With a design-forward aesthetic and neoteric finishes, the new Park Modern condominiums in Ravenna/North University District are attracting buyers to what one national publication calls one of the country's "Next Hot Neighborhoods." One block from the woodsy trails of quiet Cowen Park, and just walking distance from a myriad of the neighborhood's favorite urban amenities, Urban Rowhouse LLC is now offering the final four homes in Park Modern's progressive, mixed-used building – five levels of sustainable construction with the enhanced lifestyles it fosters.

Set above a street-level collection of independent businesses – including locally owned Herkimer Coffee and TEN PACHI Modern Salon and Store – Park Modern is the first new development along University Way's north end in years, says project spokeswoman Dot Hatchey. Whole Foods Market, cozy cafes, bustling bistros, theaters and convenient public library and postal branches are just blocks away.

Inspired by Denmark's crisp, clean lines and pedestrian-friendly culture while students in that country, Andrew van Leeuwen and Kevin Eckert of BUILD LLC Architecture + Construction started to design their vision for Park Modern by "re-thinking the modern flat."

The result: a clean, crisp collection of one-bedroom, one-bedroom-with-den and two-bedroom condominiums with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase western territorial and mountain views and invite lucent, natural light.

Park Modern sets its homes apart from the conventional with a focus on interior designs that concentrate on the relationship of spaces, quality of light and the Euro flavor of surfaces, textures and finishes. Unnecessary molding is eschewed in favor of calm, unassuming lines. Walls and ceilings feature smooth finishes. Bamboo flooring covers the living spaces, while New Zealand wool carpeting warms the sleeping areas.

In the Park Modern's gourmet kitchens, custom-built maple cabinets feature a mix of glass and solid wood-face doors with minimal hardware. Equally clean and unencumbered, the welded-in, seamless stainless-steel sink is flush with its adjacent countertops and backsplash.

This look creates a strong dynamic with the stainless-steel Jenn-Air refrigerator, gas range, microwave and ultraquiet, commercial-grade Bosch dishwasher.

The oasis in the spa-inspired bathrooms features a "tea for two" Japanese-style soaking tub, with sleek and refined fixtures and hardware. Radiant in-floor heat warms the natural stone tile flooring, while honed solid granite countertops and framed undermount porcelain sinks.

Even most lighting throughout Park Modern homes, complete with Lutron dimming controls, is recessed for clean, smooth lines.

From the street, Park Modern expresses the durability, circulation and warmth of its structure with a mix of sustainable building materials. Conceived as a "metal box" with portions removed to create walls of windows for natural light and wood tones for warmth, the framework for Park Modern binds the commitment to material purity with building efficiency and precision, says Hatchey.

Vertical circulation is distinguished from the rest of the building by using concrete and galvanized steel, Hatchey says. Corrugated siding complements clear cedar siding and IPE decking at circulation and pedestrian areas, creating a comfortable setting for the private decks, some of which measure nearly 500 square feet.

Such long-life finishes are among the many sustainable materials used both outside and within Park Modern. Even the Ecospace elevator connecting homeowners from the underground parking and bike storage to their condominiums is considered the "Prius" of lifts, she explains.

"We don't have to compromise our modern aesthetic to be environmentally responsible," adds Eckert. The combination, says Hatchey, has proven highly attractive to Park Modern's early buyers – many of them high-tech professionals, artists and graduate students.

Considered a "real estate oasis for the price-sensitive buyer," BusinessWeek magazine calls the University District one of the country's top 10 "Next Hot Neighborhoods," identifying it as an "up-and-coming" place for quality of life and investment potential.

Owners of the nearby Cowen Park Grocer and Café say the area's residents – many of them "young professionals, not just students – have been waiting for positive, design-forward development in this area. We are so excited about Park Modern's arrival."

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