COLUMBIA, S.C. — A unique five-story office building made with mass timber is coming to the BullStreet District.
According to a release, the 75,000 sq ft. office building will be the largest of its kind in South Carolina.
Work has begun in the BullStreet District on a unique 75,000 sq ft. office building that will be made with mass timber and will be the largest office building of its kind in South Carolina.
The WestLawn building was designed by architectural firm Perkins and Will in collaboration with Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC. The law firm will occupy more than 28,000 square feet on the top two floors, including a private rooftop terrace on the 5th floor.
The bottom floor will have retail stores, and the top four floors will all house office space. According to the release, there will also be public spaces designed around WestLawn.
10-foot-tall windows will allow natural light into the building, which will be constructed with cross-laminated timber. According to the release, cross-laminated timber was invented in the 1990s as the only structural commercial building material that is a sustainable and renewable resource. It significantly reduces reliance upon concrete and steel.
WestLawn is the first building of its kind in Columbia, according to the release. There are only 384 large mass timber buildings in the United States, according to The New York Times. The first one was built in Montana in 2011.
“The design of WestLawn reflects our emphasis on preserving historic buildings alongside modern architecture, essentially taking the best of the old and new,” said Robert Hughes, president of Hughes Development, master developer for the 181-acre BullStreet District.
According to the BullStreet District, WestLawn will be completed in the first half of 2022. The building will be located between Starbucks and Segra Park on Pickens St.
“From our first conversations with Robinson Gray about a location inside the BullStreet District, we knew they shared our vision for what BullStreet is becoming. This building not only reflects their commitment to excellence and sustainability, but it also sets a new standard for green office building design in Columbia,” Hughes said. “A clean and safe workplace has never been more important than it is right now and WestLawn is being designed using every best-practice in our industry to create the best possible work environment.”
Find more information here.
