Project Highlight
Integrating the new with the old was the goal with Columbia Square, a six acre infill site blending office, retail and restaurant properties, located in Columbia Tusculum, Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood. Bayer Becker played an integral part in the successful completion of the project whose challenges included an existing 11” brick sewer and a location in the floodplain.
The development’s initial phase included a multi-floor office building with a parking garage and surface parking. Additional phases included retail buildings and surface parking. Grading for the project was important because of the site’s location in the floodplain. City of Cincinnati Building Department’s regulations state that all finished floors have to be located at least one foot above the 100-year flood elevation. Because of this, the site’s grading was carefully designed and verified to ensure the buildings were at the correct elevation. The project also involved extensive coordination with both the City of Cincinnati’s Columbia Parkway widening and streetscape improvements and the Metropolitan Sewer District’s (MSD) ongoing combined sewer separation project. Our designs had to be mindful of MSD’s existing and future sewer location, and capable of adapting to changes in order to ensure a successful integration.
Bayer Becker’s design expertise and familiarity with both the client and the City of Cincinnati's regulations and approval process resulted in a project that not only fits seamlessly with the existing neighborhood, but also improves upon it.
