45 Architecture & Interiors’s design for The Wildlands Development is a finalist in the 8th annual GRAY Awards in the Mixed-Use Development breakout category.
Integrated design in Bozeman
The Wildlands Development is a mixed-use project located in Northeast Bozeman, Montana. The goal was to integrate the structure seamlessly into the neighborhood fabric, enhancing public walkways with custom fabricated seating, new landscaping, and large soffits that provide cover for the community to gather.
The building steps up to its 3-story full height as you move away from the street, making the transition feel more natural from the 1-2-story buildings surrounding it. Regionally appropriate materials such as brick and wood siding were used, and murals were painted on areas of the façade to tie into its surroundings, which is a distinctly artistic neighborhood within Bozeman.
Transformation of the site plan
The Wildlands Development fundamentally changed the nature of the site. Where once had been a typical parking lot with several curb cuts, an enhanced streetscape was built featuring landscaping, custom seating, and a semi-public covered plaza.
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Parking was moved to the rear of the project and divided between an enclosed garage for residents and an open lot for customers of the bakery, deli, and other tenants. A breezeway cuts through the ground floor, giving pedestrians access to Peach Street and the development’s commercial tenants.
Residential features and sustainability
Upstairs, the residences were designed to take advantage of viewsheds with large, covered decks and expansive windows. Each unit includes premium features such as a fireplace and European-made cabinetry. Amenities such as a dog wash, temperature-controlled parking garage, and generous storage spaces make the building a desirable place to live.
The development is a reuse and adaptation of an existing building. It was designed with great care to protect and insulate the occupants of the residential spaces, and to ensure that the neighborhood can take advantage of common spaces offering shelter and protection from the elements under the covered plaza and canopies at the lower-level storefronts, which were built to lessen solar heat gain.
Inside each unit, Energy Star-rated appliances were installed, along with programmable thermostats and advanced Low-E insulating dual pane windows with argon. The highest-efficiency furnaces (98% efficient) were used in every unit, and each include a modulating, variable-speed fan to reduce and manage energy usage. Low-VOC paints were used throughout the interiors, and a VRF heat pump system provides cooling and heating to each of the common spaces, along with a heat-recovering ventilator to capture the energy from the exhaust air to pre-condition the incoming outside air.
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Wildlands was conceived as a connection point within a growing neighborhood that still wanted to maintain its sense of community; a place to link users of the unique and increasingly urban setting of Bozeman with opportunities for adventure in the region. This juxtaposition inspired the Scandinavian modern aesthetic of the building and increased the focus on the pedestrian and neighborhood experience.
The exterior of the building leverages steel and low-maintenance Kebony-modified wood siding, which is sustainably harvested and requires no maintenance beyond regular cleaning. Landscaping includes drought-tolerant and water-smart planting selections, and the residential garage includes an EV charging station with four other EV-ready stalls.
Challenges and outcomes
The project was an exercise in problem-solving, requiring the design team to tackle conditions such as an infill site with tight property boundaries, and two food & beverage anchor tenants, which remained open throughout the entirety of construction. The site is also within the Bozeman Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District, requiring the design to be evaluated for appropriateness within the area.
The project fundamentally changed the nature of the site and was designed to provide a connection point within the neighborhood, offering a desirable place to live with its premium features and amenities, while also being mindful of the environment and the community.
