Phillips Point

Courtesy of Roger Ferris + Partners

• Architects

Originally completed in 1985, Phillips Point is a 450,000-square-foot, two-tower office complex on South Flagler Drive in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach. Facing the city’s award-winning waterfront promenade, the site offers 270-degree panoramic views of the ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Island of Palm Beach. Now, four decades since it first opened, the complex requires extensive restoration to meet current building codes, performance standards, and tenant requirements. Developer Related Ross has engaged our firm to lead a comprehensive modernization that will reposition Phillips Point as a dynamic new centerpiece of the Flagler waterfront district.

photo_credit Courtesy of Roger Ferris + Partners — Courtesy of Roger Ferris + Partners

The previously underutilized ground floor has been reenvisioned with an expansive colonnaded gallery wrapping the base of the complex. Updated retail and dining spaces, LED lighting, and enhanced landscaping reactivate the street edges along Flagler Drive, Lake View Avenue, and Trinity Park, strengthening the public realm. Cove lighting illuminates the canopy – crafted from durable aluminum panels printed to resemble lacquered mahogany wood – with a warm, even glow, guiding visitors into a landscaped courtyard that mediates between the two towers. Enlarged windows along the entire ground floor foster a more open, inviting atmosphere, while the raised canopy heightens its street-level presence. On the south side of the complex, a covered porte-cochere provides a sheltered arrival experience.

The towers themselves have received new, high-performance windows designed to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds. The windows also meet energy efficiency benchmarks by maximizing daylight, reducing solar heat gain, and lowering cooling demands. While preserving the towers’ original architectural form, we have resurfaced the existing precast concrete panels to repair deterioration and ensure a watertight envelope. A new roofing membrane completes the exterior upgrades.

The buildings’ mechanical and electrical systems have also been replaced with high-efficiency equipment and controls. These improvements optimize temperature and humidity regulation, reduce energy use, and extend the building’s operational lifespan.

The client asked us to reimagine the building and bring it up to today’s standards. The base of the building needed to be opened for more retail and restaurant occupants. A new processional from the street to the various entrances was important and needed to be fluid. The exterior of the building needed a refresh and updated glazing to current day hurricane ratings.

The biggest challenge is to complete the construction while the building is fully occupied with minimal obstruction to the occupants.

Limestone plaster was used to recoat the existing precast concrete panels. The color is sensitive to the surrounding context and elevates the buildings presence. Granite and Travertine stone paves the new tearrce spaces throughout the building. Stone is used at the base of each column as it tranistions the ground.