A Phoenix Apartment Complex Brings The Ultimate Mario Kart Fan’s Dream to Life
With a new apartment complex speeding into downtown Phoenix, Mario Kart fans may want to visit and see its design up close. The complex pulls direct inspiration from the whimsical world of Nintendo’s biggest racing game. Named after the iconic Rainbow Road track, the building aims to be a vibrant landmark. So, how exactly did its creative director, Zac Cohen, translate a chaotic kart race into a livable space?
Live Inside a Mario Kart Level
According to Cohen, his team wanted to construct something unique that would make people stop and stare. To achieve this goal, the architects at Räkkhaus filled the apartment’s design with clever easter eggs for fans. For instance, they can find the many twists and turns of a Mario Kart circuit, as the apartment was constructed into a twelve-sided building. Furthermore, visitors can get a sense of a dramatic impression of motion that’s nothing more than a facade.
Residents can also experience a twisting visual effect, as the apartment’s windows are angled in different ways. Those who progress upward through the building can see that each floor is designed to feel like leveling up in the game. Not only that, but all window insets are painted in different colors from the original Mario Kart. Given this playful exterior, what can people on the ground expect from these interactive elements?
Where Gamers Can Finally Feel at Home
The integration of Mario Kart in the apartment complex’s design continues beyond the building’s walls. In the complex, residents see that these public art components are directly tied to its theme. Just looking at the bike racks, viewers can feel like they’re on the actual Rainbow Road track. Additionally, this same colorful, geometric design are incorporated into the benches.
The mixed-use nature of the Mario Kart complex ultimately reveals this commitment to the theme, as it’ll include a public fitness area and an indoor-outdoor restaurant. Given that this fun, playful design was made to be a potential catalyst for higher design in Phoenix’s Arts District, will future residents need a power-up to afford the rent? The apartment is nearly complete after sixteen months of construction.
Although it offers thirty-six apartment units, rents start at over $900 a month. Furthermore, the Rainbow Road experience will be completed in a public art overlay on the surrounding sidewalk. For potential tenants, one question may pop in their heads: Will moving in feel more like winning a grand prix or accidentally hitting a banana peel? Whether daily life there promises a smooth ride or is constantly plagued by blue shells will eventually be known over time.
