New mixed-use residences planned: bringing a vision to life.

• Author: White, Rindi

Bringing a modern vibe to the fur district in downtown Anchorage, a new mixed-use residential building planned for Fourth Avenue and A Street incorporates a wall of glass panels to afford retailers plenty of window space and, on the second floor, two high-end penthouses, each with a luxurious rooftop patio space where owners can drink in views of Sleeping Lady or have a choice view of the ceremonial start of the Iditarod.

Spark Design, an up-and-coming six-member design firm at work in Anchorage, provided developer Adam Blomfield of Blomfield Construction with a full-concept design package for the building. It's now in the pre-development phase; once funding is secured, the project can move forward to construction. Spark Design's partners say it's too early to release construction cost.

Deanna Wlad, Tara Gallagher, and Deanna Nafzger founded Spark Design after working together at another Anchorage-based design firm. The trio has worked together since 2006 and is behind several projects currently being built in Anchorage. The new Natural Pantry at 36th and A Street and KTUU's Northern Lights Media Center at 40th Avenue and Denali Street are both Spark Design's creations.

The partners say they see their role as a medium to bring their clients' vision to life. They say they take a flexible, adaptable approach to projects and, by being involved at all levels of a project, reach a goal of providing the highest level of service to their clients.

Collaboration is key--the company's workspace in Midtown is a large open space where team members talk freely about projects across workstations. The open studio incorporates a large table in the middle of the space. Every Spark Design employee is involved in every project. "We all do everything," Wlad, Gallagher, and Nafzger say.

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The Fourth and A Street mixed-use residential building began as a concept. Wlad, Gallagher, and Nafzger say...