A Dynamic Mixed-Use Project in Bozeman, Montana, Bridges Past and Present
Celebrating the natural and built landscape, this mixed-use project takes cues from its agrarian surroundings.
Celebrating the natural and built landscape, this mixed-use project takes cues from its agrarian surroundings.
Block 106 is the runner-up in the 2022 Andersen Bright Ideas Awards in the multifamily category. Explore all of this year’s single family and multifamily winners and runners-up on our Awards page.
In a historically industrial pocket of Montana, northeast of downtown Bozeman, a small area was re-zoned to integrate residential use and encourage pedestrian-centered commercial activity—all while honoring the rich agrarian history of the region. The recently established Northeast Historic Mixed-Use district (NEHMU) provided the context to design for new uses—creating additional opportunities for residents to work and live in this evolving district of Bozeman.
The ground level contains commercial space for three businesses, with the layout designed to maximize the public’s interaction with the building.
Photo by Cody Brown Photography
Block 106, a mixed-use project designed by Minarik Architecture, is sited on the premises of a previously vacant industrial storage facility. The larger context of the surrounding landscape includes adjacent agrarian structures, typified by simplistic forms and function-first design. A nod to this architectural vernacular, Block 106 is arranged in two gabled volumes, linked by a horseshoe-shaped central corridor. The ground floor contains pedestrian-driven commercial space for three tenants, while the second and third floors contain residential space for each of the project’s six dwelling units.
For architect Doug Minarik, the agrarian landscape informed the design approach, and guided the positioning of the two volumes on the site. "The magic of the agrarian landscape is the space between forms—form is a backdrop to the activity," Minarik says. Finding inspiration in this concept, Block 106 pivots its two gabled volumes slightly away from each other, creating subtle pockets of space in between, and offering opportunity for light to penetrate these central voids.
Flanked by a horseshoe-shaped corridor, the open-air courtyard features dramatic views of Mount Blackmore to the south. In the summer, the mature vegetation shades the glass, and in the winter, the corridor is heated as the courtyard fills with snow.
Photo by Cody Brown Photography
Semi-private residential circulation through the corridor provides access to each of the dwelling units. The project features windows and doors from Andersen, including A-Series French & Hinged Patio doors.
Photo by Cody Brown Photography
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Dynamic Mixed-Use Project in Bozeman, Montana, Bridges Past and Present
Related stories:
