Desert palette, big city style combined at South Meadows

Tucked into the southeast corner of the South Meadows commercial district stands an eye-catching jumble of colors and angles, like something composed of children's building blocks.

"I feel like I'm building art," says Tim Burkett, president of American Pacific Development and builder of the cluster, called Studio Park.

Architect Lewis Zaumeyer at Archidea, LLC in Reno says, "I wanted it to be a more artistically-oriented development; more loft-like, a San Francisco style space." The high-impact color covers innovative construction materials stainless steel and aluma-wall.

After build out, the two-acre site at 9441 Double Diamond Blvd. will host five buildings of 5,000 square feet each. Two are finished, one is under construction, and the final two, depending on absorption, should be complete by the end of next year, says Burkett. The first building, completed this spring, is leased, he says.

Dominic Brunetti, vice president of office properties at Alliance Commercial, handles inquiries. He says people are attracted by the unique roofline, the colors and the landscaping because "It helps them create a unique identity for themselves."

Burkett says tenants at Studio Park don't pay more to make that artistic statement. Conversely, he set lease rates at 10 to 20 cents less than the going rate of $2 per square foot.

"I would prefer to have traffic and be successful," he says.

Yet the cost of building with all those angles is 30 percent higher than traditional square design.

"People are a slave to the dollar to the point that design suffers," says Burkett. He developed an eye for design under the tutelage of a designer who consulted for his father, also a builder.

"We tried to call out the colors of the hillsides: reds, yellows and oranges," he says of the exterior. But the playful feel doesn't stay outside. The off-angles continue on the interior, where the walls converge with the high loft like ceilings at subtly off kilter angles. Not noticeable upon a casual glance, still the geometry imbues the space with a jaunty energy.

"We liken South Meadows to Silicon Valley; high-end professionals," says Burkett, who wanted to match a building to those dynamic personalities. Meanwhile, he adds, "We felt most developers in this area were putting up Plain Jane buildings; more cost-conscious than design-oriented."

"We're going up against big firms," he says of South Meadows developers. "But why is there nobody in those buildings?"

One reason, he says, is that they build 5,000-square-foot buildings and then want to sell it entire. When he was looking for a 1,200-square-foot-office in South Meadows, he couldn't find it and figured, "If I needed it, others needed it." So he leases units separately.

The architect says that carrying the angular geometry throughout the buildings takes a little more time, but that it was an ability developed through experience. Archidea, founded in 1986, also designed the south bank of the Truckee Riverwalk between Virginia and Arlington streets.

"We've had architectural students come by to take pictures," says Burkett. "I take personal pride in putting something out there that people appreciate."

He also owns Sierra Nevada Concrete and Northscape, a landscaping company. While the main focus of those firms is working with large residential builders, Burkett admits it's a convenient mix for his commercial developments as well.

In future, he's looking at buying another three acres to do a second innovative business park.