News & Blog

New WestLawn office building to be largest of its kind in S.C.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Work has begun in the BullStreet District on a unique 75,000 sq ft. office building that will be made with mass timber and will be the largest office building of its kind in South Carolina.

The five-story WestLawn office building was designed by globally renowned architectural firm Perkins and Will in collaboration with Robinson Gray Stepp & Laffitte, LLC. Included in the design are vibrant public spaces around WestLawn that will fit in with the new urbanist vision of a walkable, vibrant district for BullStreet, the largest urban redevelopment project on the East Coast.

Huge, 10-foot-tall windows to maximize natural light will encase the building, which will be constructed with cross-laminated timber. Cross-laminated timber was invented in the 1990s as the only structural commercial building material that is a sustainable and renewable resource. It significantly reduces reliance upon concrete and steel.

WestLawn is the first office building in Columbia to be built with cross-laminated timber, which supports great design, efficient construction, comfortable living and environmental responsibility. Mass timber technology combines modern architecture with the look and charm of old Southern buildings that withstood the test of time and aesthetics.

There are only 384 large mass timber buildings in the United States, according to The New York Times. The first one was built in Montana in 2011.

“The design of WestLawn reflects our emphasis on preserving historic buildings alongside modern architecture, essentially taking the best of the old and new,” said Robert Hughes, president of Hughes Development, master developer for the 181-acre BullStreet District.

“From our first conversations with Robinson Gray about a location inside the BullStreet District, we knew they shared our vision for what BullStreet is becoming. This building not only reflects their commitment to excellence and sustainability, but it also sets a new standard for green office building design in Columbia,” Hughes said. “A clean and safe workplace has never been more important than it is right now and WestLawn is being designed using every best-practice in our industry to create the best possible work environment.”

Robinson Gray’s mission is to provide exceptional client service, to promote excellence among attorneys and staff, and to encourage professionalism and inclusion in the firm, the Bar, and the community.

“As our law firm continues to grow, we look forward to elevating our client services and experience using the latest in technology and sustainable design,” said Cal Watson, Robinson Gray’s managing member. “We are excited to move into this vibrant environment that will seamlessly blend life, work, leisure and community.”

WestLawn will be completed in the first half of 2022, located between Starbucks and Segra Park on Pickens St. in the BullStreet District. Stay up to date with the progress of the BullStreet District.

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About the BullStreet District:

Known as the largest urban redevelopment project on the East Coast, the BullStreet District is an active transformation of the historic, 181-acre South Carolina State Hospital campus into a vibrant, mixed-use lifestyle district that reflects the authenticity of downtown Columbia, S.C. The state’s first urban gigabit community, BullStreet is a city-within-a-city, located one mile from the S.C. State House and anchored by the award-winning stadium, Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies Minor League Baseball team. Well into a 20-year buildout that started in January 2015, the district already is home to an array of local and national businesses, including REI Co-Op and Capgemini. BullStreet contains 125,000+ square feet of commercial/office and retail space and is zoned for up to 3.3 million square feet of commercial use and 3,558 residential units. Follow @BullStreetSC and #BullStreetSC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and learn more at www.bullstreetsc.com.