Orchid Arbor Crest is a dynamic 50-unit multi-family residential project located in the vibrant and walkable neighborhood of Hillcrest. The project, completed in 2021, occupies a prominent corner lot. It contributes to its surrounding context and enhances the community character of the residential neighborhood with its bold form, striking colors and varied material palette. The project’s façade uses metal siding, ceramic tiles, and multiple colors of exterior cement plaster to give the exterior a sense of rhythm. Its form achieves this effect as well, by shifting units to break up the mass of the building. Most striking is the fiber cement rainscreen that wraps the corner of the project fronting the street, bringing cohesion to the design. The project utilizes the City’s new micro-housing ordinance to provide much needed housing. Further differentiating itself, Arbor Crest makes use of automated parking to provide spaces for all tenants within a small garage footprint. It provides an exciting vision of what San Diegan multifamily architecture can achieve through skillful and intentional design.