The Blooming of Buckhead

The new Peachtree “Boulevard” and some of the recent and in-progress new high rise office, retail, hotel and condo projects.

Completion of Phase One of the Peachtree Boulevard transformation, carried out as result of the efforts of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, was celebrated in October with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Shirley Franklin and other community officials. The Peachtree Road transformation is the major enhancement of a section of Peachtree Road in Buckhead into a more livable, walkable, bikeable and drivable avenue.

In the past twenty years the population of the Atlanta metropolitan area has doubled and the resultant increase in vehicular traffic has created problem spots around the city, on roadways that were never intended or designed to accomodate this increase in volume. As the traffic around the city grew, so too grew the market for high-end, high rise, in-town, multi-family residences, especially along the Buckhead corridor of Peachtree Road. While the increased population density in Buckhead reduced traffic elsewhere, it meant a more constant flow of traffic along Peachtree during the day, and at peak hours the volume became overwhelming.

The idea of developing the street into a destination, not just a thoroughfare, was originally envisioned by Sam Friedman, Chairman of the Buckhead Coalition. The Buckhead Coalition is a group formed by former Mayor Sam Massell and is made up of property owners and others interested in improving the urban development of Buckhead and the well being of the area.

One of Brookwood’s original design studies along the new “boulevard” in the vicinity of Lenox Square.

The Wakefield luxury cooperative at Peachtree Road and West Wesley Road, designed and developed by Brookwood for the Heery family.

As a member of the Buckhead Coalition, architect George Heery, Brookwood’s CEO, contributed preliminary ideas in the form of a study and design concepts for transforming the Peachtree Road corridor into a handsome and more convenient boulevard.  This conceptual design, which was based on Sam Friedman's vision, covered the entire length of Peachtree within the greater Buckhead area, from the Peachtree Street overpass at I-85 at Brookwood Station running northward through the old original Buckhead area to the City Limits on the north.

Later a number of property owners who were associated with the Buckhead Coalition formed the Buckhead Community Improvement District with David Allman of Regent Partners as Chairman of the Board of BCID and with Scotty Green as BCID’s Executive Director.

Brookwood Group was subsequently retained by the Buckhead Community Improvement District to develop more details of a design for a portion of the Peachtree corridor from just south of the Peachtree-Piedmont intersection to a point north of Phipps Plaza.

Architect Laura Heery, then a member of the Brookwood management team, with her father, George and other members of the Brookwood firm, developed the original concept for the new Peachtree Boulevard. In the development of the concept Laura Heery and the Brookwood team worked closely with David Allman and Scotty Green, both of whom continue to provide guidance and leadership to the BCID and other developments of the Buckhead area.

In the mid 1990s, Brookwood Group, as both designer and development manager for the George Heery family, broke ground on the highest quality high-rise multi-family project built to date in Atlanta, The Wakefield.  The Wakefield is a luxury cooperative located on the Northwest corner of Peachtree Road and West Wesley Road, NW. At the time, Mr. Heery was told by many that the prices required for purchase of units in The Wakefield would not be achievable.  Yet over 60% of the building was pre-sold before ground was broken.  The building permit for The Wakefield was the first private sector high rise building permit issued within the City of Atlanta in over two years at the time it was issued.

It is readily evident today to those in the real estate development field that The Wakefield set in motion the raising of design and construction quality standards of mid to high rise multi-family housing projects. The Wakefield also sparked the acceptance in the Atlanta market of the idea that very high quality homes could be located in high rise structures with settings that allowed easier access to work, shopping, places of worship and community activities.

Shown below are "before and after" examples of two locations in Buckhead, both of which are from George Heery’s original study on redeveloping Peachtree Road from Brookwood Station all the way up to the northern City Limits. The most obvious difference in these early study images is the visual impact of moving power and communication cables to underground routes. Though not shown in these images, the median and the left turn sideslips were also a part of the original study’s proposal.

Brookwood's New Affiliate Company

The Board of Directors of Brookwood Group LLC have formed Wakefield Development Partners LLC, a new company that is separate from but affiliated with Brookwood. Wakefield has been created to provide turn-key contract development with a guaranteed maximum development cost to organizations particularly institutions of higher learning, which are financing or funding a construction program for which this method of development is desirous. Wakefield Development Partners’ approach is one of transparency and cost effectiveness to the benefit of the institution while producing high quality design and construction.  For more information, go to wakefielddevelopment.com.

Poly Canyon Village - Phase One Ahead Of Schedule

Phase One of Poly Canyon village, nestled in the rolling hills of San Luis Obsipo, is ahead of schedule and on budget.

Brookwood is providing full Program Management services to Cal Poly's Facilities Planning and Capital Projects Department for Poly Canyon Village, the University’s multi-component project consisting of a 35 acre expansion of campus development with related infrastructure of roads and utilities, a 2,676-bed student housing facility, a campus village including retail, post office, services and swimming/recreation area as well as College of Agriculture facilities on another site.

Clark Design Build, contractor for the project under a Bridging type design-build contract, reports that construction is ahead of schedule to complete Phase One of the project. All of the nine residential building foundations have been poured and wall framing for Buildings 1-4 of Phase One are well underway. The roofs on the buildings are also almost complete.

Parking Deck #1 is complete and it is currently being used by the contractor. Parking Structure #2 is underway and a considerable amount of site work has been completed including the construction of both bridges to the site as well as some curb and gutter work.

The College of Agriculture’s new facilities are included in the $300 Million program. One of the Agricultural facilities displaced by Poly Canyon Village, the Beef Center, which was relocated to an off campus location, has been completed and has been in use by the University since spring (2007).

The modular processing equipment for Cal Poly’s new Feed Mill, was designed to replace the 50 year old mill and is scheduled for installation later this month.

Another Agriculture Building, the Animal Nutrition Center, built to house a sophisticated feed mill, was also recently completed. This state of the art training and research facility with the equipment manufactured by T.E. Ibberson, Inc. of Minnesota also includes a Hay Barn, truck scale, and office space. In addition to preparing students for the Animal Nutrition Industry, companies worldwide will use this facility to conduct manufacturing research and product development alongside Cal Poly students and faculty. With the completion of this facility, no other university in the western United States will be better equipped to train students for the nation’s multi-billion dollar animal nutrition industry.

Clark Design-Build of California is the General Contractor for the Poly Canyon Village project. Clark’s A/E of Record under the Bridging method is Niles Bolton Associates of Atlanta. The University’s Owner's Design Consultant is McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners of Irvine, California.

To observe a live web shot of the large construction site at Cal Poly’s huge “Poly Canyon Village” project simply Click Here!

Spelman Project Construction On Track

Spelman College’s high quality new Residence and Dining Hall building, which will have exceptionally well done interior furnishings, is nearing completion this summer (08) and will be ready for occupancy the Fall 08 semester. A mock-up suite has been completed for viewing by students and faculty. In addition to the 300 single occupancy rooms in suite configurations and the 175 seat new Dining Hall, which supplements the existing main dining hall, the facility includes six apartments for visiting faculty and trustees as well as a 100-car parking garage on a lower level of the building. A Bridging method project.

Brookwood is Spelman College’s Program Manager for the handsome new residence and dining hall being constructed on the campus of this internationally recognized women’s college in Atlanta. The project consists of a 300 bed residence hall, a dining hall with a capacity 175 per seating , several apartments for visiting faculty and trustees, and inside parking for 100 automobiles. Designed to compliment the other campus structures, the project also creates a new campus open space that is related to the rest of the campus and its historic quadrangle.

Scheduled for completion in May, 2008 as an eight story building, construction is on schedule with steel framing, flooring and curtain walls presently being placed on the third and fourth floor level.

Under the leadership of President Beverly Tatum and Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs/Treasurer Robert D. (Danny) Flanigan, the new facility will be a LEED™ Certified, “green” building.

The project is being carried out by the Bridging method of project delivery. (See more info on Bridging in this website.)

The Owner's Design Consultant is Sizemore Group of Atlanta. The Contractor for the Bridging type design-build contract is New South Construction Co. The Contractor's AE is the architectural and engineering division of The Facility Group of Atlanta.

Brookwood's program management team includes Bob Bunker as Project Director, Jeff Hendrick as Manager of Interior Design and Furnishings, Tony Ghawi as fulltime on-site Construction Manager, Donna Grammas as project administrator, and Brookwood's Chairman/CEO, George Heery serving as Principal-in-charge. Mr. Heery said, "Atlanta has had a long love affair with Spelman which each year becomes a more renowned American institution of higher learning. We feel a very big responsibility."

Morgantown Senior High Gets New HVAC By Air Delivery

The roofing crew secures a safety rail in preparation of the installation of the roof deck.

Special Delivery! Bulky air handling units had to be delivered to the roof of the new school via helicopter.

Morgantown, West Virginia - Neighbors of Morgantown High School were recently surprised to see six large heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (“HVAC”) units lifted one by one and set into place by helicopter onto the roof of the school building. Typically a crane is used to set HVAC units, but occasionally a helicopter is used. The school is located in an urban setting with little working area around the buildings. Electrical wires and poles lining the narrow streets also prohibit the use of a crane due to safety concerns of electricity arching from the wires to the crane. The use of a helicopter is a more expensive undertaking than that of a traditional crane, but the time savings are enormous. After a one half hour safety training class and a site survey, it only took eighteen minutes to set the six units into place.

Brookwood Group has provided a series of program management and advisory services to the Monongalia County Board of Education at Morgantown, West Virginia since early 2005.

“Brookwood Group services have been extremely valuable overseeing and managing our building program. Project Manager, Randy Graft (of Brookwood), is a valuable asset monitoring the construction companies for the owner as they proceed throughout the building phases.”

Superintendent Frank Devono

Morgantown Senior High additions include a new media center, a distance learning lab, a lobby and administration offices. The existing auditorium, gymnasium and existing four story classroom wing will benefit from the installation of the new HVAC systems.

Also nearing completion are the renovations/additions to Clay-Battelle Middle/High School where contractors are busy finalizing the punch-list work. Their final payment should be released by the end of the April.

Brookwood is also providing program management services for the new 217,330 square foot University High School complex. It is one of the three remaining projects in a six-project school building program. The attractive interior and exterior masonry work is now 95% complete and is comprised of brick with limestone block accents. Completion of the $32 million facility, which will house approximately 1,500 students, is scheduled for Fall-2008.

Additionally, the University High School has a new stadium now under construction. This part of the project includes a new turf field with 4,000 seat capacity bleachers, a press box & public restrooms. The new stadium will be ready for the first football games of the season August 2008.

ATLANTA, April 21, 2008 - Brookwood Group is pleased to announce the recent addition of four new members to the firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and Sacramento, California.

William R. McNeel, AIA, NCARB

A graduate of Georgia Tech, Bill McNeel is a Registered Architect certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and a member of the American Institute of Architects, with active registrations in Georgia and Puerto Rico. His extensive professional career of more than 30 years began with George Heery and Vic Maloof. Typically serving as the owner’s agent and representative, he has managed major programs for projects delivery which include Educational, Governmental, Correctional, Wastewater Treatment Systems, Hospitals, Offices, Parks and Recreation, and Sports and Convention Facilities totaling over $3.2 billion in construction value. Additionally, Mr. McNeel has developed project and program management methodologies and controls currently in use by several construction/program management firms.

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George Sellers III, ASLA

George is a Landscape Architect and Planner with experience in all phases of planning, site development, site selection, design and development. He has over thirty years experience in the field of Landscape Architecture and taught Site Planning and Urban Design at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. George joins Brookwood's team in Sacramento, California as Site Design Manager for the California Prisons Health Care Receivership Corporation project. George is a previous colleague of George Heery, Vic Maloof and Brint Smith. He holds a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Angel Alonso, PE

Angel joins Brookwood’s team in Sacramento, California as Manager of Engineering Services for the California Prisons Health Care Receivership Corporation project. He is a Professional Engineer with more than thirty five years experience in project management, design and construction with an emphasis on health care facilities. Angel holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico.

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Amber Ward

Amber joins Brookwood's administrative staff as receptionist in the Atlanta office. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, she relocated to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University.

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ATLANTA, February 1, 2008 - Brookwood Group is pleased to announce the recent addition of six new members to the firm in both its Atlanta and California offices. In conjunction with these new staff additions, several members of the firm have been promoted to new positions within the company.

Brookwood's new and promoted staff members are:

James Lynn, AIA

Jim joins Brookwood's Sacramento, California office as Architectural Design Manager for the California Prisons Health Care Receivership Corporation project. He is a registered architect and corporate real estate professional. He brings more than twenty five years experience in the fields of architecture and construction with an emphasis on health care and large institutional facilities. Jim holds a professional degree in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles.

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Robert Newsome

Bob joins Brookwood as a Senior Associate from a State government position that included extensive project management of hospitality facilities and close relationships with public sector and higher education officials. Bob has a BS in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

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Danny Gutlay

Danny joined Brookwood recently as an Associate with over twenty two years experience in the construction industry. His experience includes such diverse projects as school facilities, hospitals, military installations, airports, capital improvement programs and public works programs. Danny is program manager for Clark Atlanta University's student housing demolition and renovation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Saint Louis University, Baguio City, Philippines.

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Ryan Cameron

Ryan is an Associate with Brookwood Group. He joined Brookwood recently and has over ten years experience in project management and construction management of various project types including medical, infrastructure, residential and commercial projects. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a BS in Civil Engineering.

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Albert Scenna, CMAA

Al has recently returned to Atlanta as an Associate with Brookwood Group. Al has more than twenty five years of professional program management experience in new construction as well as renovation and maintenance of educational, health care and other types of facilities. Al is a graduate of Wentworth Technical Institute in Boston.

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Donna Grammas

Donna has relocated from Atlanta to Brookwood's Sacramento, CA, office where she will be acting as the Scheduling Administrator on the California Prisons Health Care Receivership Corporation project. Donna has over ten years of experience in the architectural and construction fields.

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Karen Hines

Karen has been a member of Brookwood's administrative staff for three years and recently assumed the role of Client Services Coordinator. Prior to her new assignment she worked as an administrative assistant to George Heery.

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Cindy Sutton

Cindy, who recently joined Brookwood's administrative staff has been promoted to Mr. Heery's personal assistant. A native Texan, she recently relocated from Houston to Atlanta.

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Bridging Method Website

Brookwood Group, of Atlanta has developed a free access informational website discussing the Bridging method of construction project delivery. The new site, BridgingMethod.com came online April 10, 2007 and will provide owners, other professional service providers, attorneys, and members of the construction industry full access to details of the Bridging method

Brookwood's Chairman, George Heery said that his firm had decided it was in everyone’s interest to know the proper method of carrying out projects by the Bridging method because many project managers were using the Bridging label without full access to the details of this most successful methodology. When used properly, the Bridging method provides great benefits to owners for all types and sizes of projects. “We have a vested interest in seeing the method correctly and successfully used whether it is for our projects or projects of others”, said Heery.

He went on to say, “We have developed the site to provide free access to technical and contractual information about the Bridging method. Many downloadable documents are available on the site at no charge."

According to Mr. Heery, an increasing number of owners are turning to Bridging or a variation thereof in order to reduce risks and costs in their construction programs “without any loss of control over design or construction quality.”