The building in Atlanta was designed to fit the organization’s global portfolio. “It appealed to us because we are interested in buildings with a modern design, but also that have a distinctive skyline look to them,” said Rosen. “This building gets a lot of visibility from the highways nearby. It’s very prominent. They were looking for a signature office tower that is consistent with AIG-developed buildings.
 

“As we developed our design concept — trying to break down the mass of the building into more elegant proportions — we started looking at vertical and horizontal relationships in a way that it was dynamic, but also classic,” Rosen went on to explain. “We wanted something that was never trendy and wouldn’t go out of style. We took inspiration from much older buildings from the 1920s and 1930s that had an architectural approach of glass, stone and aluminum. We got a building that is very 21st century, but highly influenced by early 20th century modernism.”
 

An extensive selection process took place before the decision was finalized to use Silver Pearl for the office tower’s exterior facade, according to the architect. “We looked at about 30 different stone samples from all manufacturers in Asia, South America, etc.,” he said. “Ultimately, this was the product that gave us a double punch. There were a lot of great materials that looked wonderful when standing close or materials that were consistent at a distance, but up close, they didn’t give you anything memorable. The Silver Pearl really hit the sweet spot for us quite nicely.”