26th Annual Awards for Excellence Finalists & Winners
On May 19, the Awards for Excellence program recognized 12 new developments and initiatives in the Atlanta region and honored two individual award recipients, the late Noel Khalil for the Frank Carter Community Achievement Award and Bill Bolling for the Dan and Tally Sweat Community Leadership Award!
All 12 project finalists were evaluated by a jury of ULI members with a diverse range of expertise and broad perspectives. While there were only five Award categories, there were actually six winners. The nomination and jury process uncovered two projects whose achievements stood alone in their specific and unique alignment with ULI’s core mission priorities.
The first, Rodney Cook Park demonstrated a community-focused public realm development characterized by equity and parks, open space, and equitable development. While the second project, ASHRAE Net Zero Energy Headquarters exemplified ULI’s commitment to addressing the built environment’s role in reaching net zero. Both of these projects were Awarded the ULI Atlanta Mission Advancement Award.
The other Award Winners by category:
Excellence in ULI Mission Advancement
Excellence in Adaptive Reuse/Repositioning
Finalists VideoExcellence in Civic/Institutional
Excellence in Office/Commercial Mixed Use
Finalists Video26th Awards for Excellence Finalists
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(1) 725 Ponce
725 Ponce is a Class-A mixed-use development on the Beltline adjacent to Ponce City Market. The site includes a new 60,000 square feet urban-prototype Kroger grocery store and 12-story office building with 370,000 square feet of modern industrial office space designed to complement the surrounding historic buildings.
725 Ponce has an innovative design and elevated outdoor space and amenities, such as a bike valet, to support healthy lifestyles while overlooking the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail.
100% of the office parking is immediately below the property, requiring an excavation of dirt and eliminating the need for above-ground structured parking along the Beltine. 725 Ponce received LEED Silver (including the Kroger) and piloted the use of carbon cure concrete.
The building stands as a transformational example in the Atlanta office market, creating a vibrant atmosphere for the community.
Project Team
– New City Properties
– Cousins
– S9
– Cooper Carry
– Brasfield & Gorrie -
Originally built in 1906 by Coca-Cola founder Asa Griggs Candler, The Candler Building was originally a state-of-the-art office building. After years of decline, the building was transformed into a modern boutique hotel in Fall of 2019. The Candler Hotel launched with the flagship French-inspired restaurant By George, named after the two architects, hired by Asa Candler to design the building, George Stewart and George E. Murphy.
On the edge of Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta, the hotel’s classic beaux-arts façade cements its place as an iconic Downtown Atlanta landmark. At seventeen stories and 250,000 SF, the property includes the Annex Building adjacent to the original Candler Building, connected internally and providing a lavish ballroom and support kitchen. A remote parking garage provides valet parking services to the hotel’s guest. All three buildings make up the entirety of the Candler Hotel. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, much of its original character and historic details were restored.
Rich in history and legacy, The Candler Hotel is one of the city’s architectural gems.
Project Team
– R.E.M. Associates, L.P.
– The Beck Group
– Development Services Group, Inc
– Eberly & Associates
– Stanley D. Lindsey & Associates
– McKenney’s Inc.
– Lord Aeck Sargent
– Faith Technologies, Inc.
– Jordan & Skala Engineers
– NicoleHollis
– Gabler Youngston
– Code Consultants Inc.
– Development Services Group, Inc -
Originally constructed in the early 1950’s as a housing development, the reimagined Kimpton Sylvan Hotel opened in February 2021.
The building was briefly the tallest in Buckhead, contributing to its application for historic designation; a designation that determined the preservation efforts required of this hotel conversion. On the exterior façade, the hotel is distinguished by its unique I shape, a homage to its mid-century past. As part of this historic renovation, the original corridors and circulation cores were maintained, and the 216 guestrooms were configured to align with the footprint of the original 1950s apartments. The boutique hotel includes over 4,000 square feet of meeting and events space, a garden, and rooftop bar.
The Kimpton doesn’t fall short on food and beverage experience or design, delivering The Betty restaurant, Willow Bar, and St. Julep.
Project Team
– Portman Holdings
– Sobu Flats, LLC
– SSOE|Stevens & Wilkinson
– Reeves Young, LLC
– Savino Miller Design Studio,
– TSW Associates, Inc.
– Goodrich Company
– Wilson Associates -
Star Metals Residences is part of The Allen Morris Company’s live-work-play Star Metals development located in the heart of West Midtown. Unique features are spread throughout the development to pay tribute to West Midtown’s Industrial heritage. For example, railroad tracks are formed into an art display in the main lobby.
The project was delivered with many obstacles along the way including the global pandemic, major site issues, including the need to build around an existing structure, and topography challenges that required blasting 15,000 CY of rock.
Despite these challenges, Star Metals was delivered two months ahead of schedule and within budget. The project is a 9-story, 675,000 square feet mixed-use development with 409 units. The upscale retail and restaurant entities that will not just serve the residents living at Star Metals, but residents and visitors from across Atlanta’s Westside. The Star Metals master development is the true definition of a successful partnership.
Project Team
– The Allen Morris Company
– Dwell Design Studio
– Juneau Construction
– Eberly & Associates
– Ellinwood + Machado
– Jordan & Skala -
(5) 395 JP Brawley
395 James P. Brawley Drive is an inspiring example of an affordable housing project on Atlanta’s Historic Westside.
395 JP Brawley represents the intersection of physical revitalization and community retention of a blighted and vacant property. The project guarantees long-term affordable housing and was funded through an innovative public -private partnership including private philanthropic support; an operating subsidy provided by Atlanta Housing HomeFlex vouchers; and permanent financing through Westside Future Fund’s social impact fund. Thanks to robust philanthropic support, WFF is able to sustain the property for a population where the aggregate median household income is approximately 40% of AMI. The average tenant-paid rent is only $677, a figure made possible through Atlanta Housing’s HomeFlex vouchers and WFF self-subsidy. This speaks to the high level of affordability that this unique development and housing program are designed to support. WFF’s blended financial model leverages philanthropic equity to rapidly acquire assets, locking them down for use as permanently affordable housing even in the runaway growth of the local market.
Completed in April 2021, the site features 31 total units with amenities that include a new laundry facility, community room, community-wide wireless internet, with new porches and balconies overlooking a central common area. The buildings, previously all one and two bedroom units were reconfigured into a wider variety of sizes to accommodate varying family sizes. Ultimately, this project is a critical success in a broader effort to maintain permanent affordability, which will provide a ladder
to economic mobility, community stabilization, and an ecosystem that disrupts the
intergenerational cycle of poverty.Project Team
-Westside Future Fund
-Red Clay Development Partners
-Community Construction Group
-Jones Pierce Architects
-Stability Engineering
-Proficient Engineering
-Flippo Civil Design
-Trees Atlanta -
Rodney Cook Sr Park at Historic Vine City is a 16-acre park that was uniquely designed to capture 10-million gallons of stormwater to remedy the continual flooding and ultimate storm-damaged caused to the neighborhood in 2002.
The park features a naturally shaped pond that compliments the elevated walkway, terraced walls, overlooks and pond access walks. The pond and tiered aeration fountains provide a permanent water amenity for the park while encompassing the ability to receive stormwater up to the 100-year event. Park amenities were designed for visitors of all ages including a splash pad, aeration fountain, playground, market plaza, multi-purpose courts, and an amphitheater stage.
Cook Park is now a vibrant open space for the community and represents the vision and collaboration between community members and local leaders to renew an unused and vacant space. This project represents a collaborative effort between The Trust for Public Land, the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, and most importantly the community.
Project Team:
– City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
– City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation
– The Trust for Public Land (TPL)
– HDR
– Freese and Nichols
– Astra Group, Inc. -
(7) 340 Auburn
340 Auburn Ave is a $2.2 million adaptive mixed-use preservation project located in the heart of the Sweet Auburn and Martin Luther King, Jr Historic Districts. 340 Auburn serves as a pioneer in this long-standing blighted corridor, found on the corner of Auburn Ave and Hilliard Street, the building was successfully restored as a demonstration project for the City of Atlanta showcasing both innovation and sustainable affordable housing and catalytic re-activation of Auburn Ave.
By using multiple funding sources such as: The Eastside TAD resurgence grant, state and federal historic tax credits, impact investment equity, mezzanine, and permanent debt financing – 340 Auburn was successfully restored as a 6,390 sq ft brick building with two stories sitting on 4,765 sq ft site.
The development includes seven micro-units apartments ranging from 291 to 451 sq ft creating a unique living experience for affordable urban living. The retail and restaurant space shared by Atlanta Breakfast Club, Nitro Coffee Bar, and the non-profit, Remerge is generating economic activity and renewed energy for the corridor.
340 Auburn Ave is an example of combining rehabilitation and social impact that will continue to have a positive effect throughout the neighborhood for years to come.Project Team
-Good Places
-BLDGS
-Invest Atlanta
-Capitol Services Management, Inc
-VeraCruz Advisory
-Morrison Design
-CBH
-Urban South -
(8) Atlanta Mission’s Restoration House
The Atlanta Mission’s Restoration House completed their 44,385 square foot shelter for women and children, focusing on those who have experienced trauma in November 2021. Situated on a 1.535 acre tract, the project was constructed on the site of the Mission’s former facility, Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. The new construction facility offers overnight shelter, meals, resource referrals, and medical care and has allowed the Mission to expand its day services by 30% and create 102 shelter beds for those in need.
Thoughtful, human-centered design was key throughout the Restoration House to serve mothers and children who have experienced life-altering events. Trauma-informed design affects nearly everything in the built environment; From how clients are greeted as they enter, to room colors, ceiling heights and other finishes, furniture layouts, to bedroom layouts – all the way to seemingly insignificant details such as providing ample plugs for phone charging, the intentional elements are designed to reduce an individual’s anxiety and fear while creating a safe and secure environment where clients can heal. The Restoration House now provides safe indoor and outdoor spaces, a playground, medical center, vocational training and job placement programs.
The new facility has allowed Atlanta Mission to serve more women and children while expanding its services and fulfilling its mission.
Project Team
–Atlanta Mission
-Nelson
-Balfour Beatty
-Impact Development Management
-Lose Design
-Ellinwood-Machado
-J & A Engineering
-Confluence
-Design Resources for Homelessness -
(9) ASHRAE Net Zero Energy Headquarters
ASHRAE Headquarters – Located in Peachtree Corners, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Headquarters is a 66,000 sq. ft. net-zero energy facility renovated in 2020.
The overall goal of the renovation was to become a living laboratory and to prove the economic viability of a fully net-zero-energy operation. Showcasing the latest HVAC&R equipment and technology, the building provides real-time usage and performance data to the industry and world, and one which could be realized in an economically justifiable way using replicable technology.
ASHRAE features diffuse, high-performance skylights providing near-continuous daylight to 60% of all occupied spaces, solar panels, and an air quality monitoring system to help sustain occupant comfort.
ASHRAE’s new headquarters is an example of integrated building solutions and sustainability in practice.
Project Team:
– ASHRAE International
– Houser Walker Architecture
– McLennan Design
– Integral Group
– Shear Structural
– TSAV
– Costing Services Group
– Acustica
– Collins Project Management (now Impact Development Management)
– Skanska, N.A.
– Epsten Group
– SK Collaborative -
(10) David T. Howard Middle School
Opened in 1924, on land donated by a former slave, David T. Howard Middle School campus is immersed in the rich history of Atlanta and the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District. Abandoned for four decades, the 7.5-acre urban block was transformed and reactivated through the restoration of the 85,000 sq ft historic building, gymnasium, auditorium and a 122,000 sq ft addition.
Honoring the rich history and legacy of the neighborhood, the renovation compliments the historic building by designing additions that complement the original structures. Restoring and preserving the existing brick walls, the terrazzo floors, the wood gym bleachers along with dedicating one classroom to represent the historic finishes and configuration of the school. The design philosophy was to respect the historic building, heritage landscape elements and the intimate relationship to the neighborhood. Located within the Old Fourth Ward, half a mile east of downtown Atlanta, the site design features outdoor learning, outdoor recreation, a shade garden, pedestrian spaces, and green infrastructure.
With notable alumni such as Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Maynard Jackson, the first black mayor of Atlanta, Vernon Jones, Mildred McDaniel Singleton and Walt Frazier, this middle school campus will continue to serve as an anchor for the Civil Rights Movement and foster a culture of equality for generations.
Project Team
-Atlanta Public Schools
-SSOE|Stevens & Wilkinson
-Lord Aeck Sargent
-Eberly and Associates
-Sykes Consulting
-Camacho
-Acustica
-Parrish Construction Group -
(11) Colony Square
Over 50 years ago, Jim Cushman put a stake in the ground at the corner of 14th and Peachtree Streets in Midtown Atlanta and said, “When Atlanta becomes a real city – it will happen here.” His pioneering vision led to the largest construction undertaking in the history of Atlanta and the development of the Southeast’s first mixed-use destination, Colony Square.
Fast forward to 2017 and the reimagining of Colony Square commenced with construction completed in summer 2021. This endeavor promised that Colony Square could be “Midtown’s living room” and is now home to 160,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment space; 940,000 square feet of office; luxury residences and Hotel Midtown by Hilton. The 40,000 square feet of outdoor greenspace, including The Plaza and The Grove are meant to invite people to mingle. Colony Square’s food hall Politian Row promises an innovative dining scene where you can enjoy shareable dishes in a beautiful communal dining space.
The redevelopment of Colony Square has realized Jim Cushman’s predictions and has become a vibrant mixed-use destination creating a gathering space for visitors near and far.
Project Team
– North American Properties
– Beyer Blinder Belle
– Lord Aeck Sargent
– HOAR Construction
– Butler-Bell
– Crosby Design Group
– Atlanta Arts Center
– DRC Art Consulting
– Site Solutions
– Kimley Horn -
(12) Coda Tech Square
Coda at Tech Square is a 770,000 square feet, mixed-use building containing office space, research labs, 25,000 square feet of retail space (including a food hall), and an 80,000 sq ft data center called DataBank. Located at 756 West Peachtree in Midtown Atlanta, Coda sits on a full city block parcel, in Technology Square, and is bordered by Armstead Place and 4th Street to the North and South, and Spring Street and West Peachtree to the West and East.
The theme of Coda’s development is to create a deliberate environment for collaboration. Coda’s achieves this through the innovative concept of the Collaborative Core, a 17-story, 35,000 square feet atrium connected by the world’s tallest spiral staircase. Floors 5 through 21 feature open lounges designed to connect academic and industry tenants out of the suites to exchange ideas.
Coda represents the latest in building technology innovation and is the first multi-tenant building in Georgia to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The building design facilitates a sustainable, innovative ecosystem that integrates the existing assets of area with new opportunities in research, economic development, commercialization, and sustainability. Green features include waste heat recovery, rainwater harvesting, and a smart grid for utility infrastructure.
The Project Team
– Portman Holdings
– Portman Tech, LLC
– Portman Architects
– DPR Construction
– SWA/Balsley
– Ai3 Inc
– ASD | SKY
