Green Workspaces Opening At Bank Of America Plaza, Other Offices

ATLANTA — While the coronavirus pandemic is hopefully winding down, work environments will be indelibly changed.

A trend emerging from this evolution is the development of corporate greenspace extending workspace outside of the office.

Bank of America Plaza in Midtown has begun construction of a contemporary urban park that will employees at the building to enjoy outdoor workspace and remain connected to their respective networks.

The park is scheduled to open this summer.

“Open-air and the ability to get out of the office is now more important than ever,” said Jack Corey, vice president at Shorenstein Properties, the real estate firm that owns and operates Bank of America Plaza. “Top talent needs and expects to have outdoor space, particularly in the environment we’re in now, and Shorenstein’s investment in this project reflects our commitment and belief that South Midtown is indeed the next talent hub in Atlanta. The significant amount of development coming online in the surrounding area only adds to the draw of Bank of America Plaza, which is well-positioned for future growth and success.”

The design of the park will flow into the entrance of the building, with free-standing shrubs and plant life being added in the place of planters that blocked sightlines from the adjacent roadways.

Gray Kiser, project manager for Atlanta-based design company Lord Aek Sargent, said the new design will create a better relationship to the adjacent streets North Avenue and Peachtree Street.

“The task of our project is to reintroduce Bank of America Plaza back into the fabric of Downtown and Midtown,” Kiser said. “To open up the front door of the property and transform it into a vibrant urban plaza creating dialog with the street and providing a series of spaces for a multitude of activities to occur, both programmed and spontaneous. The flexibility of the spaces can accommodate food trucks, outdoor festivals and other community events, which will encourage pedestrians to utilize the plaza and elevate the overall reputation of the property.”

Other open-air workspaces in Metro Atlanta include:

• The Dupree at Powers Ferry Landing West with its exterior patio optimized for outdoor work and collaboration
• Echo Street West, the forthcoming mixed-use property along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Westside Connector Trail that lets occupants work seamlessly between indoors and outdoors
• Halcyon has four acres of greenspace for office tenants and is a trailhead for the Big Green Creekway.