Author: ss

NAVA’s Lakehouse Named “Innovative Development of the Year” at NAIOP Colorado’s Annual Awards of Achievement

NAVA Real Estate Development has experienced impressive strides this year with Lakehouse — its wellness-minded condominium development in Denver’s Sloan’s Lake neighborhood — recently named “Innovative Development of the Year” at NAIOP Colorado’s 34th Annual Awards of Achievement. Recognizing the “Best of the Best” in Colorado’s real estate industry, the event is hosted by the Colorado chapter of NAIOP, the leading organization for developers, owners and investors of office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate. The award was presented to NAVA for envisioning Lakehouse as a completely new way of living where wellness is integrated into every element of the resident experience.

The “Innovative Development of the Year” is selected based on achievements in architecture, financial feasibility, enhancement to the neighborhood, innovative techniques and sustainability, contribution to the real estate industry and contribution to the general community. Brian Levitt, President and Co-Founder of NAVA, spoke as part of the virtual ceremony: “Lakehouse is innovative because it really embraces its surroundings. The building’s immediate environment informs its architecture and amenity decisions.”

Since NAVA was founded in 2013, the team has been pursuing projects that create dual financial and social value. Taking on a mission of “place making,” NAVA’s goal is to create sustainable environments that are both beautiful and healthy. In the playing field of real estate development, the team’s science-based sensibility and social transparency is a refreshing take on building. Our very own award-winning complex of Lakehouse sits on the south shore of Sloan’s Lake, and is Colorado’s first approved project to be awarded WELL Precertification under the WELL Building Standard™, a progressive approach to curate built environments that optimize resident wellness.

“Applying the WELL Building Standard to Lakehouse was instrumental in guiding

development decisions throughout design and construction,” states Brian Levitt. “Even before the global pandemic raised awareness for the impact of the places we live on our health and well-being, the approach to designing and building Lakehouse’s proved prescient and essential.”

NAVA’s Lakehouse meticulously builds out environments that consider personal health and well-being. Expansive terraces and private patios provide an open transition into the outdoors, while MERV-13 air filtration throughout the building helps reduce airborne contaminants indoors. Biophilic landscaping not only beautifies the space, but cleanses the atmosphere and nourishes the building, with an open-air meditation garden and onsite urban farm that grows fresh organic vegetables and herbs.

With regards to fitness, Lakehouse houses an outdoor lap pool, and a wellness center featuring a fitness lab, dry sauna and yoga & meditation studio. Light is maximized as a result of the building’s 55% glass composition, and each residence features blackout shades for restful sleep as well.

As a Certified B Corporation with a commitment to creating high-quality, environmentally-progressive projects in Colorado, NAVA is thrilled to continue innovating at this sophisticated level. The entire team at NAVA Real Estate Development and Lakehouse is honored to be awarded as Innovative Development of the Year. “It has been a community-facing endeavor from the beginning, and this building is the product of an amazing team,” remarked Levitt.

View NAVA’s portion of the virtual presentation here.

See the full list of honorees here.

Designing MF with Emphasis on Lifestyle, Community and Flexibility

The way we view our homes has changed, perhaps forever. The things we value, the spaces we love and the parts we wish we could change all look different after months spent mostly in the confines of our home.

What this will mean for home design is the big question. Beyond surface-level changes, we are likely in store for some fundamental shifts and an acceleration of certain trends we were seeing pre-pandemic, particularly in multifamily.

In our work helping builders and developers design, merchandise and market multifamily communities across the nation, we are already seeing some of these shifts beginning to play out.

• Lifestyle vs. demographic-driven design. First, we anticipate a movement toward designing for more diverse, connected communities driven by a combination of the pandemic and the social upheaval we are experiencing as a country, which have both revealed the disadvantages of siloed living.

Whole Sol Opens Flagship Location at Sloan’s Lake

With COVID-19 cases on the rise and winter right around the corner, fueling up with whole, nutritious foods — along with adequate sleep, exercise and stress management — is one of the best ways to support your immune system today. But, finding a healthy, delicious, affordable and quick place to eat can be hard and that’s why husband and wife duo Phil Dumontet and Alexa Squillaro decided to open Whole Sol’s flagship location at the new Lakehouse residences at Sloan’s Lake.

Dumontet and Squillaro opened the first Whole Sol location in LoDo after moving to Colorado from New York in 2017. They now have storefronts in Boulder and Sloan’s Lake as well as a RiNo location and a second Boulder location opening later this year. Prior to opening Whole Sol, Dumontet owned a food delivery app in the Northeast called Dashed. In 2007 it was one of the first food delivery apps in the market and was eventually acquired by Grubhub in 2017. He and Squillaro worked together at Dashed and they were both drawn to Colorado because of the active lifestyle and fitness of the state. The two completed a triathlon at Boulder Reservoir and decided to move here to start their next venture shortly after. During their training, they were fueled by smoothies, grain bowls and healthy snacks but couldn’t find a restaurant that offered all of those things.

Lakehouse: An Innovative, Performance-Based Model for Healthy Living

What does it mean to make our homes healthier? Around the country, people have started to recognize that the design of the places we live is a key tool in preserving our mental and physical health. According to the Global Wellness Institute, consumer demand for wellness in real estate is on the rise globally, with more than 1 million potential buyers searching for homes each year that will help them achieve their own personal health and wellness goals.

Unfortunately, limited inventory has made it difficult for buyers to act while many developers have remained on the sidelines, citing a major impact on construction costs, limited evidence and added challenges to the design process.

The reality is, with a disciplined approach and the right building team, the cost of designing spaces and places that actively support human health and well-being does not have to increase development costs excessively. In fact, developers that looks to certification programs like the WELL Building Standard can design a space that can provide long-term gains for both investors, communities and residents alike that far exceed its cost in terms of time and investment.

Start living healthier right now, as Lakehouse shows homes ready-to-go with lake views, wellness oriented amenities

Today begins a month-long grand opening for Lakehouse, overlooking Sloan’s Lake, where you’ll also get fresh juice from Whole Sol Blend Bar

At a moment when people are more focused on staying healthy than ever before, you can take a socially-distanced tour today of a new community that’s entirely devoted to wellness, in a setting where you’re going to want to be enjoying the outdoors.

Today begins a month-long grand opening for Lakehouse and its residences overlooking Denver’s Sloan’s Lake, with some exceptional views of the water, city, and mountains. Along with a tour, you’ll also get fresh juice from Whole Sol Blend Bar, moving into Lakehouse this fall.

Lakehouse’s health-oriented amenities were completed just as the virus crisis hit its peak, but early residents are moving in and getting into the swing of the lifestyle—including a group that turned out for a lakeside boating tutorial by Confluence Kayaks; others for a Tuesday sunset yoga class; and cyclists for a complimentary bike tune-up at Lakehouse’s Sports Workshop.

You’ll see all of that, along with the wellness center and an urban farm that’s growing chives, thyme, zucchini, radishes, swiss chard and other salad greens (Lakehouse has a chef on hand with recipes and cooking demos on how to put that greenery to good use).

A Developer’s Forward-Thinking View on Wellness in Multifamily

NAVA Real Estate Development’s Brian Levitt makes the case for healthy communities at a time when safety and well-being is top of mind, citing one of his projects in Denver as an example.

Stay-at-home orders issued by local and state authorities to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus have revealed the vital role of homes in everyone’s lives. People are increasingly recognizing that the design of a space is a key tool in preserving spiritual and physical health. Although developers have long taken steps in the right direction, the pandemic has accelerated conversations about mental wellness and well-being.

NAVA Real Estate Development Co-Founder & President Brian Levitt has seen the evolution of sustainability standards, having worked on 18 LEED-certified buildings throughout his career. The developer’s Lakehouse project on the south shore of Sloan’s Lake in Denver is a space enabling residents to make more conscious choices while engaging with the local community. With health a top priority for everyone nowadays, Levitt talks about the future of wellness in the post-COVID-19 era of real estate and explains why the Lakehouse community can serve as a best-practice example.

$3.3M Lakehouse penthouse tops April home sales

Just two months after Nava Real Estate completed construction of its Lakehouse Residences, one of its penthouses sold for $3.3 million.

The condo unit overlooking Sloan’s Lake topped the list of the priciest residential sales in the Denver metro area in April.

The 3,357-square-foot unit, located at 4200 W. 17th Ave., Unit #1205, sits atop the 12-story Lakehouse Residences. It spans features three bedrooms and four bathrooms.

The unit sold April 10 to Thomas Keltner, according to public records. Keltner was formerly executive vice president and CEO of Americas and Global Brands for Hilton Hotels Corp., according to his LinkedIn profile.

The listing agents were Kevin Garrett, Matthew McNeill and Dee Chirafisi with Kentwood Real Estate City Properties.

April’s top sale is down $1 million from March’s top sale, in Cherry Hills Village. Denver’s luxury residential real estate market took a hit in April as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The sales volume dropped 39 percent from $308.2 million to $187.9 million month over month, according to the Denver Metro Association of Realtors monthly market trend report.

NAVA’s Lakehouse earns WELL Certification

New construction community recognized for demonstrating measurable commitment to supporting human health, well-being and comfort within the built environment.

NAVA Real Estate Development (NAVA), a Colorado-based development and investment company focused on projects that create economic and social value, today announced Lakehouse has become the first multifamily project in Colorado to earn WELL Precertification under the WELL Building Standard™. The WELL Building Standard is an internationally-recognized performance-based program that integrates human health and wellness best practices into the design, construction, maintenance and operations of the built environment in order to optimize the resident experience.

Lakehouse was awarded WELL Precertification at the Gold Level by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI™) for its commitment to measurably demonstrating its works towards promoting residents’ health across the WELL program’s seven key performance areas: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.

The 12-story, 196-unit mixed-use condominium and rowhome community overlooking Sloan’s Lake Park welcomed its first residents in March 2020.

Denver urban farming trend grows from a Sloan’s Lake condo tower to a Larimer Square parking garage

Entrepreneurs and real estate developers are taking urban agriculture to new heights at a Mile High

It was 8:15 Tuesday morning and the greenhouse was just waking up for the day.

Spurred by an electrical panel that serves as its brain, its roof vents had popped open, letting in the cool, morning air.

Meanwhile, the human staff of Altius Farms was already busy doing its work. Moving among rows of aeroponic growing towers the pickers plucked leafy greens, herbs and edible flowers like Genovese basil and red Russian kale, washed them and packed them in coolers.

Within hours the harvest would be distributed to some of Altius’ three dozen odd regular and seasonal customers in the Denver area including top restaurants and grocers like Choice Market and Marczyk Fine Foods.

Whole Sol Blend Bar First Retail Tenant At Lakehouse

Whole Sol Blend Bar is the first retail tenant to sign a lease at NAVA Real Estate Development’s Lakehouse on Sloan’s Lake condominium development. Whole Sol Blend Bar will occupy about 1,300 SF at street level. “NAVA is partnering with businesses that will help our Lakehouse residents achieve their health and wellness goals,” NAVA co-founder and President Brian Levitt said in a statement. Lakehouse, a 196-unit, 12-story tower on West 17th Avenue less than 3 miles from downtown, is part of the master-planned Sloans neighborhood. NAVA plans to pursue WELL Building certification for the building. WELL Building is the international standard to integrate health and wellness into the design, construction and operations of buildings to optimize the health of residents and their guests.