The $12.6 million facility blends the land management and architectural concepts of renowned Callaway Master Planner Robert Lamb Hart with the conference center design acumen of Atlanta-based Rabun Hogan Ota Rasche (RHOR).  The resulting 54,000-square-foot executive-level facility is a meeting and function space that interacts so easily with it�s surroundings that it almost disappears into the Pine Mountain forest.  
 

�Callaway does things in a natural way,� said RHOR President Joe Rabun, �so our assignment was to design a meeting facility that relates to the natural environment.�  The architectural concept is a �village-in-a-garden� design.  Meeting spaces are actually connected �meeting pods� rather than one large building. Every meeting space has an accompanying outdoor space.  Terraces and lawns � ideal for meeting breaks, receptions and pre-function events � are as functional as they are beautiful.

Architectural Concept  The architectural concept of The Southern Pine was to create a series of connected spaces that wind through the landscape, creating a village-in-a-garden atmosphere. The building and the Gardens will be intertwined in a forest setting. The landscape will be the centerpiece of the area.

�The Southern Pine is a departure from the traditional conference center because it was designed to blend -- and exist in harmony -- with the forest,� Rabun said. 

Since the landscape is part of the design, attendees are never far from nature.  Glass galleries, leading from lobby to meeting rooms, overlook woodlands and gardens.  Outdoor pathways invite recreational walking.  The interior courtyard � a focal point of the design � invites interaction with nature. With data ports located inside and outside the facility and plans to make wireless antennas available for rent, attendees can conduct business while they enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.  

Principals of �green architecture� were employed to take full advantage of the setting.  The contour and character of the landscape determined the placement of the building.  Architects set building heights no greater than 25 feet so as not to obscure the tree line.  Use of natural light, natural materials and energy-efficient concepts is employed throughout.  Even the parking spaces are contoured to make use of the natural topography.

The exterior facade of the building is reminiscent of Callaway�s signature architectural style.  The exterior is wood and stucco.  And the distinctive color � which the architects describe as �dusty rose� � is achieved naturally by grinding red Georgia brick into the white stucco finish.  According to Rabun, the look is in keeping with the Callaway tradition.
            
The Southern Pine is a full-service meeting facility that offers 22,000 square feet of indoor meeting space.  It features two ballrooms, eight breakout rooms, a 150-seat dining room, a lounge with seating areas and pool tables, indoor and outdoor fireplaces and a lobby/reception area that doubles as a welcome center for the nearby Southern Pine cottages. The facility can accommodate groups of up to 500.  

The 14,000-acre Callaway resort and preserve, an hour�s drive from Atlanta, offers championship golf and tennis, hiking, biking, horticulture displays and discovery programs.