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UFORA Gainesville

// Wrap, Urban, Midrise

Our designs have evolved to meet new standards in health and wellness in this student living project in development.

UFORA Gainesville is a project under construction, located in close proximity to the University of Florida. The project is a 232 unit (663 bedrooms) eight story apartment community consisting of a retail condo, rentable units, and five levels of parking by a centralized structure. An amenity center is located on the 8th floor, consisting of a pool deck, fitness center with sauna, yoga room, and an outdoor patio on the south side of the building. There is also an interior courtyard on the 5th floor. The leasing center will be placed on the 1st level on 5th street. Additional ancillary options common in apartment communities will be included, such as a mail lobby and trash compactor enclosure.

One unique aspect of this project is the evolution of our design work, which began pre-Covid-19 and has since adjusted to meet new standards. From the January/February 2021 Student Housing Business (Volume 12, Issue 3):

The team at CBA has not only been busy in the University of Florida market, it has also been fulfilling the city of Gainesville’s needs. CBA is responding nimbly to fluctuating materials costs and altering amenity space, moving more inside space outdoors in response to the changing behavior of students.

“Outdoor space is a premium,” says Architect Cristian Oquendo. “Outdoor spaces have always been important but COVID has pushed us and also pushed our clients to think more about how to add spaces and make them comfortable. We have found that what we are building is not enough for the demands of outdoor space because of COVID. Even when the pandemic is controlled, this trend will remain for another year or two based on how people are going to behave.”

One such project that spotlights outdoor interactions among many other unique designs is UFORA Gainesville. These are urban infill, eight-story mixed-use apartments with retail on the ground floor and rooftop amenities including a roof top pool. The 232-unit, 663-bed property is about to begin construction.

“The interesting things that happened on this project were that we had to change the amenity space during and after COVID,” says Oquendo. “It got bigger. We used to have 30 square feet per student or per bed.”

Oquendo says that most designs today need to feature roomier amenity space, averaging approximately 35 square feet per bed. In addition to enlarging open areas, CBA also had to tweak designs in real time, managing rising lumber prices, which were at an all-time high.

Project Info

Density: 122.1
Project Status: In Construction
Acres: 1.9
Units: 232
Parking Spaces: 424
Project Number: 4313.20
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