A Boutique Hotel and Conference Center Unites a Vibrant Mixed-Use Community

The Avalon development is located in Alpharetta, GA, just outside Atlanta. It was at first a mixed-use project devised to bring shops, entertainment, residences, and a more connected neighborhood area to the suburbs. Over time, it has naturally expanded, and more individuals live, work, and play in the environment; Avalon is now a community.

To better accommodate the needs of tech companies and other local businesses, the Hotel at Avalon and Alpharetta Conference Center was planned. The anchor of the Avalon development, including more than 600 technology companies, was designed to serve these professionals and further solidify Alpharetta as a thriving location.

“Our intent was to design a 4.5-star hotel, incorporated in a location principally catering to a high-end retail area,” says Jason King, Senior Associate of Cooper Carry, the firm responsible for the design. “We wanted to honor and complement the brick, stucco, and glazing used in the larger Avalon development while creating a destination for the clientele who visited specifically for the retail element.”

The Hotel at Avalon contains 44,000 square feet of flexible event space and 10,000 square feet dedicated for exhibit space. It connects directly to the Alpharetta Conference Center, and its amenities include a pool, spa, and South City Kitchen, a Southern-style restaurant.

It was imperative that the glass used over a significant portion of the façade was both aesthetically-sound and able to assist in temperature regulation, helping decrease the reliance on artificial heating and cooling systems. The design team decided to specify and select approximately 45,000 square feet of AGC Glass North America’s ENERGY Select^® 28 high-performance, low-e coated glass for the project.

“AGC ENERGY Select provided the right color range we needed, the right level of reflectance, and the ability to meet required energy code standards,” says King. “The AGC team was very helpful to us in providing the information we needed, the samples, and all other materials in a timely fashion so we could obtain ownership and stakeholder signoff on schedule.”

ENERGY Select 28 by AGC Glass, the world’s largest glass manufacturer, combines excellent solar control, a neutral appearance, and low reflectivity, making it ideal for a warmer climate like Georgia.

“We used a lot of very clear glass at the lower levels of the hotel to achieve the same level of transparency as retail storefronts,” King says. “Higher up, the goal was to create privacy for guests via glass with a low level of reflectance that could also comply with energy code requirements.”

ENERGY Select 28 provides exceptional solar blocking performance while maintaining a high level of visible light transmission, maximizing building performance and indoor comfort — a perfect combination for the development.

The Hotel Avalon and Alpharetta Conference Center was completed in late 2017. Cooper Carry provided architectural and design services, and the general contractor was Brasfield & Gorrie. Oldcastle Covington was the fabricator, and the glazing contractor was Gardner Glass and Glazing.