Chamblee, a growing municipality within Metro Atlanta, enlisted Seven Oaks Company to oversee the master plan for a new Town Center. The vision was to transform a sleepy neighborhood of low-rise industrial buildings into a vibrant, walkable urban district, adding density while preserving the area’s notable character.
To bring this vision to life, Seven Oaks Company engaged The S/L/A/M Collaborative to design one of the first components of the new Town Center: the transformation of an existing 35,000 SF brick warehouse built in 1964.
As a crucial parcel within the town’s master plan, the transformation of this building into an attractive adaptive reuse creative office would serve as a catalyst for development in the neighborhood. To achieve this, the design needed to be flexible to appeal to a variety of commercial tenants and embrace the building’s unique features to set it apart from competing buildings, all while contributing to the goals of the Town’s master plan, which emphasized the importance of a strong sense of public space and walkability.
SLAM’s design team approached this project by first understanding what makes a great office building in any setting and then identified unique design opportunities specific to the existing building and site. Our team embraced the high bay height and authentic masonry of the building’s perimeter walls and installed new large windows and skylights that flood the space with abundant daylight. The design also includes a generous indoor-outdoor common area with high-end furnishings that provide opportunities to refresh, team-build, socialize, and celebrate.
The overall design resulted in a Class A, amenity-rich, Creative Office Building that meets the needs of its tenants and contributes to the larger goals of the Chamblee Town Center master plan. The transformation of this building has had a significant impact on the community. Serving as a catalyst of positive momentum and tangible improvement for the Town Center, a fact borne out by the numerous active construction sites dotting the neighborhood in recent months. 2135 American Industrial Way has been fully leased to a tenant eager to relocate to Chamblee and bring the new Town Center to life as it continues to take shape around them.
We’re excited to be part of the growing and vibrant downtown Chamblee community, which has been gaining momentum with other commercial and residential developments. [This project] will appeal to businesses that desire walkability.