Aspire magazine Vol 4

VOLUME FOUR 2013

A C O O P E R C A R R Y M A G A Z I N E

North Side Rail Station, North Shore ConnectorPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

ASPIRE is a publication of Cooper Carry. Its intent is to celebrate the projects and

our people who collaborate to make them become a reality.

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pratt Farmer

Assistant Editor . . . . . .Amanda DLuhy

Design . . . . . . . . . . . .Rick Snider

Contributors . . . . . . . . Celine Buthion

Angelo Carusi Amanda DLuhy

Lisa Goodman

Bill Halter

Mark Kill

David Kitchens

Bob Neal

Oscar Perez Tanne Stephens

Richard Stonis

Karen Trimbach

Ben Wauford

Cooper Carry, inc. 2013

aspireWe aspire to wake up every morning energized by the belief that we can change the world by designing a better environmental experience for its people.Today, one of the biggest challenges our cities face is the co-location of people with their living and employment opportunities. With the maturing of integrated mixed-use development, it is now acceptable to live and satisfy your daily and weekly needs without the use of an automobile. These mixed-use living environments may take on various forms and densities, but they all connect us in new ways that are much different from when we relied more on our automobiles. Many people, however still must commute multiple miles to their place of employment and most still do that in an automobile by themselves. With our limiting capacity to build and expand roads, which in many cases is destroying wonderful close-in neighborhoods with drive-through traffic, we find committing to multi-transit infrastructure may be the answer to upgrading or expanding community in a positive way.

Cooper Carry has a history of being at the forefront of transit change. In the 1970s, we believed in the initial planning and implementation of the Atlanta MARTA system and designed several of its first stations. These stations today have employment, living, and entertainment uses associated with them and serve as outstanding examples of facilitators for Transit Oriented Development (TOD). They also serve as living laboratories for change, offering participants in these environments facilities and public realms that satisfy their needs. In Washington, DC and New York, where we have been working for 25 years, these mature cities are finding ways to re-invent their close-in suburbs with new layers of transit that includes light-rail, trolley and bus-rapid-transit.

Our fourth edition of Aspire celebrates recent TOD work, much of which is still in early design stages and will come out on the cutting edge of authentic TOD thought. Through focused efforts related to how people live and work, Cooper Carry is making better communities for people to embrace.

Transit, buildings and the public realm do not build community, people do; but their design certainly facilitates community.

Enjoy this edition of Aspire, and may it motivate you to think deeper.

David Kitchens, AIA, Principal

We aspire to wake up every morning energized by the belief that we can change the world by designing a better environmental experience for its people.

The Mercato - Naples, Florida

Pittsburgh, PA

Editors Note: Transit and Transit Oriented Develop-ment are keys to successful growth in many cities across the country. In this issue of Aspire, three individuals were asked to share their thoughts. Ben Wauford in our New York Office recently completed the design for a new station in Pittsburgh. David Kitchens in Washington has been very involved in the planning of numerous transit oriented develop-ments in the metro DC area, and Bill Halter has been involved in the Georgia Multimodal Transit Terminal design in Atlanta.

aspire< f e a t u r e >

Editors Note:

Transit and Transit-Oriented Development are keys to successful growth in many cities across the country. In this issue of Aspire, three individuals were asked to share their thoughts. Ben Wauford in our New York Office recently completed the design for a new station in Pittsburgh. David Kitchens in Washington, D.C. has been very involved in the planning of numerous transit oriented developments in the metro DC area, and Bill Halter has been involved in the Georgia Mul-timodal Transit Terminal design in Atlanta.

Transit-OrientedDevelopment

Transit Stations

Transit stations provide new gateways to cities and distinct neighborhoods. As such, these structures assume increased impor-tance to provide gracious and functional connections for customers and importantly a sense of welcome and interest. Cooper Carrys approach to the design of transit sta-tions for all transportation modes is focused on these two important components: the rider experience and the sense of welcome and introduction. Our two most recent completed transit facilities illustrate our understanding of transit from both the operational and the iconic perspectives.

The North Shore Connector Represents A New Era In Transit

By Ben Wauford, AIA, LEED AP, Principal

< f e a t u r e >aspire

Continued on next page

In April 2013, Pittsburgh reached under the Allegh-eny River to connect the north side of the city to the central business core with the construction of a three station expansion of the T train. Recently awarded the Alliant Build America Award, demonstrating the very best when it comes to building a better America and the Pittsburgh Civil Engineering Achievement Award, the North Shore Connector represents a new era in transit for Pittsburgh that connects downtown with sporting venues and major parking areas outside the city core.

Northside Station is the first station north of the river and acts as the transit center for the develop-ing mixed-use entertainment district between PNC Park Stadium, home of the Pirates, and Heinz Field, homes of the Steelers. Northside Station is located between these two sporting venues and beneath an 8-level parking structure. As Pittsburghs second underground transit station, Northside celebrates its undergroundedness, Principal Ben Wauford, design

director for the project states. The stations design uses rough construction finishes and forms to com-municate the transition from street level to platform level some 50 feet below. The riders transition meta-phorically references Pittsburghs mining history and descending through the earths strata to provide a specificity to its location. Upon reaching the platform level, the walls mimic the densification of the layers of soils and rock while providing a clean fuselage-like atmosphere of rapid travel.

Entirely different in scope and context, the Lancaster Amtrak station renovation and rehabilitation included both historic restoration and modern renovations to the 1929 classically inspired train station. Under-taken by the City of Lancaster in conjunction with Amtrak, this project envisioned a new gateway to downtown Lancaster and the recently completed convention and sports facilities. Numerous lines of two different bus services were located onsite to make a truly multimodal facility.

The historic dignity of the station is maintained while dramatically updated with new contemporary additions. Sleek modern glass and steel bus shelters were added to accommodate the buses. The design of these accessory structures takes its inspiration from the historic wrought iron metal canopies at the original front entrance and the train platforms yet transforms the scale and materials to infuse the historic site with modern energy befitting new transit ideals.

Cooper Carrys history and experience in transit de-sign has always managed to combine both iconic and experiential to create transit-required efficiency in a pleasing and gracious environment. Whether the site is above or below ground, the context urban or low scale, the design responds directly to place and the introduction of a community to the rider.

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) takes on many forms, but what we have found at Cooper Carry from our experience in community-based development is that understanding a stations typology goal is critical in the design for your TOD plan. TOD is a model that, when suc-cessfully implemented, can produce significant economic, environmental and social benefits for people and the neighborhoods, cities and re-gions in which they live, work and play. We now have imple-mented enough rail systems in the United States with varying degrees of mature development existing adjacent to them, that we as planners and architects can under-stand what is successfully working and what is not.

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) offers valuable information in their TOD guidebooks related to various use groups and station area plan-ning guides. Their Performance-Based Transit-Ori-

ented Development Typology Guidebook published in December 2010 has been most helpful to us in in-forming our TOD designs along existing METRO Lines

and/or future light-rail, BRT and trolley corridors in the Washing-ton, DC metropolitan area.

The ultimate goal in the early research related to TOD typology is to understand the role the transit station plays in the overall sys-tem. Is it residential, balanced or employment based? These three basic categories inform the pro-gram and character of your TOD. One must also understand basic

real estate principles of location, access and existing community use to begin to make this type of evaluation. Using the performance-based tools can be somewhat formulaic; however, for us as urban designers and architects, I find it to be an informative tool, guiding our clients and the adjacent community toward a successful community-building design.

TOD and Transit Station Typology By David Kitchens, AIA, Principal

Transit-Oriented Development


In the spirit of the Washington, D.C., regions increasingly urban transfor-mation, LCOR Inc., in a land development agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, retained Cooper Carry as a part of a design team for this transit-oriented development at the White Flint Metrorail Station in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Our passion lives on the creative side of this effort. Because most transit stations play a major role in developing community space in existing and emerg-ing urban neighborhoods, it is critical that our design intentions are well informed from the start. I like to place an emphasis on asking the following six essen-tial questions that affect and cause our designs to be compatible with expected station typologies:

1. Do we understand the dominant community use configuration and their role in the region?

2. Do we understand the existing scale of the adjacent community, and their aspiration gathering?

3. Do we understand the existing community density, and is there a pedestrian environment?

4. Which major geographical features near our TOD are worth connecting?

5. What density and use type is acceptable to support the station?

6. Does our TOD need to be the critical destination and placemaking development for the community or a support development connecting to the destination?

Because Cooper Carrys design process is dynamic and involves many design professions, there are many questions that influence our solutions. However, because the stations and the related TOD play such critical roles in building community, these questions tend to bridge the technical aspects of function with the esthetic aspects of community aspirations as we create Community.

The Age Old DreamFor decades, Atlanta and the state of Georgia have dreamed of a revitalized passenger rail system to serve the state and region and to reduce the demand on our highways. The vision was to reawaken down-town Atlantas core and to provide a new and vibrant gateway into Georgia and the region. While many plans had come and gone, it was only recently in 2010 when the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) developed a new approach to help make this long standing dream a reality by implementing a Public Private Partnership (P3) program.

Dreams to RealityUnder the framework of the P3 program and with the many essential stakeholders a national development team of Forest City, Cousins Properties and Integral

Group was chosen to partner with GDOT. Cooper Carry The Center for Connective Architecture was se-lected to lead the planning, architecture and landscape design effort along with our partner, design architect FXFowle.

The Georgia MMPT is a major transportation center that will provide safe, convenient connections to MAR-TA rail and various bus operations along with planned high-speed inter-city and commuter rail platforms as well as connections to the Atlanta Streetcar, bicycle paths and sidewalks. The project will also stimulate significant new real estate development and reconnect downtown by creating development sites that will sur-round the station area.

Georgia Multi Modal Passenger Terminal (GMMPT)By Bill Halter, AIA, LEED AP, Director of Corporate & Office Design

Transit-Oriented Development


Connecting DowntownA new hierarchy of roads will form essential infrastruc-ture to support development and create a new scale of street grid in this area. A new north south commercial street will connect through downtown; and new east west entertainment and local venue streets will connect Georgia State University to the east with the sports and entertainment districts to the west.

The station will be the dynamic center-piece to all of this activity. The GMMPT is planned with a capacity to handle over 100,000 passengers each day and become a shopping and entertainment experience both day and night to support the residents of housing, office and hotel program being planned.

Public open space will be a signature of the design to include a variety of places for people. Each street will have a unique character that will support activities being planned from a lively entertainment street with street-cars along Alabama, to the New Centennial Olympic Park Boulevard that will be the next great commercial address street in Atlanta. Within this new street grid will be public spaces to provide identity and character for each unique district.

A New Community PlacePerhaps the most aspirational goal of the Georgia MMPT is for it to be a thoroughly sustainable design so-lution. For example, the development team is committed to find ways to use rainwater in combination with new green space to reduce rainwater runoff and to use that water in innovative ways such as reclamation and reuse for irrigation and streambeds. Their vision is to also provide much needed park space throughout develop-ment as a focal point for this new center for downtown. The Georgia MMPT will create a new downtown com-munity envisioned as the dynamic hub of Georgia and the region in which Atlanta is an important a part.

Cooper Carry The Center for Connective Architecture was selected to lead the planning, architecture and landscape design effort along with our partner, design architect FXFowle.

Last fall the New York City Mayors office constructed a design competition encouraging developers to propose ways to turn a Manhattan lot into an apartment building filled mostly with what officials are calling micro-units dwellings complete with a bath-room, built-in kitchenette and enough space for a resident to use a fold-out bed as both sleeping space and living room, housed in less than 350 square-feet. When The Richard-son Group, a New York City development com-pany, approached our Residential Specialty Practice Group about designing a micro apartment prod-uct for the competition, Ben Wau-ford, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP and Chris Ernst, AIA, LEED AP eagerly accepted the challenge to design a livable space of less than 330 square-feet. Manhattan is the U.S. capital of solo living, with 46.3 per-cent of households consisting of

one person, according to the 2010 census. City officials estimate that 76 percent of residents on the island live alone or with one other person and such households are growing faster around the city than any other type of living situation. Officials attribute the trend in-

part to young professionals delaying both marriage and childbearing.Demand exists.

This is clearly an effort to create more af-fordable hous-ing, especially for those just out of college, said Wauford. Paying New York City rents,

especially solo, can be a chal-lenge and officials said they hoped smaller apartments would help ease the financial burden on residents facing average market-rate rents of $2,000 per month for a studio and $2,700 per month for a one-bedroom. Housing Preser-vation and Development Commis-sioner Mathew Wambua said he expected the micro-units would rent for significantly less.

SMALL in sizeBIG in conceptMICRO APARTMENTS


In recent years, small homes have been celebrated by design aficiona-dos who argue that minimal space, less clutter and simpler living are both financially and spiritually freeing, but the idea of towers of tiny units raises the specter of an era in which poor residents were crammed into unsafe tenements where they could afford the rent.

City officials argued this proposal was utterly different from such whole-sale warehousing of the poor. The tenement problem was big families in very small (spaces), Bloomberg said. Were not talking about that. Were talking about one or two people who want something they can afford, and they dont entertain or need big space.

Modern-day building codes and improved refrigeration and public health have changed what it means to live small, Bloomberg said. A typical mid-19th century tenement apartment on Manhattans Lower East Side might have been larger than one of the micro-units, measuring 325 square feet, but it would have typically housed families with multiple children. The micro-units are to be leased only to one- or two-person households.

When we began designing our project, it was important for us to create livable community space on each floor. This space was usable by everyone on the floor and we felt that it would encourage interaction, or at least create an environment where interaction with neighbors and friends

SMALLin size

BIGin concept

was possible, Wauford said. Each floor will have approximately 500 sf of common space (not corridors) on average -- of this type space which might have a large screen TV, or comfortable conversational areas designed to foster a sense of community and belonging. In addition, there was also a gym, a bike room, com-mon laundry, roof top garden and common balconies on each floor.

The micro-unit concept is not new, and major urban cities across the U.S. have begun to take note of San Francisco and New Yorks pursuit of the product type. Younger people are de-manding that they live, work and play in an often-times compact area, and this type of project will make this desire more acces-sible as it will offer rental rates that can be sustained by todays young professional, said Ernst who worked with Wauford on the design and programming for the building. For this project to become reality in New York, the city will be required to change its current building codes, allowing for dwellings to be less than 400 square-feet, something estab-lished in 1987.

This has been an interesting ex-ploration of an emerging product type. We are encouraged about its future not only in New York, but in many other cities with explosive growth, high real estate costs and younger populations, Wauford confided.

A typical mid-19th century tenement apartment on Manhattans Lower East Side might have been larger than one of the micro-units, measuring 325 square feet, but it would have typically housed families with multiple children. The micro-units are to be leased only to one- or two-person households.

The classic, indoor American shopping mall has be-come so synonymous with our culture that its hard to imagine life without it. But as cultures shift and online retailers bite into sales, retailers, developers, architects and designers must identify what the next generation of retail will look like. My prediction is that malls in the right locations will continue to survive by doing what they always have: adapting to the needs of their customers, who, in this day and age are frequently immigrant groups.

Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau projects that if immigration continues as expected, the na-tions population will grow from 309 million in 2010 to 436 million in 2050, an increase of 127 million. By 2050, the Census Bureau also anticipates that net immigration will total 68 million. These future im-migrants plus their descendants will add 96 million residents to the U.S. population, accounting for three-fourths of future population growth.

Although many industries have adapted their busi-ness models in order to retain the Gen Y customer base, its clear the biggest increase in population dur-ing the next 40 years will stem not from Generation Y, but rather from immigrants. Architects and designers must therefore shed any predispositions or biases and design for these new cultures.

As noted by numerous demographers, immigrant populations have and will continue to settle in suburbs due to existing social structures, available jobs and the desire to achieve the American Dream - a house in a safe location with good schools for their children.

Already positioned in these suburban areas are regional malls, ready to respond to new shopping patterns. Developers should convene focus groups to determine the demographics of the local popula-tion, and then tailor their plans based on the results. Demographers have noted that for some immigrant

T H E R E T A I L R E V O L U T I O N

By Angelo Carusi, AIA, LEED AP, CDP, Principal, Cooper Carry

Redefining the American Mall

groups, shopping is often a family affair frequently including three generations of the same family, and children have a profound effect on purchasing decisions. Others are likely to be more tech savvy and brand conscious. Thus retail environments that are spacious and colorful are more likely to attract consumers from one immigrant group, whereas another group might seek out spaces that exem-plify meaningful brands and have the technological infrastructure to meet their needs.

Designers and architects need to embrace the local markets and make the mall a real gathering place for the community. Throughout the Great Recession and since its inception, the high quality regional mall has remained very flexible and em-braced by the public. The key to success has been to adapt to local needs and national trends.

The burgeoning multi-cultural growth expected to influence the United States will again be a test and an opportunity for the regional mall to remain the dominant retail venue that it is today. Were only beginning to see the ripple effects from catering- to particular immigrant groups, but those effects will likely profoundly affect retail environments for years to come.

Overall, many regional malls are well positioned to accommodate these consumer needs.

Editors Note: This first appeared as a blog post on RealTalk, a real estate blog hosted by Doug Sams, the real estate reporter for The Atlanta Business Chronicle.

? As the nations largest property owner, the federal government owns or leases 1.2 million real estate assets, encompassing over 830 million square-feet of buildings and many of those facilities are underused, outdated or abandoned. Additionally, just like any land or building owner, the government has been hit hard by the recession and has pledged to evaluate its real estate holdings and consolidate where it can.

Although many would like to forget this recent eco-nomic crisis, most agree that this is the beginning of an important and fundamental shift in the way we do business and where we do business. Particularly in the government sector, everybody is wondering, how can we do things differently and better than what we were doing before?

Specifically, the deficit debate in Congress that began in 2011 took a significant toll on the two largest fed-eral landowners the Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). For fiscal year 2013, for example, the GSA has a new construction budget of nearly zero. The DOD, on the other hand, has a $2 billion budget but voluntarily agreed to freeze spending on new construction proj-ects to revaluate priorities. Both agencies have shifted their focus towards renovation and energy conserva-tion projects in their fiscal year 2013 budgets.

DOD and GSA consolidations are affecting employ-ees, landlords, buildings owners, designers, and architects, but should we presume the worst?

THE SILVER LINING Because the government has so much real estate, it drives the market, especially in the larger metro-politan cities. So what were seeing as government agencies such as the DOD and GSA continue putting more properties in the pipeline for disposal is a bur-geoning transformation of office building design.

This isnt the first time the government has initi-ated change in the architecture and design field. In the past, the government took the lead on requiring architects to design first in CAD, or computer-aided design, and then shepherded the great paradigm shift to Building Information Modeling (BIM), which funda-mentally revolutionized how the industry approached and executed design.

The government also mandated and incentivized LEED Silver requirements, which spearheaded the sustainable design movement in development and architecture firms across the country. Most devel-opers not only adopted LEED practices but began competing to achieve the most sustainable or green buildings.

T h e A m e r i c a n W o r k p l a c e i s C h a n g i n g :

Is the Government Behindthe Transformation?

By Oscar Perez, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Design Services for Government

Today, the federal government is once again behind a radical change in how and where we work. They led the way in introducing and arguing for greater use of teleworking a program in which employees work at home or at an approved center near home which saves money by allowing agencies to reduce office space. To support the mobility of their employees, the government is redesigning office spaces with new unassigned seating environments that enable employees to choose any work-space for as long they need it.

They are leading the way in reducing the square-footage of office spaces, increasing the use of technology, and pushing net-zero. Architects are already seeing or expecting our developer clients to feel the shift and follow suit.

THE BOTTOM LINEThe U.S. General Services Administration and the Depart-ment of Defense are only two federal agencies among many that are redefining where and how we work.

Because the government is such a large force in the real estate economy, it will push architects, landlords and developers to change how office buildings are designed. There will be a greater focus on net-zero and energy conservation; a change in determining what a good floor plate is for a Class A office building because of shrinking requirements for offices and cubicles; and greater attention to amenities such as higher technol-ogy infrastructure as part of base buildings and shared spaces like cafes, conferencing facilities, or improved fitness facilities.

All of the changes the government is pushing will have a transformational effect on the design of buildings.

Typical office buildings today are designed around a 40,000 to 60,000 square-foot floor plate, based on the need for corner offices, workstation layouts, file rooms and storage facilities. In the office building of the

future, however, floor plates will most likely get smaller, and the depth of buildings will be shallower, with more emphasis on daylighting.

There will be less focus on architects and more focus on interior designers. Interior designers have long taken a back seat to architects, but as we shift the fo-cus away from building shells and on-site geometry to

interior environ-ments, design-ers will be in greater demand to program and lay out spaces. I imagine that many archi-

tects will not have the skills required for these interior design projects, and perhaps well see a shift in the prominence of the two professions.

As an architect, Im encouraged by the changes initi-ated by our government and excited about whats to come.

Everybody is wondering, how can we do things differently and better than what we were doing before? Oscar Perez

Several years ago, The American Institute of Archi-tects (AIA - Atlanta) and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) initiated a year-end holiday celebration for their members known as the Red and Green Scene (R&GS). As momentum grew, several additional

industry-related associations joined in the hosting efforts. The event has grown to now include the Georgia Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA Georgia), Construction Manage-ment Association of America (CMAA), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), The American Society

of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engi-neers (ASHRAE), the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS).

While the original purpose of the event was to of-fer members the opportunity to gather socially and enjoy the company of allied organizations, in 2011 the members of the R&GS decided to take their mis-sion a step further. They began working with com-munity partners applying their professional expertise, pro bono, to worthwhile community initiatives. Chris Lazarek, ASLA, LEED AP, Urban Designer in Cooper Carrys Landscape Specialty Practice Group, The Center, fills a key role on the R&GS Outreach Com-mittee as Design Team Leader. The R&GS Outreach Committee completed two wonderful projects over the past two years: the City of Atlantas Adams Park and the revitalization of the City of Lithonias Womens Club, formerly Dekalb Countys first public library.

. . . their mission is to make the lifecycle use of the built en-vironment increasingly efficient and sustainable.

It All Started With a Party . . .

Project Spotlight . . . Lithonia Womens Club

This year, the R&GS Outreach Committee solicited service requests from various community groups and selected the newly founded Lifecycle Building Center (LBC) site in Southwest Atlanta as its 2013 Community Outreach project.

Per the Lifecycle Building Center, their mission is to make the lifecycle use of the built environment increasingly efficient and sustainable. This mission will be enacted in three ways.

through the operation of a retail building material reuse center as a workable and self-sufficient alternative to material disposal

by using proceeds from material sales to fund grassroots community outreach pro-grams that enhance resource efficiency in the built environment

by empowering the community with the edu-cational and experiential resources needed to effectively raise market demand for green building goods and services

Over the past few months, the R&GS Executive Com-mittee has met with the client, toured the site, and met with a consultant selected by the LBC to help program the crumbling and derelict property. Laza-rek has always given back to the community. After learning what the Lifecycle Building Centers mission was, it was hard not to get overly excited about be-ing a part of this great effort, he says. We look forward to hearing about their achieve-ments for the LBC later this year.

COMMUNITY SOLUTION Walking to work. Some consider it the ultimate environmental solution. By building pedestrian communities adjacent to large employers, develop-ers are giving people the opportunity to reduce commute times and poten-tially take hundreds of cars off the road.

And when those projects are built quickly and affordably using wood, the environmental and other benefits continue to add up. Emory Points developer realized significant cost savings and met an aggressive construction schedule by using wood framing to build the four- and five-story buildings in this $60 million project.

MIXED-USE URBAN INFILLEmory Point is a vibrant, mixed-use urban infill development located in the historic Druid Hills neighborhood of Atlanta. The complex provides retail and residential living options to employees working at the adja-cent global headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Emory Healthcare, Emory University and a number of other schools.

Originally planned as a condominium development in 2006, the 315,000 square-foot project was put on hold but revived as apartments when the economy began to improve. Emory Points first phase consists of three buildings with 443 luxury apartments and 80,000 square-feet of retail and restaurants.

The entire development has the potential for nine buildings altogether; three are complete and four are cur-rently in schematic design. Of the three recently completed, one is five stories of Type III-A wood frame over slab-on-grade. The other two struc-tures are four stories of Type V-A wood frame over a one-story Type I-A post-tensioned concrete podium.All three buildings use pre-engineered wood-plated trusses for floor and roof structures. Oriented strand board (OSB) and gypsum shear walls over 2x4 Southern Yellow Pine wall studs provided lateral stability in each.

SPEEDY SCHEDULEConstruction started in July 2011 and Phase I was completed in the fall of 2012. Jared Ford of Fortune-Johnson

INNOVATIONS IN WOOD:EMORY POINT

Mixed-use complex used wood to save money and speed construction

Contracting told Construction Today that his firm planned to compress a 24-month construction schedule into 18 months contractually, with the intention of eliminating an additional two months from the contract time for the project.

Scale and an aggressive schedule were two of our biggest hurdles, agreed Brad Ellinwood, project engineer from Ellinwood + Machado.

Cost and construction timing were the key drivers for choosing wood for the project, said Ellinwood.

Greg Miller, AIA, NCARB, Principal at Cooper Carry, said the fact that they used wood allowed the contractor to meet the speedy schedule. The wood-framed portions of the project were framed in place, one floor per week. Our portion of the project had two buildings with four stories each, and the wood framing for both build-ings was erected in just eight weeks. This helped the contractor meet their goals and certainly saved money in carrying costs for the developer, explained Miller.

COST SAVINGSFraming costs were also a key consideration in the decision to use wood. While the team considered metal studs, cast-in-place concrete, and other systems, wood was the easy choice.

Cost for the structural frame portion only of the building was about $14 per square-foot, said Ellinwood. In comparison, a 7-inch post-tensioned concrete slab and frame would have cost $22 per square-foot. So, the wood-framing option yielded about 35 percent savings in the structure.

STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONSDavid Goodman, LEED AP, Project Architect from Cooper Carry, said

they used Type III instead of Type V construction in their portion of the project because of height require-ments. There is roughly 27 feet of fall from one building to the other. In addition, we wanted to have increased interior clear height for retail, which would help accelerate the leasing, said Goodman.

The project was originally designed as high-end con-dominiums, which typically have higher floor-to-floor height. The decision to keep the higher heights was driven by the client, who wanted more than typical market-rate apartments, said Goodman. So, we designed the struc-ture to meet 11-foot floor-to-floor specs. We are increas-ing it even further to 11-foot 8-inches for Phase II so that we can have 10-foot interior ceilings.

Cost for the structural frame portion only of the building was about $14 per square foot, said Ellinwood. In comparison, a 7-inch post-tensioned concrete slab and frame would have cost $22 per square foot. So,the wood-framing option yielded about 35 percent savings in the structure.

PROJECT:Emory Point

LOCATION:Atlanta, Georgia

COMPLETED:First phase completed fall 2012BUILDING AND OCCUPANCY:Mixed-use apartment complex

ARCHITECTS:Cooper CarryThe Preston Partnership

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS:Ellinwood + Machado LLCPruitt Eberly Stone, Inc.

CONTRACTOR:Fortune-Johnson Contracting

OWNER:Emory University

DEVELOPER:Cousins Properties, Inc.Gables Residential, Inc.


Erik Swerdlow, Project Manager with Pruitt Eberly Stone, structural engi-neers for two of the buildings, noted that in some areas they had to use more studs to meet the increased height requirements, and yet still showed a 35 percent savings.

We spanned the floor trusses from demising wall to demising wall, but the roof trusses bear on the exterior wall so the perimeter had to be fire rated, said Swerdlow. The contrac-tor wanted to use 2x4 studs through-out the project. We would normally

use 2x6 on the exterior walls due to deflection limits, but we were still able to make it work with multiple 2x4s.

WOOD MAKES THE POINTFrom the outside, Emory Point may look like a straightforward project, but a number of factors help it stand out. Wood facilitated quick installation, which allowed leases to be signed more quickly. And the environmen-tal benefits of the wood structure, already recognized with EarthCraft certification, further emphasize the

overall ecological benefits of this mixed-use development. Among them is Emory Points contribution to a new pedestrian community. A study by Cousins Properties found that less than five percent of the nearly 40,000 employees working within a two-mile radius of the de-velopment actually lived in the area. The cost savings realized from using wood framing allowed the developer to finally proceed with the project, which had been shelved, and now more people will have the option of walking to work.

INNOVATIONS IN WOOD -- EMORY POINT

Reprinted with permission by Woodworks Magazine. An initiative of the Wood Products Council, WoodWorks provides educa-tion, technical resources and free one-on-one project support related to the design and construction of non-residential and multi-family wood buildings. For information, visit woodworks.org.

Cooper Carrys Hospitality Practice Group specializes globally in the design of hotels, resorts, executive ed-ucation facilities, conference and convention centers, each carefully designed to connect people to place. We understand that hospitality is a business and that design creates value. We collaborate with our clients and other stakeholders on a variety of hospitality proj-ects where our core foundation is to champion inno-vation, fresh thought and creative solutions. Together, we study the possibilities inherent in the relationships between buildings and their surroundings in order to best capture the potential of space, the energy of the street and a unique sense of place.

Within this context, Cooper Carry is providing design services for both the smallest and largest full-service Marriott hotels currently in design or construction.

Principal-In-Charge, Bob Neal, AIA, NCARB explores the similarities and differences between the two hotels.

Construction on the Marriott Marquis Convention Center Hotel began in November of 2011 and is scheduled to open in May 2014. The hotel is located in downtown Washington D.C., on Massachusetts Avenue, adjacent to the Walter Washington Convention Center. Upon its completion, the Marquis will be one of the largest hotels in the Washington metropolitan area, providing approximately 1,100,000 gross square-feet and 1,175 guestrooms and suites. Although the Convention Center has been operational for ten years, there has been a deficit in local hotel rooms available to conventioneers. The Marquis will provide many of the needed rooms and as a result, the city is expecting to see convention business grow.

One SizeDoes Not Fit All

By Bob Neal, AIA, NCARB, Principal

Cooper Carry IS PROVIDING DESIGN SERVICES FOR BOTH THE SMALLEST AND LARGEST FULL-SERVICE MARRIOTT HOTELS CURRENTLY IN DESIGN OR CONSTRUCTION.


Upon arriving under a 200-foot-long glass porte cochere, the hotel guests will enter the hotel lobby over a bridge and into a fourteen-level atrium, enclosed by a glass skylight spanning over half an acre.

Upon arriving under a 200-foot-long glass porte co-chere, the hotel guests will enter the hotel lobby over a bridge and into a fourteen-level atrium, enclosed by a glass skylight spanning over half an acre. A sculpture has been commissioned to reside in the center of the atrium rising to a height of 65 feet.

Because of strict zoning guidelines in the District of Columbia limiting the height of buildings, the majority of meeting and conference spaces will be located be-low grade. These spaces are designed so that natural light is filtered down to the meeting levels by large openings in the floors above. The project will provide 100,000 square-feet of conference and meeting space

including a 30,000 square-foot ballroom. A direct con-nection to the Washington Convention Center will be achieved by way of an underground connector which passes under 9th street and emerges directly into the convention center lobby. This controlled con-nection allows conventioneers and guests a conditioned and secure passage between the two buildings. Given the importance of the location in the neighbor-hood and of Massachusetts Avenue, there are no secondary faades or backdoors around the build-ing. A unique solution to address this urban condition included the placing of service and loading facilities 60 feet below grade and making them accessible through the convention center loading entrance, four blocks from the hotel. This will enliven the sidewalks with ac-tive uses instead of service and support functions.

Many Cooper Carry employees have been involved in the design, documentation and construction phases for the past six years. Cooper Carry employees cur-rently working on the project include Robert Fischel, AIA, LEED AP B+C, Matthew Carr, AIA, LEED AP and Ty Shinaberry along with our partners and collabora-tors from TVS architects. The project is being designed to meet a LEED-NC Silver certification.

In contrast to the Washington Marriott Marquis, Cooper Carry has also designed the more compact Ithaca Marriott. Ithaca is home to Ithaca College and to the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, one of the preeminent hospitably schools in the world. Because of these two schools, and especially Cornells hospi-tality affiliation, the eyes of the hotel world, if not cen-

The Marquis will be one of the largest hotels in the Washington metropolitan area with 1,175 guestrooms and suites.

The West elevation of the Marriott Marquis Convention Center Hotel

tered on the Ithaca Marriott, are certainly are looking on with curiosity. Located adjacent to The Commons in downtown Ithaca, N.Y., the full service hotel will provide 159 guestrooms, and 2,400 square-feet of meeting and conference space. Designing the compact Ithaca Marriott was akin to designing a ship where every inch of space is programmed to be useable.

In the current hospitality environment, compact full service hotels are being looked upon as a feasible way to provide needed guestrooms into markets which may already have larger hotels or those where the cost of building a more typical 300- to 500-key hotel does not make economic sense. The Ithaca Marriott is ground-breaking in the sense that it will provide many of the amenities expected of a full-service hotel but in a way which challenges many long held beliefs of hospitality design. Although unique in its aesthetic and architectural solution, the hotel is being designed so that similar details are used throughout, limiting the

requirement for over documenting. This has allowed the project to use quality materials because of the simplification of construction.

Cooper Carrys Andres Rubio, AIA, LEED AP has guided this project to city council approval and to its upcoming ground breaking later this spring. Also cur-rently working on the hotel are Kathy Logan, CSI, CDT and Candis Carroll, LEED AP BD+C. The entire design and construction of the hotel will take approximately two years to complete. The project is being designed to meet LEED requirements.

Neal summarized, while distinctly different in both size and scope, our focus for both projects is the same: to provide a facility that serves the needs of its users, enhance the communities into which they are built, provide innovative and thoughtful solu-tions, and create a connection to place which we continuously strive to better understand.

Located in downtown Ithaca, N.Y., the full service hotel will provide 159 guestrooms, and 2,400 square-feet of meeting and conference space.

Designing the compact Ithaca Marriott was akin to designing a ship where every inch of space is programmed to be useable.

DC Office Architectural Staff Volunteer at the National Building Museum

Chelsea Lindsey, LEED AP BD+C and Marina Michael volunteered for eight weeks at the National Build-ing Museum in Washington, D.C. with a childrens outreach program. The children, ages 12-17, were participating in the Design Apprenticeship Program and tasked with designing a seating solution. After learning about some design basics, they implemented those ideas by designing a chair and creating a full scale model of it. At the end of the program they presented their work to friends and family, and gained a new understanding of design and architecture.

Mentoring Future Architects

Clay Jackson and Assad Abboud hosted a men-toring session as part of the ACE (Architecture, Construction, & Engineering) mentoring program at Hayfield High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The program is designed to give students an opportunity to learn more about careers in the building industry. According to Jackson, It was a great success, and we received a lot of positive feedback and interest from the students. Because of the great interest that their session generated, Jackson and Abboud were asked to host another session the following week to show students how architects start projects by diagramming and laying out spaces. They used a sample program for Westgate Elementary School which Cooper Carry is currently designing, but it was addressed as being a typical elementary school.

Cooper Carry . . . BEYOND THE STUDIOCooper Carry is all about connecting people to place, and the best way to begin to do this is to be connected ourselves. Here are some of the most recent instances of Cooper Carry professionals going beyond the studio into Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia communities.

Cooper Carrys Marina Michael guides a design charrette as part of the National Building Museums outreach program.

Architecture Around the World

Lauren Ford, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Jessica Long, and Assad Ab-boud recently volunteered at the Drew Model School in Arlington County. The three architectural staff focused on teaching first through third grade students about ancient architecture around the world including, Greece, Egypt, Mali, and Rome. Under the Cooper Carry teams direction, the young students also drew plans to create edible architecture using building materials such as pretzels, marsh-mallows, candy canes, and pep-permints.

You can view the Prezi that Jackson and Abboud created for their session here: http://prezi.com/87upyv9u4oee/architecture-as-a-career/

Cooper Carrys Clay Jackson talks to Hayfield High School students about the process of becoming an architect

Second and third grade students at Drew Model School draw plans to create edible architecture.

If youre lucky like we were, the consultant then becomes your friend too. Kimley-Horn and As-sociates is an engineering and land planning firm with over 1,500 staff in more than 60 offices. The firm offers full services in a wide range of disciplines: aviation, the envi-ronment, intelligent transportation systems, forensic engineering, land development, landscape architec-ture, parking, renewable energy, transit, transportation, roads and bridges, urban redevelopment, water resources and wireless com-munications.

As one of the nations top engi-neering and land planning firms, Kimley-Horn and Associates has worked with Cooper Carry on a variety of projects including, Mizner Park, NAVFAC P8A Training Facility, NCSU Talley Student Center, Ra-leigh Marriott City, Titusville Design Guidelines and many more.

A quality workplace is important to KimleyHorn, which may explain why they engaged Cooper Carry when they decided to evaluate their existing work place approach. The unique benefits that Kimley Horn brings to their staff have been recognized by FORTUNE magazine (100 Best Companies to Work For) and Civil Engineering News (#1 Best Civil Engineering Com-panies to Work For). A 46 year old

firm with 1,500 members, Kimley-Horn and Associates has experienced growth in the past and cultural changes including a variety of office approaches. As part of Kimley-Horns Great Places to Work initiative, they reached out to Cooper Carry for assistance in

evaluating their existing work place approach. Cooper Carry visited 6 Kimley-Horn offices. These visits consisted of observations and interviews with key stakeholders to determine what Kimley-Horns priorities should be going forward. Brand vision for how they see

By Tanne Stephens, Karen Trimbach and Richard Stonis

The colorful second floor conference room.

WHAT HAPPENS -- WHEN YOUR CONSULTANT BECOMES YOUR CLIENT?

themselves today and tomorrow was a critical part of the conversa-tion from the marketing outreach, to the internal functions and employee success in accomplishing their work, to the attraction, retention and inspiration of their total organi-zation as a continuing Best Place to Work. The goal was to create a corporate strategic facility plan for implementation in all of their offices; which number more than 60 nationwide. The result of the evaluation was a report that recom-mended new workplace guiding principles. The new corporate stra-tegic facility plan has helped realign Kimley-Horns work place planning approach to more accurately reflect

the firms corporate culture.

In Vero Beach, FL, Kimley-Horn Corporation developed a parcel of land on the prominent Indian River Boulevard into a multi build-ing office park for their new office building as well as to fill a demand for class A office space in the Vero Beach market. Cooper Carry successfully applied the concepts from the strategic plan to the new Vero Beach, Florida office as a prototype. The major workplace culture change implemented in this new office design was to transition Kimley-Horn from a predominately closed environment to an open and more collaborative environment.

This was my first teaming relation-ship with Cooper Carry, but just like any project, its not necessarily the firm you work with, but the people doing the work that you build relationships with. And this rela-tionship was different by its very nature given that it was a client-consultant relationship, and not a teaming relationship on another clients project, wrote Keith Pelan, Vice President at Kimley-Horn and Associates. Pelan went on to com-ment, The process was thoughtful and professional. Although maybe unlike other office interior clients, we already had a good handle on our own program and didnt need a lot of analysis in that regard, but

Client Spotlight . . . Kimley Horn and Associates

The landscape architects sunny, two-story atrium studio.


Kimley Horn and Associates

the Cooper Carry group challenged us to think about things that we had overlooked in some of our day-to-day operational efficiencies.

The new office space, which uti-lizes 30,797 square-feet, is config-ured on two floors that are above one level of structured parking and surround a central landscaped courtyard on the second level, that providing daylight, views and social spaces for all employees enjoyment. Some unique features of the space that make it memo-rable are; two double height atria, a grand stair that connects the two

office floors together along with the central courtyard, and two sunlight filled bridge elements that highlight the passages from public space to private space. An open office plan with only two enclosed offices fos-ters collaboration and communica-tion amongst employees. Energetic tropical accent colors of lime green, swimming pool blue, fuchsia and deep violet were incorporated in the common spaces to evoke images of Florida past and present.

When asked about comments on the completed project, Pelan wrote, Of course we love working in the

final product. I think we (KHA) gave [Cooper Carry] pretty much carte blanche to run with their design ideas as we trusted them. Of course there were a few budget-ary adjustments along the way, but all-in-all, I think the design was executed very closely to what was in the original proposal. None of us on the KHA client team had ever worked with anyone on the Cooper Carry design team, so the relation-ship building was new. A rapport and trust had to be built, but Cooper Carry professionalism made that a pretty easy thing to do.

The civil engineers studio with their adjacent team room.

Connect With Us What exactly is Connective Architecture? A fair question, certainly. At Cooper Carry,

it permeates everything we do. Connective Architecture is our philosophy - and our process - for connecting ideas and people to the places where they work, relax, live and learn.

To find out more, click here to visit our new website.

ATLANTA NEW YORK WASHINGTONwww.CooperCarry.com

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Cooper Carry LaunChes new website

By Mark Kill, AIA, LEED AP, CDT

I had the privilege of visiting the Scott Building at the Armed Forces Retirement Home with Steve Smith on March 22, 2013. Scott is prominently located on a hills brow overlooking Wash-ington, DC. The demolition of the old Scott opened the Lincoln Cot-tage to those previously blocked vistas. The sweeping views are fabulous.

Hey Kill, why is this project important? one might ask. I can provide three responses.

First, it honors not only our senior citizens, but a very special group of seniors. They are vet-erans of our armed forces all five branches. How cool is it that our soldiers, corpsmen, sailors and airmen live together in a wonderfully supportive environ-ment. Ladies, I say men, but servicewomen and wives are included in the resident popula-tion, too. These citizens served

our country with honor and by their personal sacrifices. We repay them through the dignity that is afforded them and the at-tention to their needs that they so deserve in the twilights of their meaningful and valuable lives.

Next, this building is Cooper Carrys first senior living project. Bridging architectural design recognition belongs to DiMella Shaffer of Boston, while we are the Architect of Record and responsible for its contract documentation and construction contract administration delivery to the GSA. Our services were provided within a design/build agreement with Hensel Phelps of Chantilly, Virginia. Additionally, the numbers and sizes of sus-tainable roof areas on the project are significant.

Finally, this is a connected proj-ect within a broader connected campus. The building hugs the hill and is conveniently linked to

the existing con-temporary Sheri-dan Building by a daylit tunnel and has axial prominence to the historic Sherman Build-ing. Who can do all that? This team did! The buildings massing, functional, spatial and material designs work not only as architec-ture, but also as mechanisms for its requisite services deliv-ery. It was inspirational to see the veteran residents relaxing, socializing, dining and exercis-ing with each other, the attentive staff and their beloved family members. The variety of outdoor and indoor experiences that are available rival a high-end resort and these residents deserve it!

So, there are three important learnings here; senior living envi-ronments, design/build teaming and intensive, sustain-able design all noteworthy for the Firms future leverage.

This building is noteworthy. Congratulations to the dedicated team who contributed to its realization.

Mark Kill is the Chief Operating Officer at Cooper Carry.

FOR THE TROOPS

SEVEN CORNERS DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN, FALLS CHURCH, VAMixed-Use, B.F. Saul Company

CABIN JOHN MIXED-USE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MDMixed-Use, Carl M. Freeman Companies

MARK CENTER RESIDENTIAL REPOSITIONING FOR JBG, ALEXANDRIA, VA Residential, The JBG Companies

BUCKHEAD MIXED-USE, ATLANTA, GA Hospitality, Confidential Client

REGIONS CHARLOTTE, CHARLOTTE, NCInterior Design, Regions Financial Corporation

NORTHWINDS MASTER PLAN & REZONING, ATLANTA, GA Office, Pope & Land Enterprises, Inc.

HANOVER RESEARCH TENANT SPACE, WASHINGTON, DCInterior Design, Hanover Research

123 WEST FRANKLIN STREET, CHAPEL HILL, NCMixed-Use, Cousins Properties Incorporated

HARPER-ARCHER MIDDLE SCHOOL RENOVATION, ATLANTA, GA K-12 Education, Atlanta Public Schools

KILPATRICK TOWNSEND CHARLOTTE, CHARLOTTE, NCInterior Design, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

REGIONS RICHMOND, RICHMOND, VAInterior Design, Regions Financial Corporation

NORTH SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL RENOVATION, SANDY SPRINGS, GAK-12 Education, Fulton County Schools

WOODLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RENOVATION, ATLANTA, GAK-12 Education, Fulton County Schools

DEVELOPMENT ADVISOR SERVICES FOR CRYSTAL CITY BLOCK PLAN, ARLINGTON, VAMixed-Use, Dweck Properties

KILPATRICK TOWNSEND OFFICE SIGNAGE, LOS ANGELES, CA & SHANGHAI, CHINAEnvironmental Graphic Design, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

CENTURY CENTER STUDY FOR LOWE ENTERPRISES, CRYSTAL CITY, VAPlanning, Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group

BUNCHE MIDDLE SCHOOL RENOVATION & ADDITION, ATLANTA, GA K-12 Education, Atlanta Public Schools

LAKE NONA MASTER PLAN, LAKE NONA, FLMixed-Use, Lake Nona Property Holdings, LLC

ANDREW YOUNG INTERNATIONAL BLVD, ENVISIONING DOWNTOWNS PREMIER HOSPITALITY CORRIDOR, ATLANTA, GAPlanning, Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

UGA BIM STANDARDS, ATHENS, GA Higher Education, University of Georgia

FESTIVAL SQUARE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, OMAHA, NEPlanning, Omaha Economic Development Corporation

MOUNT PLEASANT TOWNE CENTRE EXPANSION, MOUNT PLEASANT, SCRetail, Miller Capital Advisory, Inc.

Recent

WINS

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Following its 2010 acquisition by Swedish global technology giant Hexagon, Intergraph, a high-tech software company in Huntsville, Ala., needed a new headquarters facility to reflect its smaller size, increasingly collaborative culture and cutting-edge technology.

Founded in 1969 as M&S Computing Inc. by former IBM engineers, the company changed its name to Intergraph in 1980 and became a linchpin in the development of Madison County, Ala. By the end of the 1980s, revenue had grown 700 percent, the number of employees 500 percent and office square footage 500 percent, making Intergraph the worlds largest vendor of computer graphics sys-tems. At the time, the company employed approxi-mately 10,000 workers, spread across the campus in Huntsville.

Today, Intergraph has evolved into the leading glob-al provider of engineering and geospatial software. It also has shrunk its employee headcount to just 1,100 people. The 129-acre, 21-building campus that was once a rich part of the companys founda-tion has not only become extraneous, but also no longer matches the firms cutting-edge philosophy.

Intergraph leaders sought to reduce the office foot-print, increase efficiency, foster collaboration, at-tract a new generation of technology workers, and encourage innovation. At the same time, company leaders wanted a building that would reflect Inter-graphs continued commitment to its hometown and highlight the natural beauty of its campus.

Intergraph chose Cooper Carry to design the proj-ect, a fitting assignment for a firm whose mission is to connect people to place. At Cooper Carry, we believe in the power of design and in using a thoughtful, collaborative approach as the corner-stone of our practice, says Bill Halter, AIA LEED AP, Director of Corporate Design.

CONTExTUAL OVERVIEW

The adoption of the 21st Century office is associ-ated with the cultural, psychographic and demo-graphic shifts taking place. Differences abound given the four different generations in the workforce today: Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. Research findings reveal that by the end of the decade, the workplace will be comprised of 25 percent Baby Boomers and 50 percent Generation Y workers. These major shifts in employee composition and expectations have engendered a fundamental change in where and how we work.

No longer is it suitable for the purpose of an office to be one-dimensional. In the past, many disci-plines within an organization - be they accounting, marketing or IT - have operated independently, limiting the need for collaboration. Today, how-ever, research shows a direct correlation between workplace collaboration and the effectiveness of work. Furthermore, because Generation Y values an engaging office environment, the workplace is now more than ever an integral tool for companies looking to attract and retain the best employees. Workspaces that stimulate collaboration and inno-vation also help companies set themselves apart in the marketplace and leverage sales.

B EYON D TH E CU B ICLE:Unconventional Design for a Technology Pioneer

Additionally, the economic climate has prompted businesses large and small to re-evaluate their real estate needs. Companies pay more attention to the bottom line and are willing to consolidate, tearing down cubicle walls and gutting corner offices to reduce square footage.

Other widespread factors forcing companies to reconsider and reshape how they use office space include:

Technological advances and the new era of collaboration Environmental concerns Space availability

UNDERSTANDING CHALLENGES

Visitors to the Intergraph campus in Huntsville are greeted by a medley of buildings, a lake, walking areas and a vast circuit of roads winding across the 129 acres.

The Intergraph leadership team recognized the need to condense and consolidate the vast amount of office space and enlisted Cooper Carrys help in designing a five-story, 250,000 square-foot facility. The state-of-the-art, $58 million facility is slated to open in the summer of 2014. It will be located on the current campus and will house all 1,100 em-ployees under one roof.

Intergraph CEO Ola Rollen said, For the first time in Intergraphs history, we are bringing employees at this location together under one roof, which Im confident will foster innovation and camaraderie.


a quickly growing multi-generational workforce leads us to examine how that shapes our space as four generations are now found in the workplace at one time including: the Traditionalist, the Baby Boomer, Generation X and the Millennials.

technology provides a tools for greater mobility and flexibility inside and outside the office

reallocation of space - less I space and more we space takes hold

we learn and create through our ability to collaborate and make valuable connections

shift in organizational learning shapes our space as organizations culture, values, leadership strategies and communication change

connecting people to people, people to place, people to knowledge and people to organization is increasingly important

performance metrics and a new management style - with changing management style to adapt those changes, a new need for measurement arises.

Trends and observationson the state of officing:

The initial assignment is to repurpose the existing Intergraph campus originally built in the early 1980s as manufacturing to a pure corporate campus environment. The plan calls for demolishing several obsolete structures, renovating several others, incorporating a new free standing fitness center, constructing a new state of the art 240,000 square foot corporate headquarters and creating new development sites for future amenities such as retail and hotel to compliment the headquarters.

For the first time in Intergraphs history, we are bringing employees at this location together under one roof, which Im confident will foster innovation and camaraderie.

Ola Rollen, Intergraph CEO

Our team provided full services spanning multiple phases, including workplace strategy and program-ming to interior design, landscape and architectural design.

We faced immediate challenges, but the main ob-stacle involved the question of how best to integrate the sprawling campus into one building. The Inter-graph vision is to help organizations see the world clearly. All company decisions, from building a new headquarters to delivering enterprise geospatial data over the Web, are evaluated against that vision. The executive team challenged our Corporate Design Studio with reflecting the vision in the framework of the new space.

In effect, Intergraph leaders desired to build a mod-ern, high-tech and practical facility that would mimic the sophistication of the company and its dedicated, skilled employees. But because 50 percent of the organization is 50 years old or older, we were faced with maneuvering around the different generational preferences while also catering to and attracting Gen Y employees.

Given the size and sheer volume of facilities on the Intergraph campus, our teams faced yet another challenge: keeping the open, participatory process on point. Advised by our corporate workplace team, company leaders agreed that all criteria for planning concepts should be based on data outlining employ-ee preferences, habits, needs and desires. The Intergraph leadership team was unique in that they valued design for the needs of employees rather than letting design be driven by conventional exit strategy issues, said Richard Stonis, Director of Interior Design at Cooper Carry. We brought our his-

B EYON D TH E CU B ICLE:

CORE VALUES

Profit DrivenProfessionalCustomer focusedInnovativeEntrepreneurialEngaged

IntergraphMission & Vision

Learning & Growth

Business Process

CustomerFinancial

Its important to build strong organizations for the future. Its all about growing the economy and growing wealth.

CEO of Intergraph/Hexagon

The chart shows how the mission & val-ues of the company should be enhanced by the four components, utilizing the office space as the backbone for such activity to transpire.

tory of research and corporate design to Intergraph to develop the criteria report that formed the basis of the buildings vision and design objectives.

Conceptualizing a new space based on employee preferences can help minimize the impact of change. Still, in 2014 employees will face new workspaces and ways of working, and Intergraph leaders needed to undergo a change management session in order to successfully manage employee transitions. Our team conducted an in-depth edu-cational session for Intergraph leaders on how to successfully manage the process. TWO DIVISIONS, ONE MISSION

Intergraph is separated into two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). PP&M is responsible for providing enterprise engineering software to the process, power and marine industries. The SH&I group works to enable governments and busi-nesses to protect people, high-value assets and infrastructure, as well as to manage and analyze incidents. Both groups cross-collaborate often, but have long been separated on the Intergraph campus.

An integral part of how the company operates is through the creation of small groups from the two sectors, also known as scrums. These scrums come together to solve a problem or work on a project, which could range in duration from a few hours to months. But given the massive size of the previous campus, employees found themselves limited in their ability to efficiently work together. They voiced a strong need for hyper-flexible space in order to allow for collaboration and the creation of scrums as needed.

What opportunities can be achieved by the new facility and how to have buy-on throughout the organization to the new facility design objectives and aspirations.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

SurveysInterviewsObservationsApplied Experience


Designing for scrums is a big talking point cur-rently in the architecture industry, Stonis says. There are really no good examples or industry standards, and so Intergraph is an example of how Cooper Carry is leading the way.

Our design team was tasked with exploring and understanding every facet of both groups in order to allow for scrum spaces in the floor plan design. We provided an educational platform of various style options and collected information that the preferences the two groups had about ar-chitectural style, overall campus design, furniture selection and interior design.

PROCESS

Appreciating that the new building symbolizes Intergraphs commitment to the city of Huntsville and an allegiance to its roots, Cooper Carry took great care to ensure the companys mission and values were reflected in the design. Our Workplace Strategy process provided the frame-work to guide the decision-making process and design phase. When designing changes to a workplace, un-derstanding the needs and desires of the cli-ents employees is essential. Cooper Carry used cutting-edge 8 Steps to Successful Workplace Strategy that included key methods of gathering information such as: workshops with company leaders, comprehensive surveys and observations of employees at work.

The process started with a leadership group of about 18 department heads who met for a week of sessions to document their thoughts about what the new headquarters should encompass. Then, each person brought in an additional five to 10 employees for a workshop and brainstorming session. This approach is the single most impor-tant step in establishing a framework for a new workplace.

The results revealed several fundamental elements that impacted space needs and design, includ-ing the desire for more flexible office space with smaller areas for collaboration, as well as the cre-ation of an indoor/outdoor environment for work. The results also led to a cultural shift in the firm. Senior management decided to fundamentally shift decision-making to an inclusive process, which enabled employees to be heard prior to major decisions.

After establishing a clear vision with corporate leadership, Cooper Carry compiled a company-wide questionnaire to ascertain employee work habits and to target specific issues that affect performance in the workplace. Intergraph employ-ees stated numerous needs and desires, but there were two specific unanimous requests: better chairs and more windows.

To ensure the final products universal acceptance, Cooper Carry recomended a mock-up office space and brought in three different manufacturers over the course of six weeks. Employees were invited to visit the space, test out the products and share their feedback.

B EYON D TH E CU B ICLE:

SUSTAINABILITY

Intertwined with these defined processes was the adherence to the established budget and desire to create a sustainable and healthy workplace. As a real estate asset, the design of the building will perform to the current energy standards. In addition the design will provide complete use of natural light, views to the landscape and strategies to reduce overall energy consumption. Access to the outdoors via a variety of landscape areas for meetings and inspiration are an important feature integrated into the workplace.

DESIGN FEATURES

At the heart of the design plan for Intergraphs new facility is the concept of an integrated, high-performance, energy-efficient workplace connected to nature, Halter says. Inspired by the Intergraph campus lake, the design will maximize the pres-ence of water in the overall work environment. To reflect the employees desires to work in an open, healthy workplace, the building is oriented towards the water and establishes an airy feeling through the incorporation of high, open ceilings and windows.

Intergraphs top priority was to create an open work environment tailored to the mission and business of the company. In doing so, the building will provide a dynamic image that will appeal to both existing employees and new recruits, thereby aiding in the retention and recruitment of top tal-ent. The design plan features no private offices in the building, furthering the idea of collaboration and accessibility. Additionally, Cooper Carry was

Projects our desired image:

ProgressiveModernSuccessfulTechnology drivenMultistory LobbyInviting and functional Customer Center with progressive Amenity PackageOpen and Airy


asked to create a unique campus plan that will ac-commodate additional building development that supports the Intergraph campus vision.

MAKING MOBILITY REALLY WORK

In order to provide true mobility and flexibility in the workplace, Cooper Carry was faced with resolving how to physically connect Intergraphs highly-mobile scrum teams to light and power. Nothing existed in the marketplace to address that problem. We therefore created an innovative, unique and cutting-edge application designed specifically for Intergraph scrum teams known as PDLA. PDLA is a power, data, light and acous-tic platform that is cleaner, more organized, and allows for flexibility. Our design team ultimately utilized the PDLA throughout design for all Inter-graph office space.

Our team also designed and integrated the scrum module throughout the floor plan, which impacted the structural grid. A post tension system was created along the length of the building, and the vertical core support elements were pushed to the perimeter. Usually support elements such as elevators are located in the center of a building. However, we reconfigured the support elements to the sides of the building, creating an open and flexible floor plan to continue throughout the entire office space.

As a result of the distinctive post tension system, the footprint of the building is unique. It includes a 40-foot structural bay, yielding an atypical floor plate thats 480 feet long and 100 feet deep. The hyper efficient, 48,000-square-foot floor contains two scrum modules and has a double core for convenience.

BEYOND THE CUBICLE:


The design will maximize the presence of water in the overall work environment.

The design opens the floor plan to allow flexibility, function and abundant access to daylight. Cooper Carrys unique floor plan also insures that most employees will be no more than 30 feet away from a window, tying back to nature. In addition to small meeting areas, the design included a full-service cafeteria where employees could interact on a more personal level.

OUTCOME

While maintaining the strategic vision for the entire campus, Cooper Carry designed a functional, modern building that is certain to suit the needs and desires of all employees.

By decreasing the size of its real estate portfolio, Intergraph will save millions of dollars per year in operational costs.

The companys new office space will facilitate in-teraction, integration and scrum efficiency to better support its vision.

Cooper Carrys workplace strategy program, com-bined with consolidation planning, helped Intergraph plan the relocation of 1,100 employees, allowing the company to close buildings across the campus and offer for sale various buildings on the site.

The sustainability features of the facility include en-ergy, materials, VOCs, air quality and lighting. These high standards reinforce Intergraphs commitment to being a responsible organization.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPACE INCLUDE:

Open ceilings in the building, which in creased the height of the rooms and created a hip loft feeling.

A unique floor plan that ensured most employees would be no more than 30 feet away from a window.

The building has no individual offices, which should help foster communication.

A variety of spaces on a variety of levels for employees to move around and create scrums.

In addition to small meeting areas, the design includes a full-service cafeteria and an outdoor terrace that could be used for meetings and events.

A cutting-edge PDLA (power, data, light and acoustic) platform that is cleaner and more organized. It is the backbone for flexibility and will allow team members to move portable furniture systems around as needed to reconfigure teams.

Roads on the site will be reconfigured to improve walkability, and paths around the lake will be maintained.

The aesthetic and furnishings are extreme to mimic the philosophy of a start-up brand, juxtaposing cutting-edge and traditional pieces of furniture.

BEYOND THE CUBICLE:

If you have ever left a message for one of our Princi-pals or called for Jerry Cooper, FAIA, LEED AP, Roger Miller, AIA, NCARB, or Gar Muse, AIA, NCARB, it is likely that you encountered a very proper British voice on the phone. That would be Wendy Heaver who has been with Cooper Carry for nearly 25 years. Heaver retired at the end of February, marking an incredible milestone of service, professionalism and cheerful-ness.

Heaver joined the firm on July 31, 1989, just five years after immigrating to the United States from Great Britain. She grew up in Guildford in Surrey, a small town just south of London. Heaver relocated with her family to the United States in 1984 and embarked on a career working in the architectural industry. My career began working for a sole prac-titioner soon after arriving in Atlanta in 1984. Quickly I realized how much I enjoyed what he was doing as a professional, Heaver stated. That individual got married and relocated his practice. Answering a job ad, Heaver interviewed with Diane Monroe and was practically hired on the spot.

Until 1997, Heaver was a studio administrator, work-ing with Muse and Miller. I loved the fast pace, cre-ativity and dedication to their projects demonstrated by those gentlemen, said Heaver. In 1997, Heaver was asked to support Jerry Cooper, the founding member and Chairman of the firm. I cant recall a day when I didnt wake up exhilarated and ready to

come to work, said Heaver. Because I loved my work and my life in the States, I applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship in 1995.

When asked about her most memorable experience, Heaver was hard pressed to single out one event. I have so many fond memories like organizing many of the company events and holiday parties at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, and of course, like everyone else at Cooper Carry, I fondly recall Walters [Carry] retire-ment, when on his last day his partners presented him with the red sports car, which was strategically parked on the upper parking deck of our old office at 3520 Piedmont Road.

As someone retires from many years of dedicated service, it is hard to imagine just how their role will be filled. Heaver concluded, I guess I would tell my replacement that it is important to be flexible, to remember Cooper Carry is a big family, and to enjoy what you do!

To celebrate her retirement, Heaver and her husband, Richard, will embark on a fabulous trip to Japan and Taiwan. When she returns, she says she will sleep late, grow accustomed to a life with less demands and enjoy her two children and five grandchildren in a way that she never has had the time to do before.

Heaver will be missed by everyone in her Cooper Carry family.

SaluteTo A Poised ProfessionalBon Voyage Wendy Heaver

Kevin Cantley President/CEO32 years with firm

Pope BullockPrincipal 31 years with firm

Angelo CarusiPrincipal29 years with firm

Lee AyersProject Architect19 years with firm

Betsy KillLibrarian19 years with firm

Allen DedelsProject Manager19 years with firm

Robert FischelProject Manager16 years with firm

Richard StonisDirector of Interior Design9 years with firm

Jun LiArchitectural Staff III13 years with firm

Lauren Perry FordProject Architect13 years with firm

William CollierProject Manager14 years with firm

Brandon DankeProject Manager8 years with firm

Rebecca MeznyStaff Architect3 years, prior cc service 5 years

Manny DominguezDirector of Design5 years with firm

Lyle GreenProject Manager 7 years with firm

Khrysti Uhrin Project Architect8 years with firm

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Richard LeeArchitectural Staff III6 years with firm

4th quarter 2012Congratulations!A heartfelt Thank You to those celebrating an employment anniversary in the Fourth Quarter of 2012.

Jason AlbersStaff Architect3 years, prior cc service 4.8 years with firm

Brandon LenkArchitectural Staff I3 years, prior cc service 1.67 years with firm

Nicole SeekelyIntern Architec2 years with firm

Christopher LazarekLandscape Designer 12 years, prior cc service 2+ years with firm

Mikki CashMarketing Coordinator2 years with firm

Alysha BuckIntern Architect 2 years with firm

Gwen KovarInterior Designer II2 years with firm

Ben GholsonArchitectural Staff I2 years with firm

Kimberley DeMarsStaff Architect 2 years with firm

Lesley BraxtonProject Architect2 years with firm

T. Jack BagbyProject Architect

Emilia DelsolReceptionist

Ty ShinaberryProject Manager

Janet DiercksSpecifications Manager1 year with firm

Paul LandonIntern Architect

Lynnette McKissicStudio Administrator

Welcome to our first round draft picks

beginning their careers at Cooper Carry.

Abbey OklakCertified Planner1 year with firm

Jerry Cooper Principal 53 years with firm

Sherry Wilson VP of Finance 31years with firm

Greg Miller Principal 28 years with firm

Keith Simmel Principal 21 years with firm

Christopher Bivins Project Architect 17 years with firm

Nancy Gomez Billing Administrator13 years with firm

Andres Rubio Project Architect 12 years with firm

Chris Culver Project Architect 10 years with firm

Nate WilliamsonDesign Architect 10 years with firm

Steve Jackson Project Architect 9 years with firm

Kenneth Brown Project Manager 7 years with firm

Steve Carlin Senior Graphic Designer 7 years with firm

Lisa Goodman Director of HR5 years with firm

Brent AmosProject Architect 5 years with firm

Bobbi Sweeney Marketing Coordinator 4 years with firm

Amanda DLuhy Marketing Manager3 years with firm

John Beres Architectural Staff III3 years with firm, prior cc service 8.75 years

Gary Brown Intern Architect2 year with firm

1st quarter 2013Congratulations!A heartfelt Thank You to those celebrating an employment anniversary in the First Quarter of 2013.

Candis Carroll Intern Architect 2 year with firm

Krista Dumkrieger Intern Architect 2 year with firm

Luke McDaniel Intern Architect 2 year with firm

Matthew Carr Project Architect 2 years with firm, prior cc service 3.4 years

Rick Casey Project Interior Designer2 years with firm, prior cc service 7.9 years

Rod Johnson Office Assistant2 years with firm, prior cc service 10.25 years

Younghui HanProject Interior Designer2 years with firm, prior cc service 5.2 years

Zach WilsonIntern Architect 2 year with firm

Brandi HaughtonMarketing Coordinator2 year with firm

Andre James Intern Architect 2 years with firm

Cherie Caines Architectural Staff III2 years with firm, prior cc service 6.5 years

Xin Xu Architectural Staff III2 years with firm

Gary ElderInterior Designer III 2 years with firm

Florence GiordanoOffice Manager1years with firm, prior cc service 2.3 years

Oscar Perez Director of Design Services for Government1 year with firm

Rick SniderSenior Graphic Designer 1 year with firm

Marina MichaelIntern Architect1 year with firm

Claudia LoftonInterior Designer I1 year with firm

Richard McWilliamsProject Architect 2 years with firm, prior cc service 10.1 years

Alex FortneyArchitectural Staff

Welcome to our first round draft pick beginning their careersat Cooper Carry.

Andrew Telker Intern Architect

Emily Finau Intern Architect

Lydia Caseman Executive Assistant

Jason King Project Architect

Jessica Moeller Intern Architect

The Mercato - Naples, Florida

800 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, Virginia

The Village on Venetian Bay - Naples, Florida


Cooper Carry Inc. 2013

We would like to hear from you.Contact [email protected] with your comments.

aspire

ATLANTA NEW YORK WASHINGTON

COOPERCARRY.COM

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