530 Meeting Street is a 184,000 SF, five-story development located in downtown Charleston. The project features 114 market rate and workforce housing apartments, totaling 360 beds. This development also includes 25,000 SF of parking and 8,000 SF of ground floor amenity space.

The interior design  includes a unique and engaging feature: a creative Makerspace. The client was seeking a way to distinguish the building from the competition, and transformed a planned cluster of meeting rooms into a place where its residents can build, create, and explore. Visible from the street, the Makerspace needed to be dynamic enough to engage with pedestrians and grab the attention of prospective residents; it also needed to be made up of easily cleanable and durable surfaces to withstand painting and other creative work.

The resulting aesthetic, with exposed ceilings and wooden framework, resembles a city loft- an image familiar to aspiring artists composed of cool metal, warm wood, and light. The custom wood details and the pegboard wall frame the Makerspace with a compelling visual element, speaking to a creative experience not explored at other competing properties. The design emphasizes the purpose of the space with a grand scale and a central emphasis on the work table.

A 10’ custom steel industrial portal projects from the corridor, intentionally separating the Makerspace from the rest of the buildings and marking the transition into a creative space. Custom woodwork within balances the coolness of the industrial elements, including concrete-look LVT and the deep black steel of the portal. The custom geometric frame hugs the worktable and anchors the functionality of the space.

 

Developers: 530 Meeting Street Residential Partners LLC | Includes: Armada Hoffler, Spandrel Development Partners, LLC