The Ben Tobin Companies LTD, Hollywood, Florida

From Archiplanet

	The Ben Tobin Companies Corporate Offices
Designer	Frimet Design Associates - Architects, Planners, Designers (FDA), Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Location	Hollywood, Florida, USA
Date
Building Type	Commercial Building
Construction System	CBS + Steel
Climate	Tropical
Context	Suburban
Architectural Style	Contemporary
Street Address	3701 Ben Tobin Drive
Notes

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2 Discussion
3 Maps
4 References
5 External Links

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Building Details
Client	The Ben Tobin Companies LTD
Cost	$ 3,000,000
Area	13,278.6
Stories	2
Height	35 FT
Site	39,029 SQFT

Situated on the last lot and on the axis of a major entrance to the prestigious Hillcrest PUD Development, a residential complex of approximately 2100 units distributed among low-medium-high rise multi-family buildings, this luxurious warm contemporary two-story office building is deliberately designed by Frimet Design Associates to capture the attention of every passerby and to be compatible to the residential development.

Frimet Design Associates has been involved in the Hillcrest PUD for over thirty years, in planning as well as the design of units and facilities. Principal Arthur Frimet AIA, assisted the City of Hollywood in drafting its first PUD ordinance, which enabled the founder Ben Tobin to dedicate the two golf courses to remain as open space.

The building is composed of an L-shaped volume intersected by several towers covered with barrel tile, but most prominently intersected by a cylindrical tower covered by a copper roof that captures the hues of the sun at different times of the day. The north side of the building provides covered parking for tenants; and offsetting rectangular volumes, which define the second level outdoor space, becomes the south side of the building.

The second level is headquarters to The Ben Tobin Companies, a third generation development company. A machine room-less elevator, selected to reduce energy consumption and to prevent contamination of the soil, provides the main access to the second level. A reception space leads to the production areas and offices. The conference room has a radial curved wall with windows that overlook the entry of the building. An outdoor patio deck space surrounded by planters and covered by trellises was provided for staff breaks and social events.

Lush landscaping is interspersed with and surrounds the building, and it is incorporated into the design by the use of cedar trellises that are entwined by vines that flower in different hues. An entry walk composed of columns and arches gracefully precedes the entrance to the building; it is decorated with wood lattices and vines, and covered by a copper roof. This approach allows better cohesion between the building and the neighborhood. Hence, the design of the building is the product of the fulfillment of the owner’s desire to achieve a non-commercial ‘look’, and several conditions that are part of the context in which the building is designed.