Overview (Narrative excerpt from final four team submission)

Midtown Atlanta has become a hub for post-recession development activity. With booming tech and medical industries and a burgeoning film industry, the region is poised for continued growth. Despite the increasing presence of the entertainment industry, the city lacks a defined center of entertainment culture. Developments with social spaces and collaborative programs, such as Ponce City Market and the Atlanta BeltLine, have been received well by a public ready to leave behind its insular, suburban past and embrace a more vibrant public realm. In order to create a differentiated, market-feasible program, capitalize on a site positioned at the center of the city’s major neighborhoods, and embrace an entertainment culture, the Stage Street development offers an integrated, mixed-use, mixed-income program with a pedestrian orientation and social spaces to help Atlantans break the fourth wall of culture by stepping out of their private spaces and onto the stage of a shared Midtown experience. The proposed development program for the Midtown South Development Partnershipis rooted in a thorough market analysis, targeting gaps in current product types and pursuing those with strong projected absorption and rent growth.

DESIGN NARRATIVE

BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL

In theatre and film, the screen forms an imaginary fourth wall separating the audience from the action within the fictitious world. Just as innovative thespians have broken the fourth wall to engage directly with their audience, the Stage Street design helps break the fourth wall of Atlanta culture by blurring the boundaries of public and private spaces and inviting users to engage in a shared life. Elements such as plazas, balconies, rooftops, outdoor dining, a linear park, and event spaces create stages to see and be seen. Special attention is given to the ground floor of buildings, using a continuous street wall, facade transparency, activation, detailing, and variation to create an inviting pedestrian environment.

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