Elan Halcyon

Nominated by: CID Design Group
Location: Alpharetta, Ga.
Developer: Greystar Development
Architect: Wakefield Beasley & Associates, NELSON
General Contractor: Greystar Development
Interior Designer: CID Design Group
Photographer: Kris Tamburello Studios
Project Website: Elan Halcyon (website n/a)

Project Statement

We were given a two-story space that was very long and linear, almost shotgun-like. So, the challenge was to use the two-story volume wisely and to celebrate the length of the space, while still breaking it up and adding intimacy. The juxtaposition of raw industrial elements, symbolic of a new wave of the area’s design, contrasts well with the more refined elevated tradition of the area’s roots. For example, raw concrete columns were paired with a series of elegant crystal chandeliers. To create an inviting and nostalgic atmosphere, the entry view is on a vintage walnut Steinway piano and the warmth of a fireplace. To help accentuate the length of the space, the structural columns float freely from the walls. This provided a visual sightline from front to back, showing the rhythm of the structure. The storefront design was initially very linear and static feeling, so a faceted curved wall of glass was added for more fluidity to an otherwise linear space. This fluidity supported the open-plan amenity program as a series of together-but-separate spaces — all connected, including the outdoor fireplace and pool lounge. We blurred the lines between inside and out through a three-dimensional aluminum ceiling grid that flows from the aqua lounge into the fitness center, and continues through the exterior wall to the outside fireplace lounge. The aqua lounge's furniture is upholstered with wet-bottom fabric to seamlessly transition from the pool to the club space.