PROJECT Modera Reynoldstown

ARCHITECT SK+I Architecture

LOCATION  Atlanta, Georgia US

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  4/9/2021

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Sami Kirkdil, FAIA; Toygun Mar, AIA; Lisa Newsome, AIA; Ben Zoghbi; Marius Radulescu, AIA
OWNER/CLIENT Mill Creek Residential
CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Mill Creek Residential
PHOTOGRAPHER  David Crawford

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Parker Rodriguez
CIVIL ENGINEER Kimley-Horn
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Ellinwood + Machado
MECHANICAL ENGINEER Jordan & Skala Engineers
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Jordan & Skala Engineers
CONSULTANT Interior Design: HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates)
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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT  

Modera Reynoldstown is a 5-story, mixed-use development featuring 320 apartment homes and approximately 18,500 square feet of retail on 3.86 acres of land. The catalyst for growth in the area comes from the Atlanta Beltline Project—a sustainable, redevelopment project based on the old railroad corridors—located two blocks from the community.

The site is located at the busy intersection of a single-family residential zone and a commercial zone. The project team was therefore tasked with designing a building that could exist at the nexus of these disparate zones—without wholly offending the other –while also acknowledging the historic roots of the Reynoldstown neighborhood that relied heavily on the railroad industry well into the 20th century.

To mitigate this, the facade facing Memorial Drive took an “old meets new” approach with its treatment. The “old” element is a heavily colonnaded, brick base reminiscent of the old warehouses, intersected with a shiny, grey, corrugated metal cube that cantilevers on one side. Additionally, the facade pulls back and exposes five, glass-enclosed pedestrian bridges. The bridges are a dynamic component that connects the residents, provides views to the bustling city life outside, and—at night—are activated by accent lighting and artwork created by a local, Atlantan artist. This facade faces another multi-family residential building situated on the grounds of a 1940s dairy plant that has now been repurposed into a mixed-use community.

Wrapping around the building to Pearl Street, the large scale is broken down into sections by various materials and façade finishes. The undulating variegated face features three-story high bays pulled from the facade to resemble townhomes. The same grey, corrugated metal paneling is used to highlight those bays—reinforcing their smaller scale. Additionally, for the surrounding areas, the facade features the first peak of a lighter color application—cool white—and can be visually interpreted as the same white siding found on single-family homes across the country. Lastly, the transition between the two facades is achieved with ground-level units that have their own Individual entrances, correlating back to the architectural language of a townhome.

Transitioning from a smaller to larger neighborhood-scale was not only achieved through manipulation of the facades. The design team also considered pedestrian and vehicular circulation patterns. Due to Memorial Drive being the main thoroughfare, the decision was made to create two roads that would bisect the building—one running perpendicular from Memorial Drive and the other from Pearl Street—to form a tree and bench-lined, L-shaped, inner road within the property that also leads to the above-grade parking deck. Retail is also wrapped from the outside of the building into both the pedestrian and vehicular passageways, inviting visitors to explore the site.

The building’s exterior and interior design takes its inspiration from the historic, industrial roots and the eclectic existing neighborhood. The community consists of above-grade parking, electric charging stations, and boasts a hidden speakeasy, tranquil co-working space, and individual, private rooftop terraces among other wonderful amenities.

JURY COMMENTS (If applicable)

[KY=Kim Yao (Chair)  KD=Kimberly Dowdell  TY=Takashi Yanai]

KD: This building offers a solid response to a topographical challenge on a dynamic street, nicely completing a corner and creating what appears to be a successful residential experience.

TY: This building is nice urbanistically—it negotiates the corner well and has a successful interior street that a number of units face, creating a nice place to live.

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project/Jury PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)

1. Corner of Memorial Drive and Pearl Street; Photographer: David Crawford
2. Memorial Drive Passageway with Glass Enclosed Bridges; Photographer: David Crawford
3. Memorial Drive Facade with Ground-floor Retail; Photographer: David Crawford

4. Interior of Memorial Drive Passageway; Photographer: David Crawford
5. Tree and Bench-lined Passageway from Pearl Street; Photographer: David Crawford
6. Interior Courtyard; Photographer: David Crawford
7. Pearl Street Facade; Photographer: David Crawford
8. Facade Detail; Photographer: David Crawford