Durgin

In late 2023, AKLA was approached by Utile Architecture and Planning out of Boston and Providence to collaborate on the planning and design of a 360-home apartment community in Portsmouth, NH. The initial proposal was a competitive bid decided by design creativity and team experience. The AKLA/Utile team was selected to work alongside Tighe & Bond Civil Engineers among a host of other talented consultants. AKLA played a major role in developing the overall master plan, shaping the required community space, participating in building massing and orientation development, as well as community space character design. The AKLA team also played a pivotal role in presenting and ultimately permitting the project, which would be one of the State of New Hampshire’s most significant housing plans. The master plan is shaped by careful avoidance and minimization of impacts to wetlands. The footprint of the development will reside largely within the former shadow of the a big-box commercial site and associated parking lot. With 360 apartment homes over 15 buildings, the site also incorporates over 2 acres of shared community space connected by a series of pathways, sidewalks, commons, and courtyards.