Coscan Opens Coscan Architecutre & Design, LLC - A New Company Under the Coscan Umbrella

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—April 2007— Al Piazza, CEO of Coscan, announced the opening of Coscan Architecture & Design, LLC, the newest company under the Coscan umbrella. The design company headed by noted designer and planner William Waters, who was formerly with Smith & Moore Architects Inc., of West Palm Beach, will oversee five members, who will work out of Coscan’s corporate offices in Fort Lauderdale. Coscan Architecture & Design will be responsible for land planning, architectural and interior design for all upcoming projects developed by Coscan as well as residential and preservation design for private clients.

Piazza always wanted to have this service in house to add a new dimension to the 30-year-old company’s services. When he met Waters and discussed possible ideas for Arden Park, the luxury single family home community that Coscan will be building with Shefaor Development in Hollywood, he knew he found the right man to head the new concept.

“William’s vision of Arden Park was so unique and right on the money. He had that creative spark I had been looking for,” says Piazza. Waters always wanted to be on his own so he could cultivate his ideas and expand his style. When Piazza presented Waters with an offer “he couldn’t refuse”, he didn’t refuse, and since then jokes Piazza, “William’s life has been turned upside down.”

In addition to Arden Park, Coscan has plans to develop The Springs, a town home community in the Village of Palm Springs, Florida, two communities in Heathrow near Orlando, and a not yet named community in Sarasota in the near future.

Waters’ background is impressive. He has earned an undergraduate degree in City Planning and a Dual Masters in Urban Design and Historic Preservation, at the University of Virginia, and a Masters of Architecture at the University of Miami. Waters has traveled extensively in Europe to study architectural style and spent time studying landscape architecture and architectural history at the University of London in England.

Waters is not stuck in one particular style of architectural design. The communities he designs might be traditional, contemporary, historic, or a mixture. The questions Waters asks when approaching a project are: What are the tastes of the client? What kind of atmosphere or impression do we want to create? Where is the project to be built and how is the site configured? And what style is the most appropriate to achieve that best result?

But always, Waters believes in simplified, gracious elegance, with attention to architectural detail and pleasurable yet practical use of space. He is an expert on how to use square footage to provide amenities and quality design that is livable for the owner. Space in a Waters design can be used for many purposes: a kitchen can also be the computer center or central gathering place; the guest room serves as a crafts room or an in-house office; a sleeping porch could be set up as a sanctuary area; a library nook can be tucked away in a staircase—a wonderful spot for doing homework, reading, or getting away from the world for a while.

“Architecture,” says Waters “is not just building pretty buildings but should be based on how people live and how they can enjoy the environment within their home. Most importantly, architecture should be a synthesis between exterior and interior where the two merge to create a unified whole”

Coscan has been in South Florida for the past 30 years and is known as one of the largest and most reliable builders of luxury residential high rise condominiums and single family homes in Florida. Owned by Al Piazza and Mike Neal, the company has gained a reputation as an exclusive boutique operation that is respected for its expertise and professionalism. Coscan Construction, an affiliate company, started 4 years ago and headed by Mike Neal, is known as the “Developer’s Contractor” because some of the biggest developers in South Florida have asked them to build their luxury condominiums. The company and its principals also specialize in construction of hotels, shopping centers, office buildings, parking garages, restaurants and health care facilities. Coscan has more than 8,245,052 square feet of construction in their portfolio—and growing.