Banking on the Future
The Carolina First Bank Corporate Campus is an $85 million, multi-phase public/private development that promises to “redefine the American office park.” The entire project comprises of 1.2 million square feet. The first phase alone consists of 350,000 square feet of office and meeting space. Sited on over 65 acres east of Greenville, South Carolina; the campus is being built for Carolina First Bank, a subsidiary of The South Financial Group, the largest bank headquartered in South Carolina. The bank has secured partnerships with the State of South Carolina and the City of Greenville, and has engaged The Furman Co., Development, LLC to develop the campus, from land acquisition to project delivery.
From the beginning, the principle design for the campus has been to create a people’s park from which buildings emerge, and not a conventionally-landscaped office park. The complex will become a garden office community, enhanced by hundreds of hardwood trees (in numbers far exceeding code requirements), which have been selected under the careful supervision of Furman Development’s own staff Project Manager and Certified Arborist, in close cooperation with Trees Greenville, Upstate Forever, and the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
Sustainable design standards provide the foundation for this project. The Furman Co., Development, LLC is a major supporter of responsible design and has developed the Carolina First campus in compliance with the US Green Building Council’s guidelines for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED®) Silver Certification. Sustainable design features of the project include:
- Selection and redevelopment of a previously contaminated industrial brownfield site
- Internal and external views through transparent curtain wall systems
- Exterior terraces
- Modular green roofs
- Low-flow plumbing fixtures
- Day-lighting techniques and interior lighting controls
- High-performance building materials
- Energy-recovery mechanical systems and building-monitoring systems
- Extensive bike paths, public transportation access, preferred parking for carpool participants and low-emission/fuel-efficient vehicles
- Turf grass areas and mature, indigenous landscape materials to reduce potable water use
- Incorporation of low-VOC materials, filtered outside air, managed moisture and dust control to improve indoor environmental quality
Diversity provides the standard by which people are incorporated in this project. Early in the development process, the bank established self-imposed goals for diversity involvement. This initiative has provided great economic opportunities to our diverse local business community. Outreach activities included a Diversity Conference through which Furman Development assisted the bank in reaching out to service providers, suppliers, contractors and subcontractors who are interested in the opportunities provided by this project.
The Furman Co., Development, LLC is pleased to collaborate with Carolina First to deliver a unique space — a distinctive environment in which people will work, develop ideas and conduct business.
Developing Great Projects for Great Clients, Emphasizng Sustainable Design and Responsible Leadership. |
