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January 21, 2016

Lord Aeck Sargent Designs Their Own Office Space in Colony Square

LEED Platinum Certification Awarded in the Iconic Building.

ATLANTA, GA, January 21, 2016 – Lord Aeck Sargent, after more than 20 years in their old office space, relocated to the top two floors of 100 Colony Square at the corner of 14th and Peachtree Streets.  The architectural design and planning firm chose to remain in Midtown Atlanta so that employees could continue to benefit from the culturally rich, walkable neighborhood with numerous amenities and easy access to public transportation and housing.

A new open stair within the space, encouraging physical activity and interaction, links the two floors and is bathed in natural light beneath skylights. The stair connects the 24th floor reception area to the large multi-purpose collaborative lounge and break room on the floor below through a large, new opening that bridges the two floors spatially. The main conference room overlooks this two-story volume, borrowing natural light from the exterior wall and skylights.

The open office layout is designed to support the work of the design teams, enhancing collaboration between the firm’s multiple practice areas as well as within each project team. The floor plan and furniture are designed for flexibility and allow for continually changing team configurations, while celebrating spectacular uninterrupted views from each workstation.

Teaming spaces of various sizes and shapes are located at every corner of the square floor plans on both levels. Circular and semi-circular conference rooms, informal open teaming areas, a large multi-use critique and training room as well as a materials resource library occupy this prime real estate. These meeting spaces offer full audio-visual and video conferencing capabilities for communication with clients, consultants and the firm’s regional offices. Other informal meeting spaces are located throughout both floors to encourage collaboration within the office. Together, the informal, formal and workstation spaces offer a variety of environments to allow for both collaborative and individual work.

The LEED Rating System provided an effective tool for the identification and incorporation of sustainable design strategies, with the project ultimately achieving LEED Platinum Certification.  The project’s urban site provides immediate pedestrian access to nearby housing, restaurant and park amenities as well as the Woodruff Arts Center and MARTA multi-modal transit station.  Showers, changing areas and visible, sculptural bicycle racks all celebrate physical activity and encourage alternate transportation to the office. LED lighting fixtures with sophisticated occupancy and daylight harvesting controls are estimated to reduce lighting energy use by 53%, achieving a Lighting Power Density of only 0.5 watts per square foot. Workstation occupancy sensors automatically control task lighting and computer monitors, turning them off when unoccupied, and high efficiency plumbing fixtures and Energy Star appliances further reduce resource consumption. The design provides abundant natural daylight and promotes active, healthy lifestyles.

Demonstrating that healthy, sustainable, collaborative workplaces can be created with conventional budgets and within existing building constraints, Lord Aeck Sargent’s new LEED Platinum Certified office is a physical testament to the firm’s commitment to sustainable design and to meeting the 2030 Challenge.

The project team
Lord Aeck Sargent (Atlanta, GA) – owner, interior design, sustainable design and architecture
McKenney’s Inc. (Atlanta, GA) – mechanical and plumbing engineering design/build
The Sextant Group (Decatur, GA) – audio/visual
Allison-Smith Company, LLC (Atlanta, GA) – electrical engineer design/build
Humphries and Company, LLC (Smyrna, GA) – general contractor

About Lord Aeck Sargent
Lord Aeck Sargent is an award-winning architectural and urban planning firm serving clients in academic, historic preservation, science & technology, interiors, arts and cultural, multi-family housing and mixed-use, and urban design and planning markets.

Lord Aeck Sargent has offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Lexington, Kentucky; and Washington, DC. For more information, visit the firm at www.lordaecksargent.com.

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