In the heart of Atlanta’s downtown business, tourist and cultural center sits the Luckie-Marietta district. Once an industrial hub, feeding the east-west rail lines that snake through Atlanta, the Luckie-Marietta district is now a unique mixture of re-purposed industrial buildings and contemporary construction. Amidst the revival of this eclectic district is 285 Marietta Street, an undeveloped site with enormous potential.

 

For 285 Marietta Street, ai3 has designed an office tower concept, the form of which was inspired by the negative space created above the neighboring industrial buildings. The resulting building is as distinct as its surroundings. 

 

ai3’s concept for 285 Marietta Street was designed to enhance the existing activity of the Luckie-Marietta district. Because of its proximity to Atlanta’s growing attraction hub and convention district, the site is a unique destination for pedestrian traffic and tourist activity. Annually, more than 7.6 million people visit the nearby Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia World Congress Center, and CNN Studios.

 

A corner lot situated at the epicenter of all this activity, 285 Marietta Street, as conceived by ai3, is rooted at the street level. The building is designed with a series of base levels that are distinct in appearance and function apart from the office tower above. The base is intentionally designed to reference the negative space created by the buildings around it and to relate to the human scale. Within this centralized and inviting space are multiple levels filled with retail opportunities and personality.