The Grove

Community at the centre

A mixed-use development organized around a generous shared landscape.

Located across the road from world-famous Seven Mile Beach, The Grove is a six-building, mixed-use development with 58 residential apartments atop 40,000 square feet of commercial space. The development is an alternative to the traditional landlord leasing model and instead offers market-friendly rent-to-own residential and commercial units. This proved a success, with all residential and half of the commercial units sold before construction.

Schematic design followed a rigorous study of both local strip malls and high-end commercial developments. We studied the functional efficiency of strip malls and the elements that define a high-end commercial development to deliver this Class A development. The general layout of the site is the opposite of a strip mall: by moving parking to the perimeter, we provided a large central green space connecting the buildings.

This configuration promotes social interaction and a sense of community by encouraging pedestrian movement through the central green space. This multifunctional space is an attractor in itself, complete with a water feature, a hill building with a terraced roof—Cayman is flat—and an outdoor cinema.

Johnson Architecture managed all aspects of design and contract administration.