Brookhaven City Centre is the first mass timber municipal building in Georgia
Brookhaven City Centre, the first mass timber municipal building in Georgia, recently held its grand opening. The 58,250-sf structure is the only government facility in the state built primarily using mass timber, featuring exposed wood throughout the upper levels and a concrete parking garage.
Georgia’s First Mass Timber Municipal Building Opens in Brookhaven
The building exemplifies a growing national trend in sustainable development as the material offers durability, carbon sequestration benefits, and reduced construction waste.
About 60% of the building is dedicated to public use, including community gathering spaces, a rooftop garden, a multi-purpose event hall, a catering kitchen, a coffee shop, rentable meeting rooms, public restrooms, and an Explore Brookhaven visitor store. The remaining 40% of the structure houses administrative offices for city operations such as offices for the Mayor and Council, City Manager, Finance, and Human Resources.
Skilled Labor and Logistics Drive Mass Timber Construction
The project required a skilled labor force specialized in mass timber construction to assemble the engineered wood panels. The team navigated nuances of the construction that differ from concrete and steel, including maneuvering large pieces of timber within a tight space, and unloading and reloading logistics.
Designed by the Sizemore Group to achieve WELL Gold and LEED certification, the building features a three-story atrium with a skylight that is positioned in the center of the structure. McCarthy + Barnsley, A Joint Venture, a partnership formed in 2020 between McCarthy Building Companies and Barnsley Construction Group, a women-owned firm headquartered in Atlanta, constructed the facility. Brookhaven City Centre is the sixth project to be launched by the joint venture.
Construction Scope Includes Utility Relocation and VR Coordination
The construction team’s full scope of work includes the relocation of existing utilities and sewer lines, model-based estimating, trade partner coordination, and VR visualization of interior spaces.
Located just north of Atlanta at the intersection of North Druid Hills Road and Peachtree Road, the new city hall is a major milestone for Brookhaven, serving a populace of nearly 60,000 and marking the first purpose-built city hall since the City of Brookhaven was incorporated in 2012.
On the Building Team
Owner and/or developer: City of Brookhaven
Design architect: Sizemore Group (note: Sizemore Group is credited simply as the "architect," not specifically "design architect" or "architect of record")
Architect of record: N/A
MEP engineer: S. L. King & Associates, Inc.
Structural engineer: Britt, Peters and Associates
General contractor/construction manager: McCarthy + Barnsley, A Joint Venture