Knight Park Pavilion is an adaptive reuse project that transformed an existing eyesore into a community amenity. Originally built in 1945, the simple brick building had been unused for decades and in a state of significant disrepair. A vision plan for the park determined it should be transformed into a pavilion that could be used as a gathering space by all the residents, given that the structure occupied one of the only flat areas in a very hilly park. STA worked closely with the Historic Howell Station neighborhood association, Park Pride and the City of Atlanta Parks Department to bring this to life.

Veil Beauty Collective is a new salon in Decatur focused on color, cuts and various aesthetic treatments. The owners wanted to create a dark and moody vibe for the space as a counterpoint to so many other salons that are full of light materials and clinically bright. We were able to incorporate some of the raw concrete elements of the space to play against the dark palette and the large north facing storefront wall helps to balance things with a massive amount of natural light.

Contractor: Northwest Georgia Construction

Photography: Amelia Lawrence Photography

Contractor: Trident Construction Group

What had been a flooring showroom has been transformed into Marietta’s newest F45. This tenant fit out gutted the existing space to create an entry zone up front, fitness studio in the middle and support spaces in the rear. These changes allowed the owner to maximize the size of the fitness studio as well as take advantage of the higher ceilings once the structure was exposed.

Photography by Dan Settle

Client: Moving in the Spirit

Contractor: Structor Group

The name of Moving in the Spirit’s new building is A Space to Soar. This new home is located directly adjacent to the Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA station and will provide high-quality dance instruction coupled with performance, leadership and mentor opportunities, allowing youth to realize their highest potential.

I designed this pro-bono project while leading the Social Purpose program at Perkins&Will (Atlanta).

Photography by Jonathan Hillyer and JandDImages, LLC

Client: Community Farmers Markets, MARTA, GA Food Oasis-Atlanta, Organix Matters and Atlanta Community Food Bank

The Fresh MARTA Market is a pop-up farm stand located in four MARTA stations. The goal is simple: help farmers sell more produce while getting healthy, fresh food into places where people already are.

This innovative food access solution is a partnership between Community Farmers Markets, GA Food Oasis- Atlanta, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Organix Matters, and MARTA. The Fresh MARTA Market sources locally grown produce from members of the Southwest Atlanta Growers Cooperative and farmers affiliated with Community Farmers Markets, as well as several local food hubs. This gives local farmers the opportunity to sell more produce to consumers that might not otherwise make it to a farmers market. This produce is complemented by non-local produce so that Fresh MARTA Market patrons can do a large amount of their fresh food shopping on their way to or from home.

I designed this pro-bono project while leading the Social Purpose program at Perkins&Will (Atlanta).

Photography by Jonathan Hillyer

Client: Private Residence
Contractor: Owner

The owners wanted a complete transformation of the existing kitchen so that it was better connected to their living spaces. The large island creates a space that is equally great for socializing and prepwork. With the reconfiguration they were able to carve out a larger closet and rework the bathroom.

Photography by Dan Settle

Client: Private Residence
Size: 1250 SF addition/renovation
Contractor: Georgia Custom Construction, Made in Monroe

The owners wanted a complete transformation of their 1 bed/1 bath loft into a 2 bed/2 bath unit that truly reflected their eclectic personal aesthetic. To accomplish this the unit was completely gutted and reworked to add a new mezzanine level that worked within the strict height and area requirements of the building code. On the entry level spaces were reorganized to expand the bathroom, add a home office and make a bedroom that could transform to be part of the living area when not in use. For the main living space the kitchen, dining and living areas were blended into one seamless space could work better for entertaining.

This project was done in collaboration with Ed Akins, AIA

Photography by Dan Settle

Client: Witheld

This project was a study for an arts non-profit that was pursuing the long term lease of a existing abandoned school on Memorial Drive. The goal was to conceptualize how the raw existing spaces might be transformed into inspiring usable spaces that could greatly benefit the larger Atlanta arts community. Three spaces were focused on: an underground boiler room converted to a gallery space, old classrooms divided into smaller rentable arts studios, and a gymnasium/auditorium reimagined as a performance hall.

I designed this pro-bono project while leading the Social Purpose program at Perkins&Will (Atlanta).

Client: The MIdtown Bridge Church
Size: 12,000 ft2

The church currently meets in the Regal Cinema located in Atlantic Station, but is beginning the search for a more permanent home. These images represent the culmination of a visioning study produced to help church members think about what a new contemporary space might look like, even before the location is selected.

The Midtown Bridge

Client: Private Residence
Size: 450 SF renovation
Contractor: TrueWay Renovation

The owner wanted an updated kitchen that better connected to the living area and was comfortable to dine in, something that better reflected how he wanted to entertain. White walls, cabinets and counters soak up the light from the large french doors while the walnut ceiling adds needed warmth.

Photography by Dan Settle

Client: Never Without
Contractor: Gibson Construction
Size: 4,000 ft2

Never Without is a digital advertising company specializing in results-driven creative for digital, mobile, social, retail, and out-of-home experiences. As their business has grown over the years they have had to relocate several times. With the economy picking up, but real estate still reasonable, it was finally time to find a true home, one that would nurture their need for a collaborative environment as well as give them space to grow into.

M20 has designed a new space to reflect the dynamic nature of their work as well the familial culture they have created with their core team of employees.

www.neverwithout.com

Photography by Andrew Thomas Lee

Client: Private Residence
Size: 750 sf addition, 400 sf renovation
Contractor: Cad-Express Inc. Construction

This renovation/addition used the space between the detached garage and the house to create an enlarged kitchen opening onto a family room with a master suite on the level above.

Photography by Dan Settle

Client: Groomed
Branding/Signage: Contrapposto
Size: 685 ft2

Groomed is Master Barber Kevin Dunn's new upscale barber shop located in The Shops of Buckhead.

GroomedATL.com

Photography by Dan Settle

Client: Office of Cultural Affairs, City of Atlanta
Size: 3,000 ft2

After an open competition, M20, along with three other architecture firms, was selected to move on to the second stage of the Re:Design competition by the City of Atlanta's Office of Cultural Affairs. The brief called for the redesign of the current lobby at 72 Marietta St (the previous AJC headquarters building) into a contemporary art gallery to be run by the Office of Cultural Affairs.

www.ocaatlanta.com

M20's entry received 2nd place with a scheme focused on two simple themes:

First the design must be both a municipal lobby AND contemporary gallery. The layout maintains the functional sight lines needed for a secure lobby while reinventing the aesthetics of the current space to showcase art.

Second, the flexibility of the design is crucial. Therefore well-proportioned open spaces that work with the existing architecture and focus on presenting amazing art were the priority. The inherent simplicity of this creates maximum flexibility.

Client: N/A
Size: 615 ft2

M20 came up with an intriguing potential tenant for its most recent speculative project: Alexander & Co. is a small men's hair salon with grand ambitions. In order to maximize the potential of the 615 ft2 space the layout was kept as simple and streamlined as possible. There are 6 stations with large boxed mirrors along the main wall with patron seating set against the storefront. A strong design element was created in the ceiling and acts as a counterplay to the pure functionality of the rectilinear floor plan. The undulating ceiling cast from glass fiber reinforced gypsum is a fantastical representation of one of the hot towels that are placed on patrons faces after shampooing.

Client: N/A

Located at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Estoria, the concrete remains of a stalled condo development provide a constant reminder to passersby of the boom then bust cycle that so enveloped the Memorial Drive corridor over the last ten years. The stretch between 75/85 and Moreland was on the cusp of radically transforming itself when the economy tanked. Walking along the street one can feel how close it came to having the same kind of rejuvenation that Midtown West has enjoyed over the last few years. The shells of buildings waiting for the right price and the empty lots begging for a pro-forma that works are fertile ground for architectural explorations. This projects looks at the townhouse typology and how it might add a pedestrian scale to this busy thoroughfare.

Client: N/A
Size: 12,000 ft2

M20 began this speculative project with the idea that any given site has hidden potential. Each site comes with it’s own unique constraints and peculiarities and these restrictions often provide fertile ground for unexpected design solutions.

The main constraint for this project was the two adjoining property boundaries and the slenderness of the lot. The site is an undeveloped sliver of land two blocks south of Five Points Station in downtown Atlanta and currently zoned SPI-1. This zoning allows for an F.A.R. of 25, but in the interest of being a bit more contextual and not creating an incredibly anorexic 25 story skyscraper, the building size/program was capped at 5 stories.

The ground floor consists of two retail spaces separated by the building lobby, while the upper four floors are meant to each be a single office tenant. The East and North facade are located on property lines and as such are rated party walls. They have giant pixelated cloud murals painted on each side, in a reference to the lost view westward.

Client: Withheld
Size: 450 ft2

This project was a renovation of a 450 ft2 studio loft located in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The owner had a shoestring budget and needed to do most of the renovation himself. The strategy focused on correcting some of the poor design choices made in the original building conversion and bring out any aspects of the historic building that could still be salvaged. The carpet was removed and the 100 yr old heart of pines floors were refinished. The main duct and air intake were re-routed along with a new ceiling installed throughout. New cabinets and fixtures were installed in the kitchen. A new closet was custom fabricated to appear as if floating between the column and adjacent wall. A large sideboard was also custom fabricated to hold the owner’s large vinyl record collection and dj turntables. New light fixtures were installed throughout.