Openness + Density

Creative urban design strategies underpin the recent reimagination of Colony Square, facilitating increased occupant density and simultaneously doubling open space. Today’s Colony Square features two new office buildings, a new food hall, and enhanced ground floor retail. On Peachtree Street, a new gateway elevates the pedestrian experience. Along 14th Street, previously overlooked public space is activated. At the heart of Colony Square, visitors find a vibrant open-air hub—the inverse of its enclosed retail predecessor. Together, these gestures deeply enhance the experience of place.

“How do we increase open space on site?” Openness was central to the reimagination of Colony Square. New apertures into and through the site, a smoother grade throughout, democratized access to nature, and other design interventions foster the comingling of pedestrians, shoppers, workers, and occupants, honoring the forward-thinking legacy of the Southeast's first mixed-use development.

Demolition of the site’s underperforming shopping concourse, located at the center of Colony Square, unlocked the potential for dynamic new public space, a new office building, and expanded retail offerings. On Colony Square’s southern edge, dramatic changes have invigorated its green space and street frontage, creating a new entry to the site and adding a highly visible retail node.

The Plaza

In the reimagination of Colony Square, the project team prioritized public space—areas that are easily accessible and highly enjoyable for all. The Plaza, a new open-air gathering space at the heart of the property, connects Colony Square’s buildings and people by improving the site’s physical connectivity and serving as a destination of its own.

The Plaza reengages Colony Square not only with the streetscape but with the urban vitality that is Midtown Atlanta.
A glass-covered mall atrium, a public area with limited access to the street, previously occupied the site of the Plaza.
Colony Square formerly housed an enclosed shopping mall with limited pedestrian links and low retail visibility.
Today, the site’s hard edges have been softened. Circulation and public access are improved across Colony Square.
The Plaza was unveiled to the public in October 2020, an important moment for providing safe, outdoor gathering opportunities.
The open-air hub connects Colony Square’s new and historic buildings through a pedestrian-centric experience.
Initial design concepts for the Plaza were inspired by globally recognized public squares, such as Madrid’s Plaza De Santa Ana.
The mall’s demolition unlocked the potential for dynamic open spaces, a new office building, and contemporary retail offerings.
The shopping mall contributed to Colony Square’s original separation of uses—and users. For example, its green roofs were only available to tenants.
Throughout the site, new pathways dissolve former barriers. They are punctuated by outdoor congregating areas, including the Plaza.
Visitors of the Plaza experience lush landscaping, ample seating, a performance stage, and direct access to several retail and dining opportunities, including Politan Row at Colony Square, a 20,000-square-foot food hall.
The interaction between buildings and open space fosters connections that fuel urban life—the essence of what Midtown continues to become.

The Colonnade

Physical and visual pathways have been improved, expanded, and newly created throughout Colony Square. Visitors arriving from Peachtree Street, along the site’s western edge, now experience a warmer welcome and more easily journey into the heart of the property. The buildings of Colony Square, once seemingly impenetrable, have been opened to the community through adaptations and new connections.

Colony Square has been transformed from an inward-looking development to one that participates in the vitality of Midtown Atlanta.
Today, guests can seamlessly arrive and depart thanks to amenities that include a valet area, designated rideshare lounge, and outdoor gathering space.
Colony Square’s original design prioritized vehicular movement. Guests could easily engage with the property’s offices and retail, but only if they arrived by car.
Historically, Colony Square’s closed doors and poorly lit entries acted as physical and visual barriers for the public, particularly pedestrians.
The base of Building 400 presented an unlikely opportunity for carving a pathway through the formerly insular property.
The Colonnade, a formerly indoor area that now provides a dynamic open-air gateway, leads guests along Building 400 and into the heart of Colony Square.
Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn, bridges two worlds: one of darkness and one of light. With this mural, Colony Square celebrates the dawn and the coming of a new day.
The Colonnade stretches from Peachtree Street to a new, full-service Concierge at the base of Building 300.
In addition to facilitating movement into and through Colony Square, the Colonnade increases retail visibility and provides space for new, flexible seating.
The Colonnade is bound by Building 400 to the north and the Plaza, Colony Square’s new central public space, to the south.
Urban vitality depends on an active public realm. Softening the property’s hard edges nurtures this activity.
Colony Square’s reimagination included the creation of new visual connections—from the outside in and inside out—that promote an engaging pedestrian experience.

The Grove

Along Colony Square’s southern edge, a new entry—and a new destination—is manifest in a revitalized, 10,000-square-foot park. For the first time, this green space acts as a stunning welcome mat as visitors approach “Midtown’s Living Room.” The Grove simultaneously increases the site’s permeability and enlivens Colony Square’s previously inactive edge.

The Grove creates a new entry to Colony Square and raises visibility for retail along its southern edge.
While Colony Square has always included green space, the site’s design either discouraged or impeded use of these spaces by the public.
14th Street, a major vehicular traffic corridor that was historically underutilized by pedestrians, establishes Colony Square’s southern edge.
The retail transformations along the Grove both reflect and encourage the evolution of 14th Street, which increasingly serves as a pedestrian thoroughfare.
New storefronts physically expand and visually punctuate the base of Building 100, the office tower that abuts the Grove.
From the start, the project team sought to improve Colony Square’s pedestrian access and increase its usable public space. The Grove presented an opportunity to promote both goals.
Through the reimagination of Colony Square, several retail and dining opportunities have been pulled toward the street, inviting the public into the previously insular site.
During major cultural events, or even because of the natural ebb and flow of business, restaurants and retail benefit from a shared waiting room just outside their doors.
Colony Square’s redevelopment allowed for the introduction of new buildings, contemporary amenities, and striking open spaces.
Activation of the Grove allows for natural pedestrian movement between the street and the heart of Colony Square.
The Grove provides new appeal for passersby, encouraging discovery of Colony Square’s retail and restaurants.
Improvements in the form and function of Colony Square’s southern edge have, together, activated the previously underperforming space.

Building 300

In addition to doubling open space, the reimagination of Colony Square significantly increased the site’s leasable space through two new office buildings and expanded retail footprints. This apparent paradox–more open space and more density–was achieved through careful reconsideration of underperforming areas, thoughtful identification of opportunities for new development, and prioritization of outstanding experiences at the ground floor.

Building 300, one of two new contemporary office buildings on the property, houses Colony Square’s full-service, resort-inspired Concierge.
Parts of Building 300 overlook the Plaza, a new open-air gathering space at the heart of Colony Square.
Building 300 comprises five floors of office space above dedicated retail space at the ground floor.
The experience beyond the office walls is increasingly a priority for today’s office users, from proximate retail options to engaging public programming.
Lining three sides of Building 300 are open-air pathways that elevate the pedestrian experience with retail, sculptural seating, and other contemporary amenities.
Building 300 contributes more than 58,000 additional square feet of new office space to Colony Square.
Mixed-use environments with diverse amenities resonate with today’s top talent, adding appeal to both of Colony Square’s new office buildings.