Game On: Pickleball and Futsal Start Redefining Living Spaces

If sitting is the new smoking, as some health experts believe, should multifamily developers forgo lounge chairs on the roof for a sport court instead?

That’s the approach that global real estate firm Greystar took at its latest apartment tower in Seattle, the Waverly. Besides the health benefits, Greystar hoped to attract an international audience with its rooftop sport court dedicated to pickleball and futsal (akin to miniature soccer).

The developer decision was also influenced by the tower’s podium-style design, which resulted in two elevated outdoor spaces: one on the roof of the 29-story tower and another on the roof of the five-level podium that serves as the base of the property. Two rooftop lounges featuring comfortable seating seemed like one too many.

“What we targeted when we developed the Waverly were active people with a global viewpoint that wanted to live in an energetic environment,” said Aaron Keeler, a vice president at Greystar for the Pacific Northwest and lead developer on the project.

Keeler added that many residential towers seem to focus almost exclusively “on the idea of luxury.” But his team “wanted to be a little bit more playful and a little bit more globally refined,” when conceptualizing the project.

“It seemed odd to put more furniture and barbecue spaces right outside of the fitness room,” said Kimberly Frank, a managing principal at GGLO that oversaw the interior design for the project.

So, when it came time to figure out what to do with a large outdoor space adjacent to the tower’s gym — located on the fifth-floor at the top of property’s podium section — the world’s most popular sport came to mind.

As the team debated, they noted that a sport court could augment the recreational offerings in the neighborhood and that the size and rectangular shape of the space worked well as a sport court, albeit a small one.

Eventually, their attention turned toward pickleball and futsal — or small-scale versions of tennis and soccer. Both are relatively new games and exploding in popularity. While pickleball courts exist in multifamily projects around the U.S., Greystar says this is the first high-rise multifamily project in the U.S. to feature a futsal court. The court is enclosed with a net, so balls won’t fly off the roof, Keeler noted.

“I think people are now forming teams and there's a soccer tournament within the building,” he said. “That's just a great example of how people are using the space and getting to know each other and doing something that, as a landlord, you can't create.”

Keeler credits the sport court with having created a “community within the community.” He added that when tenants take the initiative to set up events on their own, their investment in the community grows, and “they enjoy living there.”

A 374-unit, residential high-rise building, the Waverly is a for-rent multifamily project. The floors, columns and elevator core are made of concrete with canopies erected from steel. The building’s exterior is constructed with a window wall system.

Residential and amenity uses in the building amount to roughly 322,000 and 10,000 square feet, respectively, with back-of-house and utility spaces requiring 14,600 square feet. Four levels of below-grade parking total 102,000 square feet and accommodate 232 spaces.

Overall, Keeler said the project is made up of 36 studios, 270 one-bedroom units, 65 two-bedroom units, and three penthouses with three bedrooms each. The smallest units are among “the most popular in the building,” noted Keeler.

Other features of the project include a global design aesthetic incorporating elements across continents, a unique activated lobby that is accessible to the community at large, a rooftop lounge with indoor and outdoor spaces, and a pet spa and dog run.

Besides active people, Greystar also targeted Seattle suburbanites who might want a pied-à-terre, or a small urban home not used as a primary residence. “We were thinking there might be people that have a house that's an hour-and-a-half away and need a place to live three nights a week,” Keeler said.

Frank said that building materials and the property’s design draw heavily from global diversity and urban environments, with a range of jewel tones signifying varied cultures and elements, like railway signs, representing urban settings.

“Furniture choices are very eclectic, casual and comfortable,” Frank said, a design approach that supports a minimalist living experience and appeals to tech professionals as well as executives and empty nesters.