It’s also important to curate the M2 community, Lanier said, and develop a certain mix of people with the right disposition to thrive in the new environment. “So it’s definitely about growing businesses, but still very targeted in small businesses,” Lanier said. M2 will have businesses ranging from 1,000-1,500 square feet all the way to 10,000-12,000 square feet, Lanier said. The second phase will include making a 4,000-square-foot conference room and event space, as well as getting a food and beverage option and retail up and going. This is the space where light production businesses will operate, he said. M2 will be developed in two phases, Lanier said, with the first one getting the core amenities in place, developing the north side of the building, updating the loading dock and getting some cosmetic improvements done. “Whereas MAKE is operationally intensive, will be about finding people who are operating those kinds of businesses already,” Lanier said. Lanier said the M2 development team - which includes Lanier, who is also an architect at ArchitectureWorks, Grant Brigham with ARC Realty and Tom Carruthers with Red Rock Realty Group - closed on the building in January, and construction will ideally start in May.
“M2 is the next step in the progression of the workspace idea that we are evolving out of MAKEbhm,” Lanier said. Lanier said they plan to have retail shops in the space, as well as shared amenities such as conference rooms, bathrooms, steam showers and a self-service café-type area. S., and will operate as a 70,000-square-foot workplace for modern product-design and light manufacturing. M2 will be located at what was previously known as Old Car Heaven, at 3501 First Ave. Rendering courtesy of ArchitectureWorksīruce Lanier, the founder of the 1,700-square-foot MAKEbhm, is excited to bring an even bigger modern workplace area to downtown Birmingham this year: M2. This dock view shows the building’s north face with the new loading dock able to accommodate full-size tractor trailer and new retail/workspace.