Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
Overlooking Columbia’s Congaree Vista, this new facility served as the admin-istrative
headquarters for BellSouth’s activities in the southeastern United States.
Consisting of five floors of administrative space and two levels of underground
parking, the first floor includes a business resource center and multi-purpose
areas for use by BellSouth and the general public. The remaining four floors are
a blend of individual offices and open office configurations. The building’s exterior
skin is constructed of architectural pre-cast concrete panels and high performance
insulated glazing. |
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
Located at the intersection of Taylor and Huger Streets, this structure served
as a catalyst for development along the Congaree Vista. The first two floors have
a series of terraces overlooking the heavily landscaped site; while the third
level has a landscaped terrace facing the Congaree River. In addition to two-stories
of parking beneath the building, employees and visitors may also access the site
via a covered bridge from the new parking structure to the north of the site.
One can see in this site plan that even though this is a downtown site that,
rather than filling the site with building, the footprint was intentionally kept
as compact as possible to leave gracious open space for landscaping. In addition
to the opportunity this provides for civic beauty, it minimizes impervious surfaces
and aids in reducing storm water runoff. This benefits the city’s storm water
sewer system, residents downstream on the Congaree and aids in recharging the
water table.
Leaving that much open space on the site places more responsibility on the designer
to “site” the building in the best way possible. The approach here was to place
it in the northeast corner of the site. This properly addresses Huger Street maintaining
the existing urban fabric. The open, landscaped areas were left to the south and
west sides. The landscaping helps to beautify Taylor Street to the south and buffers
the vehicular access from Williams Street to the west. |
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
While closely examining the site, we realized that an urban edge was emerging.
To the southeast of this site, Waterfront Park is the only separation we have
from the river. Therefore, this site serves as an edge; and part of the consideration
for siting the building was to respect and communicate this. The next logical
step was to use the building to communicate this as well. Thus, the formal concept
is revealed by “peeling” away the corners of the traditional city block creating
dynamic outdoor spaces while properly addressing established street corners.
On a small scale, this peeling, or the careful removal of mass, interplayed with
glazing works to deteriorate the massiveness of the building. While on a larger
scale, it does the same for the block and, thus, the city’s edge at this location.
This almost leads one to the park and, ultimately, the river.
Back on the project scale, we can position and size these voids to create a clear
identity of entrance, monumentality, etc. The goal then is to make one aware that
these pieces have been taken away. |
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
The view from Huger Street shows a building mostly in conformance with estab-lished
urban patterns. However, one can see the beginning of the breakdown in building
mass. Here it signals the path to the building entrance. The massive stair tower
to the right draws attention to the open corner and directs pedestrians to the
proper path. |
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
In this image from Taylor Street, the entrance at the corner is evident to the
far right. This open corner leads to the entrance tower in the center. The monumentality
of this tower is reinforced by this void and others. Additionally, the increasing
removal of building mass as the eye moves left signals a breakdown in the building
and urban fabric which culminates in the open space of the park on the bank of
the river. |
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
Looking from Williams Street to the rear of the site, the stair tower emerges
from the solid base created by the parking structure. We have peeled away building
creating balconies and terraces on either side, but left the tower intact. This
only makes us more aware of the building that was removed. |
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
Most evident in this image from the corner of Williams and Taylor Streets is
the amount of open space and landscaping. This has obvious aesthetic and environmental
benefits, but it also provides appropriate transition from the city to Waterfront
Park thus completing our goal to communicate this site and building as an edge
in the urban fabric. |
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
|
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
|
Client: Bellsouth Telecommunications
Location: Downtown Columbia, SC
Scope: 7-story, 180,000 sf
Completion Date: 2000
Cost: $20 million
Seen here in this image of the entrance lobby, strong elegant materials with
clean lines communicate an image of stability and timelessness. |
|
