LOS ANGELES-TCA Architects has won two Grand Awards from the National Association of Home Builders for multifamily projects the firm designed in San Diego and Glendale, GlobeSt.com reported in an earlier story. The awards recognized the firm's innovation in designing buildings for the millennial generation. GlobeSt.com sat down with TCA Architects CEO Thomas P. Cox, AIA, LEED AP, to discuss some of the major design trends attracting this generation.

GlobeSt.com: What are the major design characteristics that are attracting millennials?

We are seeing a propensity of clients who are looking for these micro units. It is a real challenge for the architect to create an inhabitable environment that doesn't feel like you are being crammed into a shoebox. We are finding ways to eliminate closet space and we are creating hanging racks. As we compact these spaces, we have to be more innovative about storage spaces, the cooking and eating experience and places for electronics. Those are the major trends in floor plan design, but there is also a trend toward personalization. Apartments 10 years ago would have had one color scheme, and now we are offering three or four color schemes in a variety of units. In the complex, we are taking the spaces that we formerly allocated to a clubroom or movie theater, and we are dispersing those throughout the project in a series of opportunities for people to gather. We're seeing a lot of outdoor opportunities. We are putting roof decks on virtually every project, and sometimes as many as four roof decks. On the ground floor, we're putting some of the amenity spaces, like complete bike shops for the residents and creative office, which I think is a relatively new trend.