Dazzling new renderings illustrate how a multifaceted mixed-use proposal could drastically change the way Piedmont Park, the Beltline's Eastside Trail, and Virginia-Highland come together.
The project by Smith Dalia Architects, called The Terrace at the Park, was recognized this year by AIA Georgia in the unbuilt category.
A source tells Curbed Atlanta the renderings represent more than a spitball concept — this out-of-the-box idea is rooted in reality, that is — but it's too early to discuss specifics.
The project's location is listed as "Confidential," but it would clearly be positioned on Monroe Drive, near the 10th Street intersection and Park Tavern. At last check, Beltline officials (former owners of the property) were soliciting bids and concepts for this key piece of real estate.
It earns praise from the AIA folks for capitalizing on the area's existing "urban tempo."
"Being at such a central location, it was important to the owners and design team that the project provide a vision for the neighborhood and city as an exemplar, vibrant, mixed-use environment," reads the AIA Georgia description. "Neighborhood retail components as well as public spaces are knit into the fabric of the development. The end result is a new community that is sensitive to and works with the scale of the existing neighborhood, but also responds successfully to the future potential and use(s) of the surrounding commercial areas and multi-use trail."
One interesting facet of the design — an idea that's hopefully copied as the Beltline encircles Atlanta — is how the development would interact with the future trail via a public pocket park. Renderings suggest this could include functional aspects such as hammocks, cafe seating, large chalkboard spaces for kids, and even a bouldering wall.
As for the structures themselves, AIA Georgia heralds them thusly:
The project’s architecture features a terracing form that steps down from the taller levels of the condominium building, showcasing maximum views of the park and city skyline. As the building terraces down, it amicably meets the scale of the single family homes situated across the street. Daylighting studies were performed to decrease shading of these residences ...
The massing of the condominium building was studied to mimic concepts often found in established urban settings – the result was a mix of a "podium" concept (where the base of a building is clearly articulated) and a "city block" concept (where the building is broken up into several masses). This allows for a building form that best fits the varying scales of the surrounding communities.
Add to that a community garden in the middle, below-ground parking, and a new restaurant across the trail from Park Tavern, and this sounds like a plan indeed.
- The Terraces at the Park [AIA Georgia]
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