According to Rosen, the biggest challenge with the custom system was the reveals — dealing with the vertical and horizontal pieces. “Every third vertical is a little brighter,” he said. “There are U-shaped aluminum extrusions. Each stone panel looks individually mounted on this system. It is a very three-dimensional system.”

Complementing the Silver Pearl granite is Silver Galaxy granite, which was employed for the base of the office tower.

While it was important to create a signature look for the exterior of the building, the interior also had to be top grade. “In the Atlanta market, it is pretty standard to have a stone floor in a ‘Class A’ building, and it is not unusual to use some stone on the wall,” said Rosen. “This building is at the top end of what is in the market right now — even in a ‘Class A’ market.”

The architect explained that the design was responsible for the office tower’s main lobby as well as a prototype for a typical floor level lobby for floors that had multiple tenants. “Again, the requirement for AIG was the ‘consistency of portfolio’ approach,” he said. “They really took it to a high level. It was nice working with someone looking at investment-grade property.”
 

The floor is comprised of 30- x 48-inch Statuary White marble tiles from Italy with 16-inch-wide accent pieces of White Thassos marble from Greece. A little more than 5,800 square feet of Statuary White was utilized, while just over 2,600 square feet of White Thassos was incorporated into the interior design.

“The tones are white on white,” said Rosen. “We took the floor and made it streamline modern and carried that whole idea to the interior of the building. The ceiling has white coves with a golden-toned wall covering. There is a very strong movement across the lobby.”

For the lobby walls, Black Galaxy granite from China was chosen, while 4- x 6-foot slabs of White Thassos marble were employed for the walls in the elevator lobbies. “The Black Galaxy is a deep black, and the White Thassos is extremely clear,” said the architect. “It gives thickness and depth.” In total, 1,600 square feet of Black Galaxy was used.
 

Moreover, 3,800 square feet of Sunni Oro limestone, which was quarried in Egypt, was also employed for some of the lobby walls. “There was a desire to upgrade the walls for a consistent look,” said Rosen. “The gold limestone was used for walls that were not focal points. It was the most extensively used stone. The combination of white, black and gold is a color combination that hasn’t been seen before in the Atlanta market. It is very bold, but timeless. The view from outside as you are walking in is striking.”

Further enhancing the overall glamour of the lobby are stainless steel and bronze details. Behind the security desk, an assembly of Black Galaxy and woven metal create a focal point. “There is a continuous theme throughout the project,” said Rosen. “We look to create visual interest through contrasting colors and materials. We started very stark with black and white, and then introduced bronze and gold. It pulled it together in a way that felt warm. We were able to generate additional warmth by adding the limestone.”