HKW is finding that clients, consumers and municipalities are requiring more complexity and design in retail development than has been expected in the recent past. More complexity and design in the form of higher density retail main street concepts that incorporate residential and flex-space components. Large parking fields in front of the center have given way to streets with parking between and behind the stores.
The firm sees more developers seeking methods to harness this outdoor streetscape intimacy as a new way to “rejuvenate” old and tired existing malls. HKW's participation in the “rejuvenation” of Brookwood Mall in Birmingham, Ala., is an ICSC award-winning example of “de-malling” a traditional mall by turning the shops outward to a heavily landscaped, tree lined, pedestrian promenade and street. The renovation and expansion of new tenants along the street introduces a flavor of local Southern hospitality, outdoor gathering spaces, restaurants, gardens and fountains described by a recent shopper as “a wonderful place to be.”
HKW offers a practice that specializes in retail, commercial and civic project solutions with an emphasis on retail to a number of national and regional developers. The firm offers an array of services for the commercial real estate developer, such as master site planning, interior design, graphic/environmental graphic design and architectural design. “HKW has an enviable reputation for innovation, creative retail design solutions that are successful and fresh. Each solution creates value through a careful mix of function and aesthetics,” states Fred Keith, president of HKW.
Contact Info
HKW Associates
Two North 20th St., Suite 100
Birmingham, AL 35203
Telephone: 205.320.0320
Fax: 205.320.0323
Web site: www.hkw.com
E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Size of Firm: 20
Year Established: 1994
Key Contacts: Fred Keith, President
Tommy Goodman, Director of Design