Old Beach Apartments (OBA) is the reimagining of a previously developed site with condominiums into a modern, upscale, connected apartment community. Located on an expansive waterfront site adjacent to the Laskin Road Gateway entry to the Virginia Beach Resort Area, the OBA apartment complex will serve to support the area’s goal of transforming the area into an “exciting people-gathering place” with connectivity to local dining, shopping, and gathering locations nearby, with intentional pedestrian and tenant oriented design.

With a previously approved site plan that supported condominium development, VIA’s challenge (and opportunity) for the project were to maintain the same previously approved building footprints, while minimizing any additional impact to the adjacent wetlands and a variety of easements that cross the site; all while creating a vibrant, connected community that supports movement and transparency through the development.

In order to support this truly connected community for multiple buildings on a constrained site, every design move has to support it. VIA has achieved this by utilizing brightly colored branding for each building, balconies that expand as you travel higher in each building, transparent stair towers, expansive and inviting streetscape landscaping, a sky-bridge across the busy Baltic Avenue, an elevated lounge with expansive views of the beautiful wetlands area, and a garage rooftop pool and lounge area with panoramic views of the oceanfront and resort area beyond. All of these serve to provide a sense of visual or physical connection; to the outdoors, to the other buildings within the complex, to the street; to the landscape; to the walkable community, and ultimately to its beautiful surroundings and connection to the oceanfront beyond.