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BullStreet District welcoming 75,000-square-foot office building

Staff Report //October 15, 2020//

BullStreet District welcoming 75,000-square-foot office building

Staff Report //October 15, 2020//

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A 75,000-square-foot office building made of mass timber is coming to the BullStreet District. The WestLawn building is expected to be completed in 2022. (Rendering/Provided)

A 75,000-square-foot office building made with mass timber is being constructed in the BullStreet District.

The five-story WestLawn building’s top floors will be occupied by law firm Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, with retail space on the first floor. The building, designed by Chicago-headquartered architects Perkins and Will, will be the largest of its kind in South Carolina, according to a news release.  

Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte will occupy more than 28,000 square feet on the top two floors. More Class A office space is available on the top four floors.

“As our law firm continues to grow, we look forward to elevating our client services and experience using the latest in technology and sustainable design,”  Cal Watson, Robinson Gray’s managing member, said in the release. “We are excited to move into this vibrant environment that will seamlessly blend life, work, leisure and community.”

Mass timber has lower labor costs and environmental benefits compared to traditional concrete-and-steel construction. A five-story, 150,000-square-foot building completed earlier this year at Washington State University is the 384th large mass timber building in the U.S., according to The New York Times, with 500 more planned or under construction.

The WestLawn building will feature 10-foot windows constructed with sustainable cross-laminated timber to capture natural light.

“The design of WestLawn reflects our emphasis on preserving historic buildings alongside modern architecture, essentially taking the best of the old and new,” said Robert Hughes, president of Hughes Development Corp., master developer for the 181-acre BullStreet District. “From our first conversations with Robinson Gray about a location inside the BullStreet District, we knew they shared our vision for what BullStreet is becoming. This building not only reflects their commitment to excellence and sustainability, but it also sets a new standard for green office building design in Columbia.”

The WestLawn building, located between Segra Park and a new Starbucks scheduled to open next spring, is slated for completion in the first half of 2022.

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