Felder & Associates Designs New Bouhan Falligant LLP Office
Construction is completed on 18,000 square foot office building located at One West Park Avenue, south side of Forsyth Park
“We began this project by looking at other large-scale buildings located around Forsyth Park,” said Brian Felder, managing principal of Felder & Associates. “The Chicago-style of design, prominent in Savannah with examples like the Germania Bank, the Dunbar Theater, Adler’s and the News Press Building (all lost, save the News Press,) was the inspiration for the building. This style has characteristic pilasters, wide, stacked window bays, and simple cast stone ornamentation. The interior design approach centered on creating a modern and efficient layout.”
Q&A with Brian Felder of Felder & Associates:
What was the inspiration for this design?
We wanted a building that fit within the context around the south end of the park. We looked at the Telfair Hospital, the Sears Building, the Armory and the apartment building at W. Gwinnett and Whitaker. All are large-scale commercial buildings, and they set the timeframe for placing this building. We wanted the appearance of matching their construction methods with similar materials and fenestration (openings.)
What are some of the unique aspects of the design?
It was important to us to create a building that suited our image of the law firm. In my opinion, we couldn’t move this group of lawyers out of the Armstrong House and into a West Chatham office building. The building needed to fit the firm, and its prominent location on the southern end of Forsyth Park. Additionally, it was an exercise in designing a building that fit the context and addressed the corner of W. Park and Bull Streets. It needed to anchor that corner. The attorneys wanted a more democratic and efficient layout to the office.
Are there any green aspects?
We do have point-of-use controls for HVAC, allowing more individualized control of comfort systems. For instance, if two offices are warm on the southwest corner, we don’t have to chill the entire floor. We can just bring down the corner zone to be in the comfort zone. We also have highly-efficient HVAC systems. The envelope is as tight as it can be to lessen air infiltration and to provide a thermal break from the outside. We used daylighting and dimmable LED lighting to allow control and lessen the amount of artificial light needed. Every office has a window. We would expect a 30-50% reduction in energy use per person when compared to their existing building.
Any other interesting things to know?
The building was constructed in around 9 months, a bit of a record for a custom private office building in our area.
ABOUT FELDER & ASSOCIATES
Established in 2012, Felder & Associates specializes in historic preservation, commercial architecture, adaptive reuse architecture, corporate interior design, high-end residential design, green building and neo-traditional building. The firm has a staff of LEED accredited architects and interior designers who focus on sustainability. Locally, Felder & Associates is a member of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce and Historic Savannah Foundation. The firm is nationally connected in the American Institutes of Architects, the American Society of Interior Designers and the United States Green Building Council. Felder & Associates is a member of the International Interior Design Association. In 2014, Felder & Associates received a historic preservation award from the Historic Savannah Foundation and the best architecture firm award from Savannah Magazine. Felder & Associates recently completed the Grey restaurant in the former Greyhound bus depot in the Savannah historic district. The firm is located at 2514 Abercorn St. Suite 110, Savannah, GA 31401. For more information or to contact Felder & Associates, call 912-777-3979, or visit www.felderassociates.net
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