem like a no-brainer, but understanding factors like lighting, drainage and materials can drastically affect which plants thrive on a patio or terrace. You’ll also have to choose between annuals, perennials, herbs or greenery. And of course, consider your location. Plants that thrive in Arizona’s climate may not translate well into Chicago’s weather. Knowing your home’s plant hardiness zone can help you decide what to grow.

Embrace Edible Greens

Don’t let growing your own food or herbs intimidate you; it can be done, even if you have limited space. In fact, gardening your produce in containers can actually help you control growing conditions and potential pests. Larger pots, proper drainage, and potting mix specifically designed for containers will help your efforts. For an extra growth boost, plant flowers that will attract pollinators. For more in-depth tips, the Old Farmer’s Almanac has extensive resources for all things container gardening.

Try New Technology

It’s 2020, so gardening technology has evolved to meet your needs. If you travel often or forget to water your plants, invest in self-watering planters. If you want a show-stopping tower of plants, The Farmstand takes container gardening to the next level, with options to grow 200+ varieties of plants with minimal user effort. Or if you want to keep track of the health of your plants from your smartphone, check out devices like the Parrot Flower Power.

Whether it’s in Illinois or Arizona, our passion for bringing the outdoors inside serves to inspire and welcome. We hope it inspires our Optima community members to do the same.

Our Signature Vertical Landscaping System

Posted on July 20, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

With every project, we ask ourselves how the natural land around us influences, affects and works in tandem with the structures we build. Seeking to holistically integrate the natural and built environments led us to develop our next-generation vertical landscaping system. The lush green element, utilized in many of our Arizona properties, is a cornerstone feature of Optima communities, a key component to our sustainability initiatives and so much more.

Our signature vertical landscaping system at Optima Kierland Center.

Aesthetic Enhancement

On its surface level, our signature vertical landscaping system serves to enhance the natural beauty of our communities. The lush verdure enables a palette of vibrantly colored plants at the edge of each floor to grow both up and over the edge of the building. This creates beautiful, private terrace gardens for each unit in buildings like Optima Camelview Village, Optima Kierland Center, and Optima Sonoran Village. The intense greenery also plays bold juxtaposition to our building’s facade, where concrete and glass work work in harmony to celebrate the relationship between the built and natural environment, with glass blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor, home and garden.

Our signature vertical landscaping system at Optima Sonoran Village.

Functional, Sustainable Beauty

Our signature vertical landscaping system isn’t just for aesthetic value — it plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and sustainable environment. The system, with self-containing irrigation and drainage, provides a haven for urban wildlife, promotes evaporative cooling, re-oxygenates the air, reduces dust and smog levels, reduces ambient noise, detains stormwater and thermally insulates and shields residents from the desert sun, all of which contributes to a sustainable urban environment. Residents also experience the direct impact of being surrounded by nature, with the vertical landscaping system serving as a connection to nature and added source of privacy.

Like all good design, our vertical landscaping system is a natural study in form and function. We’re proud to pioneer a system that contributes to the natural beauty of the environment, and helps preserve it, too.

An Inside Look at Architect Lingo, Part II

Posted on July 15, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

Our team is joined together by a love of exceptional design — so naturally, design is our shared language. From property managers to accountants to architects, we’ve all come to know and love the architect lingo that helps us communicate our passions, our creations and our vision. In celebration — and in follow up to February’s blog — we’re sharing Part II of our inside look at architect lingo.

Juxtaposed facade and surrounding landscape at Optima Sonoran Village.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition refers to the fact of two things being placed close together with a contrasting effect. It’s the intentional creation of, and analysis of, a relationship that brings about exciting new realizations and discoveries, bringing added layers of meaning to each individual object and their relation to one another.

In architecture, the use of juxtaposition becomes particularly striking, manifesting on a large scale in entire building facades. With everything we build at Optima, we consider the relationship — or juxtaposition — between the built and natural environment. How does each entity influence and illuminate the other to positive effect? In our desert dwellings, juxtaposition occurs between the organic beauty of the arid landscape and the bold, Modernist facade of the houses, built in concrete and glass to intentionally illuminate their counterpart.

Looking out the windows at Optima Biltmore Towers.

Fenestration

Derived from the Latin word fenestrae (windows), fenestration is defined as the arrangement of any holes in a building’s facade. More specifically, this usually refers to the doors and windows on the elevation of a building.

From the most basic standpoint, fenestration allows for the entry and exit of people into and out of a structure. That being said, fenestration historically posed a challenge to architects, because poking holes in a structure can weaken its resiliency. With Modern construction and increasingly durable building hardware, architects are freed up to explore fenestration with more liberty and inventiveness, going beyond the practical to examine decorative approaches.

Terrace

Terraces originated as a series of flat areas made on a slope for cultivation purposes, but have evolved into any level or paved area next to a building. Their uses vary widely, from still being tied to agricultural practices to now being a place of leisure and pleasure.

At Optima, our approach to the terrace is with respect to its landscaping origins — we employ terraces that allow our buildings, and their residents, to live in harmony with the surrounding landscape. We see the relationship between cultivating plantlife and cultivating relaxing spaces as intrinsically related.

Stay tuned for future features on the world of architecture lingo at Optima.

Inside Our Team: Accounting

Posted on July 13, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

The backbone of our success at Optima is the way our team seamlessly communicates, collaborates and comes together. Back in February, we got to know our property management team, and today, we’ll dive into what makes our accounting team so fantastic.

With accounting operating as “the language of business,” we rely on our accounting team to communicate crucial financial information both internally and with our stakeholders. Their ability to communicate through numbers, data and insights is crucial when we seek to build out strategic partnerships, make high-level decisions and continue operating seamlessly, efficiently and smartly.

We couldn’t do what we do without the help of our accounting team — and they couldn’t do what they do without an internal accounting team that celebrates its own culture and values. Here’s what they had to say about working on the accounting team

When asked what makes the team work, Chrissy Battistella, Optima’s Controller, says “Compatible personalities and great leadership.” Aurelia Mustafa, a Property Accountant, second that, saying it’s “a balance blend of personalities and communication.”

As for what they love most about working on the accounting team? Battistella says, “The people. Each team member contributes equally to the team, we all lend a hand to one another when needed. There is always an open line of communication between all the team members and each with their coach.” Szilvia Springer, a Senior Staff Accountant, adds, “Everyone has clear responsibilities, there is no micromanagement. We know what and when to get done.”

With the team being so tight-knit, it’s only natural that they learn from one another on a daily basis. Battistella says what she learned from her coworkers is “patience and teamwork. It takes a lot as a coach to effectively manage my time helping each team member, but they are all patient and respectful of my time as I am of theirs.” Mustafa chimes in, sharing, “They are a sense of support though we work on entirely different projects. Our weekly meetings allow our team to express ourselves speaking on projects we are working on and that sometimes lead to personal conversations in an organic way where we find ourselves exchanging opinions/experiences.”

With our holistic business model that encompasses architecture, development, general contracting, sales/brokerage, asset/property management, and shared services, each of our talented teams are part of what makes Optima great. Think you would be a good fit on the Optima team? Check out our current open positions to inquire about joining our team.

Chicago’s Public Art: Agora

Posted on July 8, 2020May 23, 2024 by Nancy

At Optima, our appreciation for sculpture runs deep, with Optima co-founder David Hovey Sr. expanding the design reach of Optima to include his own original sculptures. Indulging in our love for the craft, we’re exploring Chicago’s public art, piece-by-piece. This week, it’s all about Agora, by Polish sculptor and fiber artist Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017).

Agora

It’s hard to miss the sculpture Agora, prominently displayed on the southwest side of Grant Park in Chicago. The 106-foot tall creation consists of a cluster of headless, walking figures, each made out of hollow and faded cast iron that was crafted in a Polish foundry. The artwork invites viewers to walk through the figures and contemplate. The figures themselves appear to be milling about in a crowd, all aimed in different directions.

The name Agora is a reference to the urban meeting places of Ancient Greek city states. The artist, Abakanowicz, grew up during World War II with an intense fear of crowds, and that claustrophobia is reflected in her work. Inspired, or rather horrified by, the groupthink of that time and Soviet rule, Abakanowicz brought the sculpture to life. She began working on creating large headless figures in the 1970s, using burlap and resin before the final cast iron form, and the sculpture was formally installed in Chicago in 2006.

Agora is Magdalena Abakanowicz’s largest permanent installation. However, she’s well known for her other textile sculptures and biomorphic forms, the most famous of which are her Abakans creations. The overwhelming response to her Abakans is what launched her to an international art spotlight, where she’s now regarded as one of Poland’s most internationally acclaimed artists.

We’re honored to celebrate the innovation, creativity, work and life of Magdalena Abakanowicz, a phenomenal woman and artist.

Inside the Phoenix Art Museum

Posted on July 6, 2020May 23, 2024 by Nancy

We know and love Phoenix, home to Optima Biltmore Towers, as an urban oasis and cultural hub, where the arts are everywhere you look. At the center of Phoenix’s ever-evolving and expanding arts scene is the Phoenix Art Museum, an institution that’s been around for sixty years.

History of the Museum

Although the museum has been around for 60 years, its community ties go even deeper. In 1915, just three years after Arizona achieved statehood, the Phoenix Women’s Club was formed. The club used their platform to establish an art exhibition committee, whose goal was to improve the quality of art offerings at the Arizona State Fair and to purchase one piece of art each year. Their vision, and collection, became the foundational basis for the museum’s collection today, now consisting of more than 20,000 art objects.

Sculptural exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum — Credit: Tomwsulcer on Wikimedia Commons, made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

The Museum Today

Today, the Phoenix Art Museum is considered the largest art museum in the southwestern United States, engaging 300,000 local and visiting art lovers alike each year. Their mission? “To ignite imaginations, create connections, and serve as a vibrant destination, a brave space, for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art.” They don’t just operate as a museum to achieve this — they’re a vibrant community center and host to festivals, live performances, independent art films and educational programs, both inside and outside the museum walls.

For those planning their visit, expect to enjoy American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary art and fashion design, as well as an interactive children’s space, photography exhibitions (held in partnership with the Center for Creative Photography) and a landscaped sculpture garden.

There’s no shortage of things to discover, whether you’re a first-time or regular visitor. While the museum is temporarily closed due to COVID-19, you can explore their full list of collection onlines here. And when their doors do open once more, you can learn more about planning your visit here, or view a calendar of upcoming events here.

Modern Furniture 101

Posted on July 1, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

As our tagline “Forever Modern” implies, Modern design is integrated into every part of our business and our work. Our inspired interiors are no exception; full of Modernist artwork, sculpture and furniture, the interiors of our properties reflect the same principles and aesthetic. So what exactly is Modern furniture, and what distinguishes it from other furniture styles?

A Brief History

Like Modernism itself, Modern furniture design developed in a post-World War II environment that necessitated cutting excess waste, focusing on functionality, and reevaluating the practicality of materials in design. Compared to the decorative styles before it like Victorian, Art Nouveau and Neoclassical, Modernism was a striking departure into new territory. This drastic shift from ornate, decorative pieces to minimal pieces is attributed to new technology, changes in design philosophy and the direction of architecture at the time. Since then, Modern furniture has become an iconic part of interior design history.

How to Spot Modern Furniture

Functionality, clean lines, smooth shapes, bold colors and minimal design are all common aspects to Modern furniture. Most iconic pieces of Modern furniture pioneered new uses of materials such as glass, steel and leather, so those are common signs to look for. Odds are, you’ve seen Modern furniture before, especially if you’re in the design or real estate industry. Barcelona chairs, Noguchi coffee tables and Le Corbusier lounges are commonplace in many residential buildings and homes, in the United States and around the world.

To explore the individual and detailed history behind the pieces, here’s a more complete list of popular Modern furniture pieces. Within our practices at Optima, Modern furniture plays a critical role in completing our vision for each space we create. Our Modernist sense of design through architecture and furnishings helps us tell a holistic, intentional story through design. Without this consistency, our buildings and amenity spaces would seem incomplete. Though rooted in the past, Modern furniture integrates beautifully with a bright, inspired future.

Wellness at Optima Kierland

Posted on June 29, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

As the residential real estate industry develops, amenities are becoming more in-demand, more inventive and more expansive. And wellness is a huge part of that growth. One study from March 2020 predicts that wellness is estimated to be a $4.2 trillion USD industry for the next generation of high-end homebuyers – forecast to grow at nearly twice the rate of the global economy. The amenity spaces we design for our properties are purposefully created for both community and individual wellness. We’ve previously covered wellness at Optima Signature, and today we review and explore wellness at Optima Kierland.

Embracing Nature

Located in the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona, Optima Kierland Center is comprised of 7120, 7140, 7160 and 7180, four buildings which together make a serene retreat from the North Scottsdale urban core. Both the individual residences and the vast amenity spaces feature stunning views of the surrounding desert, not to mention curated landscaping, hanging gardens and communal green space. More than six acres of open green space on the ground level create a park-like setting for the community, and also reduces ambient temperature to mitigate the heat-island effect. In fact, the landscaping actually creates a microclimate that lowers the ambient temperature from 5 to 9 degrees compared to surrounding sidewalks. The oasis-like greenspace of Optima Kierland keeps residents inspired, provides a closeness with the surrounding environment and celebrates the natural desert surroundings.

The Sky Deck and pool at 7120 Optima Kierland — The Sky Deck at 7120 Optima Kierland

Enjoying the Outdoors

Signature to Optima Kierland Center is the inclusion of a Sky Deck on each of the community’s towers. With panoramic views of the city, each Sky Deck also includes a wealth of amenity spaces, including heated pools, spa-grade plunge pools and saunas, indoor-outdoor yoga studios, rooftop walking and running tracks, entertaining spaces with barbecues, covered bars and counter seating, outdoor theater, lush landscaping and more.

Connecting with Community

As with all of our multi-family properties, fostering a strong sense of community is a top priority because we believe that connection fosters physical and emotional wellness. At Kierland Center, this intention manifests into the many communal amenity spaces, including fully outfitted sports areas, movie theaters, party rooms, game rooms, and state-of-the-art fitness centers. Each building also includes an exclusive Residents Club so neighbors can enjoy each other’s company regularly.

In designing spaces around wellness, we inherently design spaces that bring people closer to each other, closer to their environment and closer to their own personal aspirations. Our people-centric approach is what fuels our passion and drives us forward to continue creating in thoughtful, meaningful ways.

Neighborhood Spotlight: Wilmette

Posted on June 24, 2020May 21, 2024 by Nancy

The serene Chicago-suburbs neighbor of Evanston, Wilmette offers proximity to the hustle and bustle of the city while also serving as an oasis of coffee shops, local boutiques and expansive parkscapes. Wilmette is home to three of our communities, Lake Courts, 1618 Sheridan Road and Optima Center Wilmette, and today we’re spotlighting why we, our residents and our commercial tenants love this Chicago suburb.

Outdoor Leisure

Bordered by Lake Michigan on the east and sprawling golf courses on the west, Wilmette is the perfect suburban hub for those that love leisurely outdoor activities. For lakefront fanatics, Gillson Park is an expansive reserve with beach access, perfect for swimming, sailing, picnicking, tennis, hiking and more. For casual and competitive golf hobbyists alike, Wilmette Golf Club is the best public golf course challenge in the area.

Bahai Temple. Credit: Teemu008 on Wikimedia Commons, icensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Cultural Institutions

No Chicago suburb is complete without the inclusion of a wide-ranging and diverse array of cultural institutions. Wilmette is the proud home to the Baháʼí House of Worship, one of only eight of its kind. The continental temple is an architectural marvel, worth the visit just to explore its gardens and interior and learn more about the faith. The Wilmette Historical Museum is also a fantastic local resource for learning more about the city’s story and roots.

Shopping and Dining

Wilmette’s central business district, conveniently located near public transportation, is a distinctively different shopping experience that includes an abundance of restaurants and specialty stores. Explore the Wilmette French Market, an outdoor shopping experience with produce, jewelry and more. Restaurants in the area include everyone’s favorite, Walker Bros. Original Pancake House, Convito Cafe and Market, Pescadero and countless more.

Stay tuned for more neighborhood spotlights on our other Optima communities.

hidden h1

Author: Nancy