505 State Street,

Located in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, 505 State Street is New York’s first all-electric skyscraper. We partnered with Alloy, the team behind the project, to begin to reimagine what renting an apartment in New York City could look like. In reimagining the rental process, we first had to understand what the current pain points were. To no surprise, the majority of New York City residents who rent find the process frustrating. There’s little flexibility, you’re often at the mercy of the mood of whoever is showing you the unit, and the information can be overwhelming to the point of decision-paralysis. It was obvious that the process wasn’t intuitive, there was very little differentiation in the space, and the digital experiences offered hardly reflected the quality of life being sold. But what if renting made a difference? Where most of us see a bill at the end of the month, and a decision made out of necessity rather than preference, we wanted to approach it from a different angle. What if where you rent had a built in way of making a difference? Of being able to live more sustainably by default. Of having a meaningful community network built into where you live. Designing a refined experience around that understanding, we found ourselves focusing on the details that make 505 State Street stand out. Living on a tree-lined street next to historic brownstones. Integrated appliances that blend into their environments, rather than stand out. 500 ready-to-use parking spaces for bikes, limiting the need for gas-powered vehicles and giving more space back for walkable environments. It’s these little details in living that ultimately make the larger ideas come to life. And these little details are what ultimately informed how we approached designing the brand and leasing site. The overall experience is lightweight, and reduced down to just three key pages. Users are offered a level of flexibility, allowing them to inquire, schedule a visit, or apply based on their level of interest. Functionality such as comparing two available unit details side by side, isometric floor plans that actually help users picture what the apartment is going to feel like, and interactive moments showing how the space evolves with natural light from morning to evening all come together to reflect the quality behind 505 State Street. There’s still a lot of innovation waiting to happen within the rental process, exploring how we can continue to foster experiences that are sustainable and significant for their communities, but our work with 505 State Street is the first of many steps in the right direction.