The Phoenix apartment building inspired by a Nintendo video game is complete, Intersection Development announced last week.
The 36-unit Rainbow Road Apartments complex near First and Portland streets in downtown Phoenix was inspired by the Rainbow Road track in the Mario Kart game. The black exterior features geometric windows and the interior uses the bright colors featured in the racing game: red, yellow, green, cyan and blue.
“Rainbow Road is a reminder that cities don’t have to be neutral. They can be playful, imaginative, and alive,” Zac Cohen, creative director at Räkkhaus, said in a press release last week. “... [W]e merged color, movement, and geometry into a living urban experience — a building that doesn’t just exist, but invites people to pause, reflect, and feel something.”
Rent starts at $1,915 for a one-bedroom unit (620 square feet) and goes up to $4,885 for the largest three-bedroom unit (1,722 square feet).
The ground floor has retail space, a restaurant and a fitness studio. There is also a public-facing outdoor space, which the developer hopes will “foster greater community engagement” in the building, which is just north of Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row Arts District.
Rainbow Road, designed by Räkkhaus Studio, broke ground in January 2024 and is scheduled to open in early December.
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