BusinessTN

Since forming Barry Real Estate in 1995 with partner Chris Schoen, Atlanta-based mega-developer Hal Barry (formerly of Atlanta powerhouse developer Portman-Barry) has completed 19 projects measuring a combined four million square feet of office space. The projects have attracted users like the Hartford, Travelers, Assurant, Toyota and Nike, and current efforts include the National Archives and Records Administration building in St. Louis, as well as Allen Plaza in Atlanta, which is comprised of two office buildings, a hotel and other buildings. In concert with the pre-existing World of Coke museum and Georgia Aquarium, that development will leave its mark on the city for quite some time.

Barry is also the developer behind The Pinnacle at Symphony Place. When it opens in January 2010, The Pinnacle will arguably be the nicest office building ever built in downtown Nashville. Anchored by high-profile tenants Pinnacle Financial Partners and the law firm of Bass Berry & Sims, the 29-story, 520,000-square-foot, $105 million building is designed by Pickard Chilton, an internationally renowned architecture firm known for making architectural statements around the world. (Everton Oglesby is the local architect. Brasfield & Gorrie is the contractor.)

Barry describes The Pinnacle as "a testament to our company's confidence in Nashville's continued prosperity and the city's growing market for a sophisticated, state of the art office tower." Such commentary bodes well for continued Barry Real Estate involvement in the Nashville market. (Barry and Pickard Chilton already collaborated on the W Hotel in Nashville.)

The Pinnacle, located at 2nd Avenue and Demonbreun, represents many firsts. To start with, it's the first office high rise in the SoBro area south of Broadway in downtown Nashville. An area that already boasts the Country Music Hall of Fame, The Sommett Center, the Hilton Hotel and the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center, SoBro will also soon be home to a new convention center, a substantial riverfront re-development, and one day, perhaps, even a new minor league baseball park or outdoor amphitheater.

Barry officials understood that an important part of making an office tower work in SoBro was addressing concerns about making sure the design flowed with the SoBro area.

"If you look at base of The Pinnacle, then at the Symphony Center, you'll see The Pinnacle was designed to complement the Symphony Center using very similar stone on the base of the building and using the corner features that mimic what's going on at the symphony," says Deming Fish, senior managing director of marketing, leasing and property management for Barry Real Estate. "The concept was to create a street presence that complemented what was happening at the symphony. Once you get up above the parking structures, then you flow into the glass tower that takes you up and becomes a skyscraper."

In another first, The Pinnacle will be downtown Nashville's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building, meaning it meets a suite of extra standards for environmentally sustainable construction that relates to everything from how air and natural light get into the building to the way water is used. (In fact, it is silver LEED certified.) A prime example of the type of features it takes to achieve such certification? The area on top of the parking deck, which covers an entire city block, is landscaped and allows building operators to capture water on the rooftop for use in the air conditioning process. Barry officials project a savings of as much as 80% of the municipal water that a building its size would normally need.

While other projects have remained on the drawing board in the current economy, The Pinnacle has moved forward, in part because it got its financing in order before the economy bottomed out. At press time, the building was only about 50% leased. But Fish said at press time that he was negotiating with several entities to relocate into the space and that the project will open "in the 75% leased range, which is pretty dang good for a new building coming out of the ground."

The current market is clearly a challenge, but Barry's development should only enhance the appeal of the SoBro area in the eyes of the corporate community.