The Pearl

This new multi-family apartment complex is located within a 43-acre urban, mixed-use redevelopment project just north of downtown Tampa, Florida.

As the first new structure in this redevelopment project, the apartment building, with 314 dwelling units and 28,000 SF of retail space, established the architectural character for the new district. Located on a four-acre site, three new apartment buildings are organized around a five-level 500-space precast parking structure and central courtyard. Precast concrete wall panels and floor decks were central to the design concept from the beginning. The goal was to create a contemporary-style building that highlighted the area’s history as an industrial district. The client also demanded buildings that would be long-lasting and low maintenance.

At seven stories tall and more than 500 feet in length, one of the key design challenges was to break down the scale of the building to reflect the character of the nearby early 20th century commercial street. Precast finishes, such as tinted concrete, textured patterns, and thin brick, were used on the exterior wall panels toward this end. On the interior, the clients requested an urban, loft-style character. In response, insulated precast concrete wall panels were utilized so the interior of the walls panels could be left exposed in both common areas and dwelling units. Additionally, exposed precast concrete slabs in common areas and exposed precast concrete ceiling in apartments met the clients’ desired look.

Finally, the clients wanted to reduce construction time in order to minimize financial carrying costs. Using Metromont’s wall and deck system reduced the construction time in comparison to alternative construction systems by approximately three months.