Orlando | Tampa

POST+BEAM / A JOURNAL

Summer 2021 Updates

By Megan Padilla

20 years in Downtown Orlando 

The Interstruct Design + Build team is settling in to their first weeks in the office of the company’s new HQ at 814 W. Church Street in Parramore. The adaptive reuse of a 1940s warehouse is the anchor of the Orlando-based design + build firm’s urban-infill redevelopment of an underused block between Exploria Stadium and Camping World Stadium.   

Twenty years ago, Ryan Young and Rich Monroe moved into their first office at 100 E. Pine Street. Their startup deal with the landlord included free rent while they built out 100% of the tenant interiors.  

Young, Monroe and their growing team have been building corporate interiors ever since. Last month their work won three Golden Brick Awards for Best New Office (RSM, US in the SunTrust Plaza), Best Redesign + Renovation (Net Conversion) and Best Commercial Development (Orlando Health’s Sligh Medical Office Complex).  To read more about all of Interstruct’s finalists projects in this year’s Golden Brick Awards, click here.

Interstruct’s office address has changed a few times through the years – from Pine to Robinson to Orange and now Church – but the firm has always been committed to building a better downtown Orlando.  

aerial view of downtown Orlando skyline taken from west of I4
Interstruct is redeveloping a block of W. Church St in Parramore. Its new HQ is an adaptive reuse project, pictured lower right.

Interstruct in Parramore 

Interstruct’s longterm view is to be a leader in the westward expansion of downtown Orlando. The plan is to bring value to these blocks through thoughtful architecture – a blend of adaptive reuse and ground-up construction – and the transformation of unused outdoor spaces into pocket parks that enhance the neighborhood and reactivate the street.  

The Parramore Infill Redevelopment master plan will bring online 10,000 SF of new Class A office space in a signature glass and steel building. A new retail tenant will occupy 1,500 SF Interstruct’s own office at 814 W. Church Street..  

Young and Monroe have committed to solar energy and sustainable building materials with the goal of a Net Zero Energy Building, “Because it’s the right thing to do,” said Young. “It will be a first for Parramore.” 

The firm’s major Architect-as-Developer project in the Parramore Heritage neighborhood is supported by a qualified opportunity zone fund. This program provides significant tax benefits for investment in this historic Black neighborhood that is becoming the hub of Orlando’s professional sports and entertainment complexes.  

Interstruct’s commitment to community art spurred a mural on the street-facing side of the 814 West Church St. building that has taken on a life of its own. The Unity Mural, the mentoring work by Maureen Hudas and the community service work by Jennifer Desire were all recognized as 2020 Golden Brick Finalists in the categories of Arts, Diversity and Community. Click here and scroll down to More than a Mural to learn more.

Volunteers giveaway free groceries at a community event in Parramore, Orlando.
Jennifer H. Desire Foundation and Interstruct undertake their third community service event at Interstruct’s new HQ in Parramore. Future events will be announced on a new website @814WestChurch (coming soon). Photography by @ramzyinsight #BeastMaker⁠

Father’s Day Grocery Giveaway @814WestChurch 

If you’ve seen the #UnityMural at Interstruct’s new HQ at 814 West Church Street, you’ve seen activist Jennifer Desire who has seemingly stepped right off the wall to lend a hand to neighbors in need. Jenn thinks big and helps many, just as she did on Father’s Day for the Grocery Giveaway event.  

⁠Props to Jenn and her enthusiastic team of volunteers who shopped and organized pantry and perishable items for 100 families. Thanks to the Interstruct team who ensured a clean and safe space to work and who joined the volunteers on Sunday. ⁠A new website (814westchurch.com) is in the works to help connect the Parramore community to future events “at the mural.” 

sleek new office interior, adaptive reuse office atrium with brick and natural light, hospital beds in new medical office tower
Award-winning interior buildouts by Interstruct include RSM, US in SunTrust Plaza, Net Conversion as adaptive reuse, and Orlando Health’s new medical officer tower at Sligh + Arsi in downtown Orlando. Photos by Chad Baumer.

Adaptive Reuse + Healthcare Specialties + Corporate Interiors 

Giving new life to old buildings is one form of adaptive reuse. Another is the repurposing of retail space to meet the needs of new tenants. Other buildings simply need an architectural intervention to transform a dated exterior into one that makes a statement with clean, modern design. Interstruct knows how to maximize value from an existing structure, sitework and zoning.  

Medical office buildings are another area of Interstruct’s expertise, having established its healthcare division in 2013. Interstruct is incredibly proud of the 55,000 SF interior buildout for the Orlando Health Sligh + Copeland Medical Office Complex that was fast-tracked for completion in just five months, during the pandemic. The project was awarded the 2020 Golden Brick for Best Commercial Development.  

Interstruct’s roots are in Class A tenant improvements. The company is under contract for its fourth corporate interior buildout in Lincoln Property Company’s SunTrust Plaza. When complete, Insight Global’s new office brings Interstruct’s sum total to 85,000 SF of built space in the downtown Orlando tower. The others are RSM US, E | Spaces and HuntonBrady Architects.

New Website + Company Overview 

Interstruct recently launched a brand-new website packed with content and more than 100 portfolio projects to explore.  

Interstruct was founded in 2001 and is a full-service design-build firm with offices in Orlando and Tampa. Their in-house architecture team, construction experts and project managers work together to deliver superior results for select clients. They are subject matter experts in adaptive reuse, corporate interiors and healthcare and hospitality construction. Interstruct’s vision includes their own architect-as-developer projects.  

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