The Mercantile

 

The Mercantile is an abandoned former manufacturing building, located just south of Downtown Atlanta. Relying on years of experience in the adaptive rehabilitation of distressed inner city buildings, we assessed the existing building, helped establish a viable marketable program of mixed use occupancies, designed a campus master plan including future additions/phases and designed the building renovation through construction documents and bid negotiations.

 

Through selective demolition of exteriors shell, roofs and floors, the design for the building relies on opening the building's industrial production spaces to natural light and establishing clear transecting and visually dramatic circulation routes to break down scale and achieve richness and variety of space.  In keeping with the building industrial heritage, artifacts and details are preserved and reinforced with an injection of new palette of durable industrial materials and bold primary colors.

 

Although economic circumstances have precluded construction, the project represents a pragmatically creative approach to older structures and the ability to craft desirable and dynamic spaces within established, finite budgets.