Atlanta Boutique Firm HRE Real Estate Comes Full Circle With Office Reimagination

The five-story office building at 1117 Perimeter Center West in Sandy Springs, Georgia, had been on Holli Edie’s radar for a long time. 

Since the building’s opening in 1985, she had attended countless meetings and lunches at its café, admiring its unique hexagon shape with its distinctive inner courtyard. Even as a young professional, she was struck by its unique aesthetics, she said.  

“I really have a special place in my heart for this property,” said Edie, whose Atlanta-based firm provides office and retail leasing along with asset, property management and construction management services. 

Today, as president of HRE Real Estate, Edie said she is bringing the office space, formerly known as Perimeter Center West and now rebranded as Eleven17, “up to and beyond” contemporary standards. 

“I thought it was a wonderful space then, and I believe that through our reimagination and the use of biophilic design, the project's purposeful design was planned to help businesses attract top talent and enhance the overall experience by offering a multisensory environment, blending the realms of nature and architecture,” she said.

Understanding the challenges businesses face in getting their employees back in the office, Edie said the decision was made with building ownership to renovate Eleven17 and activate the ground-floor amenity space to help businesses attract and retain talented employees. 

HRE has overhauled much of the 500K SF Class-A space, completely repainting the building’s exterior, restoring and resealing windows, and adding a new entrance awning.

The most notable of its renovations and the development's largest project to date is Eleven17's central courtyard. The 26K SF outdoor amenity space was inspired by her overseas trips to tropical resorts, resulting in a look she describes as “boho chic.”

“This will be a tropical, interactive oasis and a break from the mundane office," she said. “It stands as a testament to a harmonious blend of architecture and nature, adding an unexpected touch of serenity and fun to the urban landscape.”

The focal point of the courtyard is its original fountain, now fully refurbished and operational again for the first time in years. The courtyard also features a new 4-foot spherical water feature, putting green, bocce ball/cornhole court and many seating options with fire pits and USB charging stations. There is also an area for local artists to display their works and a tiered lawn amphitheater with a covered stage to host events, concerts, meetings or other events.  

In addition to being open to Eleven17’s tenants, the amenity space is available to rent to the general public for private meetings and events. The project will be completed in early spring, Edie said.

“In line with our improvements, we have hired a tenant experience manager to coordinate events and activities,” said Edie, who has personally designed the amenity improvements at Eleven17. “This is going to be a really cool spot, and not just for the building tenants but everyone in general.”

Elsewhere in the building, a 1,200 SF conference and training center has been remodeled and upgraded with dedicated WiFi, and a new fitness center contains an array of modern equipment as well as a sauna, showers and locker room. 

An indoor/outdoor coffee bar opening into the courtyard, a micro market café with a place for pop-up restaurants and a catering kitchen will all be completed later this year. HRE is also in the process of upgrading the property’s landscaping and plans to renovate Eleven17’s lobbies and install digital directories in 2024. Additional projects will continue into 2025 as well, she said.

Edie founded HRE in 2009 to lease and manage office buildings and shopping centers throughout the Southeast. Her firm took on the management and leasing of Eleven17 in March 2020, right as Covid forced many employees to pivot to remote work. The pandemic had a huge impact on commercial real estate in general, with office buildings hit especially hard. 

But Edie used her experience to mold HRE into what she describes as a rapidly growing boutique firm that is focused on creating a team environment that maintains an ownership mentality among employees.

“Despite Covid, it’s been back-to-back major projects for us,” she said.  

Edie said a thriving workplace requires a dynamic and engaging environment that fosters a sense of community, such as what she said now exists at Eleven17. 

“By activation of our outdoor amenity space, we strive to empower businesses to flourish in an environment that encourages team building, ignites creativity, cultivates innovation and nurtures company growth,” she said. “Our unwavering commitment to creating an inspiring workplace underscores our mission to deliver an office experience that goes beyond the ordinary.”

Edie said the ownership mentality she has instilled in the HRE workforce will allow the firm to take on more projects like Eleven17.

“Some real estate firms view their work as strictly transactional, but we dive in and we act like it's our property, too,” she said. “I ask my employees, ‘How would you handle this situation if it was your own money?’ I want them to understand the ripple effect of everything they do and why we do things in a certain way to benefit the property and maximize the return for ownership.”

That is an attitude that Edie said will continue to serve her company well on future projects, whether office or retail, and allow it to respond quickly to evolving user preferences.

“The only way you're going to get people back in the office is to have some engaging space, and that's what the HRE team and I have created at Eleven17,” she said. “We’re looking forward to taking a similarly creative, hands-on approach to other properties in the future.”

For leasing or event opportunities at Eleven17, contact Holli Edie at 404.246.7509, or email here. 

This article was produced in collaboration between HRE Real Estate and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.