December 2018 DRC Recap: Codenamed "Project Fusion" Now Has a Tenant
The two-tower project at West Peachtree between 3rd Street and Ponce De Leon will be the new headquarters of Norfolk Southern.
Published 12/12/18
The Midtown Development Review Committee finished the year by reviewing a significant new office development planned by Cousins at the intersection of West Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue.
About the Project: Norfolk Southern to Build Innovation Center
The project is designed by Pickard Chilton, HKS and Kimley Horn in anticipation of a major corporate relocation. The project has been known as Project Fusion, but officials announced today that railway company Norfolk Southern will occupy the proposed building, moving their corporate headquarters to Midtown Atlanta.
The new headquarters is organized around two towers with up to 856,000 square feet of office space and additional uses such as a childcare facility, technology innovation center and café at the ground level. The project benefits from a direct connection to the North Avenue MARTA Station located across the street as well as easy access to the Interstate and east/west connectivity via Ponce and North Avenue, one block away.
Envisioned as an urban campus, the project features a vibrant plaza at the corner to welcome the public with activities such as food trucks, artists markets and other programming elements. In addition, there are multiple levels of garden space that cascade up the façade of the buildings and culminate in a dining garden and recreation area on the sixth floor for employees. All of the 2,000 parking spaces are fully enclosed and ventilated, and half of them will be constructed below grade.
DRC Response: Continue Refining and Expanding Activation Opportunities in Open Spaces
Overall, the committee was enthusiastic about the innovative design of the buildings and recommended support for the identified variations. However, the DRC challenged the team, including landscape architect OJB, to continue refining the open space plan by creating more permeability and inviting places for people to gather within the plaza. Thoughtful programming will help bring the plaza to life and creative design features such as intimate seating areas, performance spaces and public art will ensure that the space is actively used by both the tenants and the Midtown community.
