The Georgia State University College of Law new building, 85 Park Place, received an Award of Excellence from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission at a ceremony May 23.
The annual competition recognizes projects, programs, individuals and organizations that have significantly contributed toward the enhancement of the city of Atlanta’s built environment, the preservation of its physical heritage, and the sympathetic balance between the old and the new.
“Winning a 2016 Award of Excellence for New Construction is a great honor,” said Ron Stang, lead architect with Stevens & Wilkinson. “The commission is very much focused on good design in the urban core, often with a bent towards historic preservation. So getting recognized for a new, institutional facility is quite special.”
Stang said the commission applauded the composition of the building’s materials against the backdrop of the historic Candler Building and creation of linear public plaza spaces along the two fronting streets of the law school.
“We built this building to serve the community, so to be recognized by the broader community we serve is affirming,” said Doug Yarn, professor of law, who served as building co-chair.
The building, 85 Park Place, has received several design awards since it opened in June 2015.
“For the law school and the university, it means we’ve arrived,” Yarn said. “The law school is no longer simply put in a convenient generic building. Georgia State University now has the motivation and means to build well-designed location-appropriate specialty buildings for science, law and other disciplines.”
The law school was intentionally built to not stand out, but instead incorporate elements of the buildings surrounding it, Yarn said. “Its reflective surfaces mirror the neighboring buildings. As you approach on foot, its angles welcome the pedestrian in rather than overwhelm,” he said.
Yarn devoted more than a decade to envisioning and helping create 85 Park Place. During that time, he, co-chair Chip Hill, assistant dean for administration and finance, and other staff and faculty, visited newly built schools and contemplated every detail of the building – from exterior and interior surfaces to the fabric on office chairs. The building was designed by SmithGroup JJR (Washington, D.C.) with Stevens & Wilkinson serving as the architect of record. It was constructed by McCarthy Building Co. Jones Lang LaSalle was the program manager during the design phase.
“The most comments I get are about the top two floors that contain the library and student study spaces,” Yarn said. “The views are outstanding; combined with the openness and natural light, it makes for a very inviting place to study, meet with peers, and just hang out.”
Although 85 Park Place has been open for almost a year, Yarn continues to finalize details and make adjustments.
“As we approach our first year anniversary of occupying the space, I’m starting to settle in. I taught in our innovative advocacy skills suite this spring and was really pleased with the functionality,” he said. “It’s a bit like a new car—you’re afraid to drive it too fast or to get it dirty, but as we settle in, we’re learning how to live and work in our new space.”