REDLINE Design Group - Colonial Plaza

Colonial Properties, the 2005 National Developer of the Year, chose the booming Charlotte market to start building a new portfolio of office space. Their business model is to combine the Live-Work-Shop aspects of daily life within the office environment. They achieve this by providing their tenants with amenities and spaces that are enjoyable to inhabit. Their first purchase was the Esplanade building in SouthPark, a 1973 cold, stark, modern building situated on a mature tree-lined street just adjacent to SouthPark Mall.

Colonial wanted to spend 2.5 million dollars to bring the building from its gaudy 70's class 'c' space to a clean and refined class 'a' space, including extensive exterior renovations. The interior scope included remodeling the lobby and every public corridor and restroom in the building. The existing interior finishes were removed and replaced with stone floors, wood paneling, fabric panels, acoustical plank ceilings, and drywall soffits. The restrooms received all new ceramic floors and walls, solid surface lavatories with stainless steel sinks, solid wood partitions with louvered doors and all new plumbing fixtures. The new finishes and lighting palette transformed the building from one of the worst in SouthPark to best-in-class. Leasing rates went from a dismal 25% at purchase to 95% within one year, even during the renovations.

The exterior renovations were just as extensive. They included enlarging an existing fountain and dressing it with new precast concrete and granite panels. The entire site paving around the building was changed from concrete to new interlocking pavers. Raised seat-wall planters were added to form a new tenant patio to be used for recreation and eating during good weather. New lighting replaced out-dated fixtures to help accent the new exterior scheme and help tie the interior to the exterior.