In this new BLDUP Spotlight, we spoke with Hans D. Strauch, Leed AP, President of HDS Architecture. As the founder, principal, and creative director of HDS Architecture, Strauch has dedicated 35 years to designing distinctive buildings and communities throughout the US and abroad.

BLDUP: You’ve been working as an architect for 35 years, can you tell us how you originally got into the field and more about the founding and history of your firm?

Strauch: Prior to Founding HDS, I worked on large-scale mixed-use retail and residential developments, primarily in major waterfront cities in the US and Europe. When founding HDS I contacted economic development directors of waterfront cities from Bangor, Maine to Mobile, AL, and got into a plane and met with all of them. HDS’ first project was a 1.2 million sf residential/retail/commercial project in Savannah, GA.  In addition, another early project of HDS was a waterfront mixed-use project in Belfast, Northern Ireland with developer, James Rouse.

BLDUP: Given your experience, what have been some of the biggest shifts you have seen in the industry, and do you see any major changes on the horizon?

Strauch: Since day one we have been real estate development architects designing commercial and mixed-use projects, but we have seen a growing number of clients who are identifying opportunities to include housing in new developments. These developments are creatively incorporating new housing techniques such as co-living similar to our 525 LINC project in Allston. 

Office to housing conversions will be a challenge, but we expect more players to rise to the occasion and make vibrant residential, mixed-use urban buildings new anchors to downtown markets.

Cost of construction, high interest rates and stricter energy codes have presented significant challenges for economically viable development. Our knowledge of construction and ability to work closely with general contractors has enabled projects to move forward.

BLDUP: Let’s dive into some more specific projects, HDS has several large multifamily projects across the state in various stages of the pipeline. What are the prevailing trends you are seeing in multifamily development? What are developers looking for in projects given current market conditions? What differences are you seeing in multifamily in the city vs suburbs?

Strauch: Being able to maximize density is key for viable urban and suburban development given current economic conditions.  In the suburbs and MBTA communities, 40B has been an important tool to fast-track housing, help communities reach housing benchmarks, and support local residents.

We are well under construction on Devon at Weiss Farm, a 40B project in Stoneham, with developer J.M. Corcoran and general contractor, Callahan Construction. Stoneham has approved new multifamily zoning. The Devon at Weiss Farm will bring 259 units to the community across 9 buildings. Five town home buildings will be constructed along the street, stepping down in scale from the larger multi-unit residences. The development is anchored by a re-imagined barn functioning as the community clubhouse with the surrounding buildings taking on a modern farmhouse aesthetic. The barn pays homage to the site’s previous farm use and creates a scale and style that takes cues from surrounding homes.  

In the suburbs, we are seeing more ‘urban/suburban’ mixed-use community projects across the northeast – prioritizing a walkable, convenient hub that can stand on its own outside of major cities or towns. For example, in partnership with developer The Dolben Company and general contractor Pilot Construction, we recently completed Caro at Tuscan Village in Salem, NH. 

Caro Tuscan Village is part of the 4,000,000-sf mixed-use Tuscan Village development, the largest mixed-use urban center in New Hampshire. This project added a 5-story, 260-unit residential community with a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments featuring open-layout floor  plans, exterior balconies surrounding an amenity filled landscaped courtyard.

BLDUP: Your team also just completed a co-living project in Allston, how did this project differ from your typical multifamily? Any background on how this project came to be co-living, that’s been a bit of a buzzword in the industry for quite some time but in the Boston area, we have not seen many projects actually completed offering this new model.

Strauch: We completed 525 LINC last fall alongside developers Boylston Properties and Arx Urban. 525 LINC is one of Boston’s first co-living apartment communities that is tackling the city’s ongoing housing shortage by appealing to individuals looking for shared living. 525 LINC's uniquely designed living spaces create a welcoming and inspiring environment for people to interact and share experiences. Residents share common areas like the kitchen and living room, as well as have access to the rest of the amenity rich building. 

HDS Architecture has designed each unit with very specific size requirements that perfectly balances tenant needs of storage, function, and comfort. We’ve also carefully studied the common spaces and created a hotel-like environment that caters specifically to the contemporary needs of a modern lifestyle. Floor-to-ceiling glass highlights the amenity spaces creating a seamless connection from interior to exterior. Significant attention to detail was maintained throughout the design to create a sophisticated, well-crafted building that enhances the neighborhood and community at large. The co-living concept was introduced by the developer after reviewing several traditional residential multi-family options for the site. HDS assisted with the evaluation. 

BLDUP: You’ve been a strong proponent of both sustainable design & DEI within your industry, including endowing the “Strauch Visiting Critic in Sustainable Design” in 2013 in the College of Architecture Art & Planning at Cornell. In 2023, you also endowed the “Strauch Early Career Follow” to your alma mater to identify, attract and support diverse, talented, early-career educators who contribute fresh ideas and perspectives. How do you bring sustainability to your work/projects? Discuss DEI at your firm/projects.

Strauch: Our work in Berlin, Germany informed us of the importance of sustainable design. Europe has always been ahead of the USA in this area. In Berlin, we designed and built five buildings that gave us the basic knowledge and appreciation for environmentally responsible construction.

We have completed and presently have under construction several LEED Gold and Silver residential projects in downtown and metro-Boston. We are now working on a Passive House 220-unit high rise residential project in Cambridge. 

All HDS-designed communities welcome and attract diversity and inclusion. HDS has partnered with Habitat for Humanity on several projects including Blue Hill Place in Boston, a five building 24-unit community.

I am also a big supporter of education, particularly for the economically disadvantaged. My involvement with community service includes Lesley University in Cambridge where he serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees.                                          

BLDUP: You’ve also worked on projects internationally including the new Mosse Palais which holds a significant place in your family history. Can you give us a brief history of the project and what it meant for you to bring this building to life?

Strauch: The Mosse family legacy was all but erased by the time I first visited Berlin, Germany. Before World War II, patriarch Rudolf Mosse had built a sizable publishing and advertising empire which printed 130 newspapers and journals, one of the largest such enterprises in Europe. He was known for his extensive philanthropy, a distinguished art collection, and his family home, the majestic Mosse Palais in Berlin’s Leipziger Platz. Mosse family members were also recognized as leaders of the Berlin Jewish Reform Community.

Following Rudolf’s death in 1920, his son-in-law Hans Lachmann-Mosse assumed management of the Rudolf Mosse Company and continued the family’s philanthropy and arts patronage. However, after the Mosse flagship paper, the Berliner Tageblatt, published anti-Hitler sentiments, the Nazis targeted them. The family fled Germany, traveled via Switzerland to France, and later to the US, where they settled in California. The property on Leipziger Platz was confiscated in 1933, and the Nazis auctioned more than 1,000 pieces of the Mosse art collection. Allied forces destroyed the Palais, which was adjacent to the Führerbunker, Hitler’s Berlin HQ, during a bombing raid in 1945. During the Cold War, the Berlin Wall cut across Leipziger Platz, creating a wasteland. 

In 1998 construction of the new Mosse Palais was completed. The new building HDS designed takes cues from elements of the original structure and the surrounding city context. Constructed in limestone, granite, and glass, it has commanding views of the Platz. It was the first building to be constructed in Berlin’s massive redevelopment plan for Potsdammer/ Leipziger Platz. The building’s first occupant, the American Jewish Committee, remains in the building to this day. In addition to creating this physical representation of the Mosse legacy in Berlin, the family has the largest ongoing art restitution project in Europe. 

To design a building on a site of historic significance was a rare opportunity. History and neighborhood context play a major role in all of our project designs. This is a true value add. No project is the same.