In late January, Turner Construction completed the three-phase Freedom Center, a new office complex that is part of the revitalization of South Huntsville, Ala.
The project, designed by Matheny Goldmon Architecture + Interiors and estimated at between $10 million and $12 million, is a multi-tenant facility where its anchor, Torch Technologies, a defense contractor, now operates its corporate headquarters.
Torch’s sister company, Freedom Real Estate and Capital, cleared the path for the steel-framed Freedom Center last year by acquiring two office buildings as well as approximately 12 surrounding acres of land. The Freedom Center is positioning itself to be a hub for business close to Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal.
Torch received a $2.1 million incentive package to stay in Huntsville and redevelop these properties from the city, the state of Alabama, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, according to the Alabama Media Group’s website. It also received tax abatements and grants, and $250,000 from the state as reimbursement for capital expenditures, AIDT-provided workforce training, and the capital income tax credit.
The schematic of Freedom Center's main level shows what's been upgraded during its three-phase renovation. Image: Courtesy of Freedom Real Estate and Capital
The three-phase Freedom Center project included the renovation of a 40,000-sf four-story building at 4090 South Memorial Parkway, which was completed in October 2015. Phase 2 involved the construction of a one-story 12,000-sf building, which connects two existing properties developed by Freedom Real Estate and Capital. This new building features office and training spaces, as well as a 10,000-plus-sf conference center.
Phase 3 replaced the building’s HVAC system, refurbished its lobby and elevators, and replaced the roof on the four-story building a 4035 Chris Drive.
“This is a significant project for Huntsville. Companies like Freedom Real Estate are increasingly investing in the redevelopment of the area,” said Lee Holland, project executive in Turner’s Huntsville office and a native of the city. “We’re thankful to have played a small role in those efforts with the construction and renovations at the Freedom Center.”
Bill Roark, CEO of Torch Technologies & Freedom Real Estate & Capital added that the Freedom Center’s name is meant to honor “the many military members, as well as civilians, who fight and work every day to keep our country free.”
Other Building Team members on this project included 4 Site Incorporated, PEC Structural Engineering, and SSOE Group.
New Live-Work-Shop complex moving forward
Another major project that appears to have picked up momentum in downtown Huntsville is Constellation, a $180 million live-work-shop complex that would include restaurants and retail, 150 apartments, 280,000 sf of office space, a new hotel, and two parking decks.
This project was first conceived in 2000 but got waylaid during the last recession. But developer Scott McLain, of Coldwell Commercial Real Estate and McLain Real Estate, tells al.com that he has a “firmly established and functioning partnership” for this project, which he claims is now in “full development.”
Groundbreaking for Constellation could take place in a few months, said McLain.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 45 Engineering Architecture Firms for 2022
Jacobs, AECOM, WSP, and Burns & McDonnell top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 80 Engineering Firms for 2022
Kimley-Horn, Tetra Tech, Langan, and NV5 head the rankings of the nation's largest engineering firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
| Aug 22, 2022
For Gen Z, “enhanced communication” won’t cut it
As the fastest-growing generation, Generation Z, loosely defined as those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, has become a hot topic in conversations surrounding workplace design.
Giants 400 | Aug 21, 2022
Top 110 Architecture/Engineering Firms for 2022
Stantec, HDR, HOK, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 20, 2022
Top 180 Architecture Firms for 2022
Gensler, Perkins and Will, HKS, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Daylighting | Aug 18, 2022
Lisa Heschong on 'Thermal and Visual Delight in Architecture'
Lisa Heschong, FIES, discusses her books, "Thermal Delight in Architecture" and "Visual Delight in Architecture," with BD+C's Rob Cassidy.
| Aug 17, 2022
IBM’s former office buildings in Boca Raton turn into a modern tech campus
Built in 1968, the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), at 1.7 million square feet, is the largest office campus in Florida.
| Aug 9, 2022
Work-from-home trend could result in $500 billion of lost value in office real estate
Researchers find major changes in lease revenues, office occupancy, lease renewal rates.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Office developers aim for zero carbon without offsets
As companies reassess their office needs in the wake of the pandemic, a new arms race to deliver net zero carbon space without the need for offsets is taking place in London, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
