Leisure amenities and mixed-use building are the future of private developments, according to one of the founding principals of New York studio SHoP Architects.

Coren Sharples, whose practice have designed New York’s forthcoming American Copper Towers – a residential project boasting a three-storey skybridge, spa, fitness centre and public realm – told CLAD the addition of leisure spaces, often publicly accessible, to offices and private residences is “now actually seen as a draw” for developers.

“People come to cities not just to live and work, but also to play, and leisure plays an enormous part in that,” she said. “They want and expect culture, sports, entertainment, music and food.

“I think society has moved away from the ‘work from 9 to 5 and live from to 5 to 9’ environment. Partly that’s due to digital media, which can create a seamless divide between living and working. We expect the same thing in our physical environment.

“More and more of what we’re seeing at SHoP in our commercial and residential projects is that dedicated spaces, whether dwelling units or workspaces, are shrinking and becoming more economical. At the same time, they’re being replaced by leisure amenities.”

Several of the projects the firm have in the pipeline have been designed with more than one dedicated use in mind, including the SITE Santa Fe art museum – which will also feature an education lab for local youth groups – and a basketball arena for the Cleveland Cavaliers – which will form a public extension to the city’s downtown neighbourhood.