Related Group taps Balfour Beatty to build Atlanta Whole Foods flagship store

Dive Brief:

Developer The Related Group has awarded the contract for a multistory Whole Foods store in downtown Atlanta to Balfour Beatty US, according to Yahoo Finance.
The 72,000-square-foot flagship store will anchor a 39-story, luxury residential high-rise complex — also being built by Balfour Beatty — which will feature a microbrewery, restaurants, a pool terrace, fire pit terrace, 6,500 square feet of retail, 390 upscale residential units and a rooftop terrace with views of the city.
Balfour Beatty said it will use Lean construction methods while constructing the store and "just in time" material-delivery scheduling to maximize job site efficiencies. The project is slated for completion in early 2018.

Dive Insight:

Related awarded the tower portion of the project to Balfour Beatty in June. At the time, the contractor also emphasized its plan to use efficient construction methods and the latest technology so that it could better coordinate material deliveries, as well as the work of subcontractors. The contractor also reportedly used building information modeling (BIM) to plan for crane placement around the project as the Midtown Eco-District area has several other construction developments in progress.

Atlanta continues to see major development, including significant investment in sports construction. The $1.5 billion Falcons' Mercedes-Benz Stadium should be ready for the 2017-2018 NFL season, with a camera lens aperture-like retractable roof as the main feature. The Hawks are also in for a $200 million renovation of Philips arena. The biggest development in the city by far, however, is the 20-year, $6 billion Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport overhaul. Hotels, expansion of terminals and traffic lanes are on the agenda, but the most expensive airport addition is the new $943 million runway scheduled for completion in 2034.

This is Related's first project in Atlanta, but the company is no stranger to major development. It is also the force behind the massive Hudson Yards project, a 26-acre, mixed use project that is expected to contribute about $19 billion to New York City's economy by the time construction is complete. The company also has plans to build a huge mixed-use development on 62 acres along the Chicago River but is years down the road from being shovel ready.