Helm on the Allegheny: a Pittsburgh riverfront development with an impressive fitness amenity
A gorgeous waterfront property, Helm on the Allegheny is a sustainable, affordable, co-living community located in the Pittsburgh neighborhood referred to as “Robotics Row.” The area is walkable, lively, and full of breweries, restaurants, and local charm. The concept for the design of the property was a unique mix of economical and luxurious elements. Steel Street Capital Partners, the developers of the project, wanted the space to be accessible while also featuring the comforts of high-end living for their residents. The building is also LEED® Silver certified, signifying an attention paid to minimizing the building and construction process’ effect on the ecology and environment.
When assessing what they wanted to incorporate in the property’s mix of amenities, the developers knew one of the amenities most highly valued by renters is an onsite fitness facility. However, Ryan Guy and Brandon Guy, co-founders of Steel Street Capital Partners, didn’t want just any fitness facility - they wanted something that really impressed residents and motivated them to join their community. In his own words, Brandon recalls, “We wanted to do something special in a pretty tight footprint.” The space is just over 1000 sq. ft. and is an unusual shape, characteristics that offered challenges as they considered their options.
As the development team began to envision the fitness amenity for Helm on the Allegheny, they knew they wanted to feature functional equipment and offer residents as many workout possibilities as they could.
At one point, the Steel Street team contemplated designing and putting together the fitness facility independently. They first decided to tour some other local facilities for inspiration and looked specifically at a project Advantage had worked on in a nearby neighborhood. When they saw that project, they knew they had found what they were looking for.
““When I walked in, I said yes, this is what I want. We want something that has this level of WOW factor.”
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Brandon guy
President & Founder
steel street capital partners LLC.
Brandon and Ryan agreed that if they were going to offer the level of quality they were aiming to achieve in their fitness space, they really needed to bring in experts — the same experts that worked on the facility they toured and loved.
When we spoke with the team at Steel Street after the fitness amenity at Helm on the Allegheny was complete, they emphasized that working with ASF Sales Rep Dan Sawyer was particularly rewarding because he displayed a lot of patience for the many changes and adjustments throughout the process. They also expressed their appreciation for the level of transparency and integrity Advantage demonstrated, which made the process much more smooth and efficient.
The Steel Street project leaders attribute their satisfaction with the planning process and final outcome to Dan’s ability to navigate through difficulties with ease and his respect for their ambitious goals.
““What we had with Advantage, and with Dan in particular, is that he would listen. We would analyze the pain points together and Dan would think outside the box for us. He would come back to us and say, ‘I hear what you’re trying to achieve. This is a possibility that isn’t 100% of what you want, but closer to 90%. We could try it out. What do you think?’ And that was valuable.””
Brandon guy
President & Founder
steel street capital partners LLC.
Since moving in, residents of Helm on The Allegheny have expressed staggering appreciation and positive feedback for the gym. The reactions when prospective residents walk into the fitness space are exactly what Steel Street wanted, and the gym has truly become a gathering space that unifies the wide demographic living at the community.
One piece of equipment developers expressed early interest in, and residents now love, is the custom Escape Fitness Octagon. It’s an attention grabbing, multifunctional piece of equipment that residents are especially drawn to. It took some time and thought to design the combination of structural layout and attachments. Ryan and Brandon explained that Dan was paramount in assisting them to put together the right configuration, and now, it’s become the centerpiece of the fitness space. Not just because of its size and eye-catching colors, but because it features so many engaging and diverse exercise options. From storage for kettlebells, medicine balls, and corebags, to bars, rings, and ropes for agility and bodyweight training, this central piece of equipment has proven to be a valuable investment.
Thank you to Steel Street Capital Partners for trusting us with your vision and allowing us to create a beautiful wellness space for your residents!