Mayfaire Town Center, Wilmington, North Carolina

VOL UME SI X
2013
A COOPER CARRY MAGAZINE
Mayfaire Town Center, Wilmington, North Carolina
aspire
We aspire to wake up every morning energized by the belief
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.
As we come closer to another new year, this edition of Aspire is
especially timely in its articles and overall theme: the future. In each of
the numerous building types our Specialty Practice Groups design, Cooper
Carry is always thinking of the future and how these buildings will meet
the future needs of our clients and the public. We endeavor to create
places that endure in a relevant way for many years to come by keeping
our sights set on the future.
This issue looks at several things including evolving trends in office
building planning and how changing corporate real estate needs are
Assistant Editor . . . . . .Tanne Stephens
impacting base building design. Aspire also considers future retailing
and how online shopping could share interesting future experiences
Design . . . . . . . . . . . . Rick Snider
with traditional brick and mortar retail. We point out urban retail’s future
values, influences and core attributes while identifying the growing
Contributors . . . . . . . . Angelo Carusi
expectations of shoppers.
Amanda D’Luhy
Our clients are also looking at numerous new ways to develop project
Lisa Goodman
partnerships as Cooper Carry remains versatile in ways to support them
David Kitchens
in these creative endeavors. One such exciting example is how Atlanta
Gar Muse
Public Schools purchased an eleven story office building and turned it
Bob Neal
into a school for 2,350 students. Read about this along with viewing
numerous exciting, newly completed Cooper Carry projects in this
Randall Sheari *
Steve Smithissue of Aspire.
Tanne Stephens
It is never enough to design for the present which is why Cooper Carry
Andrew Telker
will always have one foot in the future. What does the future look like? We
invite you to step into this new edition of Aspire and decide for yourself.
Karen Trimbach
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pratt Farmer
Enjoy!
* Article originally appeared in Shopping
Center Business, October 2013.
© Cooper Carry, inc. 2013
Steve Smith, AIA, Principal
Lakeside Dining Commons
Georgia Southern University,
Statesboro, Georgia
that we can change the world by designing a better environmental experience for its people.
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aspire
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A New Kind of Main Street
Department Store Owner
Turns Developer
Retail
has been in his blood for generations,
so it so it was only natural that H.J. Brody would become a retail commercial developer after managing
the sale of the family-owned chain of department
stores, Brody’s, to Proffitt’s department stores in
1998. Brody’s Department Store was founded by
Hyman J. Brody, H.J.’s grandfather, in the early 20th
century, with its beginnings as a shoe store in Sumter, South Carolina. In 1928, one of Brody’s sons,
Leo Brody, relocated to Kinston, North Carolina,
and founded Brody Brothers Dry Goods. Leo Brody,
along with six of his brothers, began to expand the
retail business. The family-owned chain eventually
expanded to seven stores in seven malls in eastern
North Carolina. Throughout its history, Brody’s was
always a part of the community it served.
After the sale of Brody’s, H.J. who had risen
through the ranks of the business to become its
CEO, was discussing his next opportunity while
having dinner with friends at a restaurant in Mizner
Park, a 250,000-square-foot mixed-use development in Boca Raton, Fla., which by coincidence
was designed in 1998 by Cooper Carry. “As I
began to look at the 400 acres of land in Wilmington, N.C., and consider the various opportunities
that could evolve from such a large piece of dirt, I
thought back to Mizner Park and its impact on south
Florida. In that development I saw what could be;
and the idea to design a unique, special and timeless mixed-use project near the beach in Wilmington took shape,” says H.J.
Most successful developers will tell you that the
long-term success of a project is reflected upon
the team assembled to conceive, design, build and
manage the asset. It is the impact of experience
and ideas in the beginning which sets the tone
going forward. H.J. understood those dynamics
and after meeting with Cooper Carry’s CEO, Kevin
Cantley, AIA, NCARB, he set about to engage the
firm to join his team. “I knew that Cooper Carry not
only had the experience, but the passion as well,
to work side-by-side with us to create something
special. The chemistry between us and Cooper
H.J. Brody would become a retail developer
after managing the sale of the family business, Brody’s, to Proffitt’s department stores
in 1998.
Continued on next page
Carry was very good. Our business model did not
call for design, build, sell, but rather our family had
a strong desire to keep the property for many years.
As such, it was extremely important that we design
with that in mind. The team at Cooper Carry got it.”
During the 18 months it took to acquire the property
and obtain approvals from the City of Wilmington,
N.C., the design team led by Angelo Carusi, AIA,
LEED AP, CDP, Principal in the Cooper Carry Retail
Specialty Group presented numerous ideas to H.J.
and his partners, the Zimmer brothers of Zimmer
Development. “They had a wonderful vision for
creating a truly unique place that captured the es-
Storefront awnings, signage, character lighting and street-fronting balconies add color, dimension
and life along each street.
Sidewalks, considered important “people-spaces,” have large shade trees, comfortable widths for
window-shopping, strolling or cafe dining.
Continued on next page
Between May and July “Music on the Town” takes place on an expansive lawn.
sence of live, work and play, a concept that Cooper
Carry had initially used to guide the development of
Mizner Park. As Allen Dedels, an Associate and retail designer at Cooper Carry drew, the ‘main street
or high street’ concept began to take shape,” says
Carusi. Dedels and the other designers working with
him understood the importance of integrating residential and office components into Mayfaire Town
Center and in doing so, the impact that massing of
people throughout the day and evening would have
on foot traffic. Dedels says that his team sought,
with the Mayfaire ownership’s encouragement, to
incorporate a style of architecture that would reflect
the warm, inviting hospitable nature of Wilmington
which led to building massing that was pedestrianoriented. As well, they championed the concept of
being part of a community with a sense of place
and what that required. Having numerous meeting
places for shoppers to rest and visit, wide sidewalks, and lush landscaping was essential. A large
green space for various community events seemed
naturally fitting too. Now, between May and July
“Music on the Town” takes place on an expansive
lawn within the town center. This weekly summer
concert series has people showing up early in the
day to stake their spot to enjoy an evening of music
and socializing with friends and family. Undoubtedly, shopping and dining becomes a part of that
visit! The fostering of community spirit is also seen
in the center’s community cart, which local nonprofit organizations are allowed to use at no charge.
Throughout the year Mayfaire shopper’s will interact
to support local non-profit organizations. Mayfaire believes strongly in being a good community
partner and hosts several marathons and 5K races
throughout the year with groups including JDRF,
Cystic Fibrosis, the Azalea Festival and the Quintiles
Marathon. The design of the center and its streets
makes it the perfect location for road races with the
Event Lawn being the start and finish location, often
with tents, live music, vendors and runners strolling
through the center afterwards.
“Development in today’s world is not for the faint of
heart,” says H.J. Brody. When he began Mayfaire
Town Center in 1998 economic conditions in the US
In creating an attractive setting that would encourage people to live, work and shop, every design
decision within the town center was focused on the comfort of the pedestrian.
were moving at a healthy clip, but by the time the
development really started going, the country was
in the midst of a major recession which brought
many challenges. The team sought to achieve a
balanced mix of local, regional and national tenants.
That strategy bode well and today over 85 percent
of the tenants are national ‘credit tenants.’ Ten years
later, nearly all of those tenants have expressed their
support for Mayfaire by renewing their lease for
another five to 10 years. Sue Rice, Director of Operations at Mayfaire, says that much of the center’s
success is the result of the team The Mayfaire ownership assembled in the beginning. “The team didn’t
just share ownership’s vision for Mayfaire, but they
were allowed to push the envelope. Maybe even
encouraged to do so. As the vision began to take
shape, it was vitally important that the local market
was informed about the mixed-use, live/work/play
concept. Retail on the first floor with condos above
was a revival of early 20th century “main street”
retail and it had a natural attraction. Walking along
Mayfaire’s Main Street, you will not only be able
to visit the upscale retail stores but also look up to
see condo residents sitting outside on their balcony
enjoying the coastal weather. Mayfaire’s visitors
and Wilmington’s residents have wholeheartedly
embraced the concept for a number of reasons,”
says Rice.
While the Brody family is no longer involved in
department store operations, Mayfaire Town Center
is a wonderful example of the resulting vision that
an ex-retailer translated into an upscale mixed-use
development. It has many of the same qualities that
made Brody’s so successful for so many years and
such a vibrant part of every community in which
it operated. The best testament to Wilmington’s
love for Mayfaire is that for eight years running,
Mayfaire Town Center has been voted “The Best
Place To Shop” in Wilmington, N.C. “People love
Mayfaire and for that we are most thankful. My
belief is that its success is traced back to the team
we assembled to create such a marvelous place. I
am proud that Cooper Carry was such a vital part of
that team,” concludes H.J. Brody.
Bringing superior
dining establishment to a college
or university near you.
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Lakeside Dining Commons, the former
Landrum Center Dining Hall
Dining Commons
The new Dining Commons and Lakeside Dining Commons project
transformed food service on Georgia Southern’s campus. The project included reconstruction of Landrum, now known as the Dining Commons,
and renovation of Lakeside Dining Commons. The new Dining Commons
includes space for the post office, print shop and administrative offices.
The existing Lakeside Dining Commons was renovated and enlarged.
The two facilities compliment each other by providing alternative menu
options at both sites. Multiple food stations have been arranged to maximize efficiency, promote use, and provide a vibrant atmosphere.
Cooper Carry was the Design Architect, with Cogdell & Mendrala,
Architectc of Record. Cooper Carry lead the design effort from conceptual design through design development, including production of the
BIM base model.
Georgia Southern University
Housing Foundation
Statesboro, Georgia
SCOPE:
77,000 SF (Dining Commons)
26,000 SF (Lakeside Dining
Commons)
103,000 SF (Total)
SERVICES:
Architecture
Interior Design
Landscape Architecture
Continued on next page
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Students enjoy not only a wonderfully diverse menu, but also a beautiful environment in which to
mingle and connect with others.
Three Cooper Carry
Principals Look at
The Future of
Retail
The Future of
Retail
The retail industry is evolving at an incredibly fast pace. Fashion trends, stores
and shopping preferences are being transformed by technology, connectivity,
and streamlined production and distribution channels.
We asked three of Cooper Carry’s foremost retail design visionaries to help us make sense of the
factors that are shaping today’s retail landscape and to tell us where they see the retail industry
headed in the next 30 years. Drawing from their vast expertise in the retail industry, these leaders
provide three distinct visions for how stores, malls, and urban centers will attract customers in the
years to come. We invite you to read their predictions for the, perhaps not-so-distant, future.
Who, What and Wear:
A look at Clothing Retailers
in the Not-So Distant Future
By Gar Muse, AIA, Principal
Gar Muse has extensive experience in the design of new
department stores, urban retail properties, and regional
shopping center renovations and expansions. In this piece
he explores the future of retail clothing store design.
Recently there has been a great deal of debate about the
future of brick and mortar stores. I do not foresee them
disappearing anytime soon; rather physical stores will be
more focused on convenience, customization, and experiences enabled by rapidly changing technology.
The process of trying on clothes will not look anything like
it does today. Dressing rooms will be a thing of the past.
I envision stores equipped with large-screen 3D monitors
that can show shoppers exactly how a piece of clothing will look on their bodies without needing to it try on.
Smart phones and similar devices will permit customers
to share sizes, images and preference with the store’s
computer. Through this technology, shoppers will be able
to view a 3D image of how the garment might look, add
accessories, switch colors and pick fabrics. Once satisfied, shoppers will be able to order the product and have it
shipped with a near instantaneous turnaround. This seamless transfer of data will also allow retailers to collect more
information about their customers and to better customize
each experience.
The size of sales floors will be dramatically reduced
because stores will no longer need to carry multiple sizes
of the same garment. Inventories will only include one
sample for each style or designer. Computer software will
do the rest: sizing clothing to shoppers’ bodies and showing them what fits best.
Aside from the sales floor, I imagine that store design will
trend toward floor plans and furniture layouts that closely
resemble today’s living rooms. Stores will be laid-out with
the social shopping experience in mind: comfortable sitting areas that are designed to encouraged conversation
will be positioned around large viewing screens. Wireless
networks will let shoppers transmit elements of their shopping experience (sound bites, photos, and videos) to their
friends.
Food and beverage outlets will become closely integrated
into the design of department stores and other larger
retailers; quick-service brands like Starbucks will position
many small locations within each mall. This will permit
each brand to more efficiently service each customer.
Shoppers might place an order for a coffee from their
personal device and have it delivered almost immediately
while they are shopping. Customer information and profiles will be stored by each retailer, further streamlining the
ordering process.
I believe that brick and mortar retailing will thrive well into
the future. By embracing new technologies to create a
more fun, efficient, and personalized experience, stores
will continue to attract future generations of customers.
Continued on next page
The Future of
Retail
The Values of Future Urban Retail
By David Kitchens, AIA, Principal
With over 30 years of experience at Cooper Carry, David
Kitchens has led mixed-use design efforts on a variety of
award-winning projects. His leadership and experience
in the DC metro area has made him known as a regional
and national innovator in mixed-use urban design and
architecture that creates walkable community environments and takes advantage of sustainable modes of
connectivity and transit. In this piece he outlines the influences, expectations, and values of future retail development and design.
What are the influences?
Style
Design and style will be just as important as affordability. Traditional ideas of design and style will continue to give way to the contemporary.
A Sense of Community
Connections that are initiated through technology will end in face-to-face interactions within stra-
tegically chosen environments that cater to and enhance these interactions.
Smart Practices
As technology and environmental understanding enhances, smarter practices will lead to clear value savings.
Environments
Unique spaces that respond to a myriad of situations will be available to support public, semi-
private, semi-public, and private interactions.
Green Credibility
Green credibility will continue to go beyond envionmental sustainability and will include local loyalty (in terms of food, business, etc.) and social relevance.
A real place
Several characteristics come together to make places feel real and relevant including density;
transit, building, and place connections; walkabil
ity; and the celebration of an authentic urban
context.
Core Attributes of Future Retail
Urban
No matter the density or scale, retail will provide the spark of life and social interaction. Clustered together in mixed environments, retail will reflect a
vibrant, memorable city life and a diverse
experience.
Social
Friends will meet friends through both technology and in person. Retail will be one way people will connect to nurture these relationships.
Wellness
There will be an increasing emphasis on a holistic Authentic
view of wellness incorporating fitness and physi-
Authenticity, loyalty, and trust will be supported cal health along with emotional and spiritual well-
and built around neighborhood and regional con-
being.
nections. The best food will go from local farm to
What will be expected
local tables; communities will celebrate local tal
Amenities
ent and products.
Places to “hangout” and places that foster face-
Tailorable
to-face interaction will become increasingly im-
Spaces and the built environment will be as
portant as technology is used to initiate more and diverse as their people. The ideas of living life on
more of this social interaction.
your own terms, creating a unique life you want
to live, and celebrating individuality will all prevail
Events
and it will show in the built environment.
Events will be organized and celebrated that respect diversity in ideas, people, and culture.
The Future of
Retail
A Forty Year Future Look
at Florida Retail
By Angelo Carusi, AIA, LEED AP, CDP, Principal
Angelo Carusi has been a key contributor to Cooper
Carry’s Retail Specialty Practice Group, serving as Principal since 2000. He has directed the design of retail dominant mixed-use centers, shopping centers, department
stores, urban retail centers, and restaurants. Carusi has
particular experience in Florida retail highlighted by his
award-winning mixed-use retail project, The Mercato. In
this piece he explores the future of the retail experience
in Florida shopping venues in the year 2043.
The population of Florida is expected to grow by 62 percent between 2010 and 2040 to a total of more than 27
million. This growth will include two groups exceeding the
national average: Latinos and the elderly. These groups
will have profound and different effects on retail in the
suburbs. It is instructive to predict how each of the two
coasts of Florida will develop as this population growth is
absorbed. For the purposes of this study we will look at
the West Coast as one that will continue to be a chosen
destination for the elderly population and the East Coast
as the location for younger families and Latinos of different nationalities.
Technology will continue to intermix with the basic human need/desire to shop, with decisions governed by the
limbic brain. For example, a multi-generational family may
decide to meet in Plantation at an exciting mixed-use project. Mom and Dad and their two children, one young man
and one young lady, will take a car from their high-rise in
Boca, catch the Tri-rail to the Plantation exit and shuttle
to the development. The young lady is going to meet
some of her friends to shop for clothes. Of course they
began the day by having a “conference call” that morning
where they combed through a multitude of dresses on
their tablets. They sent their requests to a retailer at the
mixed-use project ahead of time. The retailer, knowing
their sizes, body shapes and predilections, has arranged
a virtual “fashion show” to be broadcast on the storefront
of the shop. Once the girls arrive they take their seats in
a comfortable courtyard shared by other young people
shopping for items, and they start the fashion show. The
ladies use their personal devices as other young ladies
and men comment on their likes and dislikes. The young
ladies make their decisions from a bench in the sunshine.
They complete their transaction from their comfortable
chairs in sun-dappled light, walk into the store that is
primarily a showroom for those few days the weather is
inclement, and either pick up the dress for wearing that
night or have it delivered to their homes.
The sports enthusiasts of the group have gone to a
sports bar to watch the Mexican national soccer team
play the U.S. team in a World Cup qualifier. The sports bar
has a video wall that can dial into a similar bar in Mexico
City where their friends and relatives are located. Both
parties watch the game, shout and taunt each other as
the U.S. wins the game being played in Columbus, Ohio,
2-0…for the 56th consecutive time.
Meanwhile, on the other coast, two middle-aged couples
in their early to mid 1980s (life expectancy has now
grown to 130 years), friends from the same block in
Champaign, Ill., who had long ago moved to Southwest
Florida, are meeting for the 60th wedding anniversary of
one of the couples. One couple “hops” in their driverless
car (they can do this now that they have both received
bionic hip replacements) at their home in an adult community in Dinner Island, a suburb of Ave Maria, 48 miles
inland from Ft. Myers. They decide to leave early in the
Continued on next page
The Future of
Retail
day to run errands so they punch in the coordinates of
their destination, a redeveloped regional mall in Ft. Myers. They are celebrating their newfound freedom: no
driver’s license required since the new vehicle technology
requires no hand-eye coordination. Having 30 minutes of
travel time gives them the opportunity to check out lifelong learning courses available at the retail center. They
choose a class called “The Homely Hominy- A Hitchhikers Guide to Cooking Grits.” Just as they complete the
reservation, the car automatically pulls into the reserved
space and hooks in a fuel recharger. Walking into the
mall, they are confronted with smell of bacon gravy.
Unbeknownst to them, their arrival to the cooking class
was anticipated and an automatic sensory system has
begun to provide them with sights, sounds and smells
that heighten the interactive experience they will get in the
class. Not only will they learn how to cook a gourmand
meal, they will be able to order supplies--from foodstuff
to new solar powered cookware. The class is actually
broadcast in French, but the couple has long ago had
miniature computers embedded in their ears that allow
them to translate any language. After the class it’s time to
go to meet their friends.
A little more than a block away, the other couple leaves
their compact townhome, walking hand-in-hand for the
short stroll to the plaza in front of the retail center. This
space links the adult community to the redeveloped
mall and is used by surrounding communities for yoga,
a Farmers market and communal activities. The redeveloped mall includes an enclosed shopping area with
high-rise residential built on one corner and a thirty-story
greenhouse for supplying the grocer and farmers market
on the other. The enclosed mall contains many daily uses
and resembles a European Hypermarket including medical clinics, grocery stores, educational classes and entertainment features. They rarely need a car since everything
from daily necessities to the beach, that now fronts US
41, are all a short walk away. Little did they know when
they settled in this area
30 years ago that their
property would be so
close to the Gulf.
As they stroll through
the plaza, their digital
GPS alarm goes off
and points them in the
direction of their friends
who are already in the
mall. They enter the
light-filled space. Once
together they head to
a new Zairian- Italian
fusion restaurant with
produce supplied from
the greenhouse, sipping
one of the last wines
from Tuscany (as global
warming has destroyed
most of the world’s
traditional wine growing
regions.) On the bright
side, New Jersey is
now the leading wineproducing state in the
U.S. and the foursome
finish their meal with
a fine Pinot Grigio, not
from Trentino, but from
Trenton.
While life in 2040 will have unimaginable technological
and environmental changes, the basic human desires to
shop, to watch other people, to learn, to share ideas, to
belong, to feel secure, to enjoy laughter, will remain as it
does in 2013.
The Future of
Retail
They enter the light-filled space. As they stroll
through the plaza, their digital GPS alarm goes off
and points them in the direction of their friends who
are already in the mall. The building on the left of
the concept sketch is a 30-story greenhouse and the
high-rise on the right is adjoining residential.
800 North Glebe Road
Emerging Workplace Trends
will Change the Design of Buildings
By Steve Smith, AIA, Principal
A great deal has been written recently
about the economic climate prompting
companies of all sizes to re-evaluate
their real estate needs. Many companies are trying to reduce real estate
footprints either by dramatically trimming their amount of square footage
or by reconfiguring the workspace to
fit more people in less space.
While it is clear this trend will impact
the design of office interiors, the
impact on the design of the core and
shell of speculative office buildings
themselves has been overlooked. The
shift in workplace practices has turned
traditional speculative office building
design “rules of thumb” upside down.
Alternative Workplace Strategies
Thanks to the widespread adoption
of alternative workplace strategies
such as hoteling, benching and unassigned, flexible workspaces, companies are putting more people in less
space, which in turn increases the
number of people in one building. For
years, traditional service-based tenants allocated around 240 square feet
per employee. A 2012 CoreNet Global
Survey found that 25 percent of the
space fit-out in the Washington metro
area provided less than 150 square
feet per employee. The same survey
predicts that by 2017, 40 percent of
the Washington metro area tenant
spaces being built will offer roughly
100 square feet of space per worker.
The increased volume is putting a
burden on the actual buildings and is
an issue that will impact how building
owners meet the demands of companies wanting to do more with less.
The trend of alternative workplace
strategies is especially evident in
the Washington area because of the
abundance of consulting firms and
government contractors, which lend
themselves to hoteling and flexible workplace models. One such
example is Accenture’s move from
240,000 square feet in Reston Town
Center to 95,000 square feet at 800
North Glebe Road. The number of
employees hasn’t changed but the
LAGA Corporate Headquarters
way Accenture uses their real estate has. Accenture realized that its
employees were spending time at
their clients’ sites, typically leaving
their own offices empty. The hoteling
concept now works for them. If employees need a desk or conference
room, they simply reserve the space.
While this building doesn’t experience
an overload on its systems because
the increased density never really
materializes, there are other examples
in the Washington area where these
densities are realized several times
a month.
One example of a building where
high density can cause problems is
a spec high-rise building with large
assembly spaces for conferencing
and a corporate cafeteria on elevated
floors. When these spaces are in full
use and the major tenant has most
of its employees in the office for the
day, the elevators are extremely taxed.
During peak travel times there can be
elevator waits of up to 15 minutes.
Designing for Density – Know Your
Target Tenant
It’s clear the advantages of this kind
of density can go only so far without the infrastructure to support it.
Spec office buildings will need to be
designed differently to accommodate
this shift. This trend is greatly amplified in high-rise design that is becoming more prevalent in the Washington
area. Parking garages, elevators,
bathrooms, stairwells, mechanical
electrical systems and every other
component of a building will need to
be reevaluated. It is critical that we
rethink the way spec office buildings
are designed.
Incorporating high-rise destinationbased elevators that can accommodate increased occupant loads into
project planning is one alteration that
can radically alter a building’s efficiency. In many cases, it can typically
reduce wait times and travel times by
grouping occupants by specific destination as opposed to putting people
in an elevator that will need to make
stops at every floor.
I anticipate that even building codes
will one day be adjusted to ensure a
new factor of safety for occupants in
office buildings with high density.
Spec office developers will also need
to fully understand who they are
targeting as potential tenants before
proceeding with the building design.
Most companies are increasingly
looking at ways to improve productivity and promote collaboration and
innovation. Generally, a law firm, a
technology business and a service
industry company might all aim to
shrink their footprint per employee,
but each will have different cultures
and use their space differently. Providing flexible space to meet a wide
variety of tenants’ needs will be critical for base building owners. If these
emerging factors are not taken into
consideration, the next high-rise spec
office building may become obsolete
before its construction is complete.
Editor’s note: Steve Smith is one of
our D.C. Principals with a specialty in
office buildings.
North Atlanta High School, Atlanta, Georgia
The New North Atlanta High School is a replacement school designed to accommodate an enrollment of 2,350 students on what was the IBM Corporate
Campus. The site also includes a 940-space parking deck and additional
surface parking. The existing Lakeside Building is well suited and has ample
space to provide primary classroom, administration and food service functions. However, the school program also contains large assembly spaces
such as a 600-seat auditorium, 150 seat black box theater, and a 2,100
seat competition gymnasium as well as a practice gymnasium. In addition,
the school also required large music rooms with high ceilings for enhanced
acoustics so a new 105,000 square-foot Assembly Building was built to effectively accommodate the unique spatial and acoustical needs.
North Atlanta High School, Atlanta, Georgia
H O S P I T A L I T Y
Partnering
The Cuyahoga County Hilton Convention Hotel will be
located in downtown Cleveland adjacent to the newly
opened Cleveland Convention Center and the Global Center for Health Innovation. It will be situated on a site which
is included in Daniel Burnham’s Group Plan of the Public
Buildings of the City of Cleveland. Grounded in the ideals
of Beaux Arts Architecture, the Group Plan was inspired
by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
The plan was envisioned from the City Beautiful Movement and called for Beaux Arts style buildings, primarily
government and civic buildings, with Neoclassical details
to be arranged around a central Mall. Today, the Cleveland
Convention Center is built under that central mall and its
green roof is a public space alluding to the original design
intent of the mall.
Cooper Carry was awarded the design of the Cuyahoga
County Hilton Convention Hotel as a result of a national
search for hospitality-oriented architectural design firms.
The list of invited respondents consisted of 17 of the
nation’s most recognized hospitality firms. The respondents were shortlisted to six and were invited to interview
in Cleveland. Two firms were invited back for a final
interview to present their respective qualifications, their
approach to the project and to address specific questions asked of each firm preceding the final interview.
Cooper Carry was selected and will serve as the Criteria
Architect, which will provide the design, establish the
overall architectural character of the building, and direct
the consultant team through the design development
phase. We will also review the construction documents
and periodically observe construction in order to report
on the consistency of the design. Pope Bullock, AIA, and
I directed the interview process, presented the design
concepts and will lead the design team through all phases
of the project.
The Hilton hotel will provide 600 guestrooms which will
be connected directly to the Convention Center by way
of a below grade connection. In addition to the guestrooms, the hotel will provide approximately 50,000 net
square feet of conference, banquet and meeting space,
for
Success
a destination restaurant /
bar, exercise and health
amenities, and parking
By Bob Neal, AIA, Principal
for approximately 325 cars.
The project will seek to achieve a LEED Silver certification. During a public outreach “Listening Session,” the
community offered several guiding principles which they
asked the design team to consider. Included in these
principles was the desire for an iconic building that offered characteristics in its design that were unique to
Cleveland. Cleveland finds much of its unique history in
the manufacturing industry, specifically in the production
of iron and steel, and in transportation of goods by way
of Lake Erie and the nations early rail system. The original
name of the city was Cleaveland, but in 1831 the “a” was
dropped in order to fit the name on the city’s newspapers
masthead. Today Cleveland is a major business, medical,
education and arts center, and the downtown cityscape
is dotted with tall iconic buildings and bridges that span,
back and forth, the Cuyahoga River. The largest tourist
attraction in Cleveland today is the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame Museum. Designed by I.M. Pei, the museum was
completed in the fall of 1995.
The project management is being directed by Project
Management Consultants (PMC). PMC is a multidisciplinary, Cleveland-based company consisting of construction professionals, including construction attorneys
and licensed professionals who formerly served in the
roles of architect, professional engineer, construction
manager, and financial strategist. They are a wholly
owned subsidiary of Thompson Hine, LLP. The designbuild team is lead by Turner Construction Company who
will direct the project budgeting, documentation and
construction phases. VOA architects of Chicago will
serve as the architect of record. The interior design will be
provided by Anderson Miller out of Detroit.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are a way for public
entities to participate in funding development projects
where it may not be financially feasible for a private investor to do so alone. In return, the public sector receives a
Continued on next page
project which generates economic development through
the resources of a company with the knowledge, experience and efficiencies in the private sector to lead the
effort. It is not uncommon for the partnership to combine
a government entity with one or more private entities.
Public participation in a PPP can be achieved several
ways including providing land or utilities contributions,
creating general obligation bonds, or providing tax benefits. Because there are public funds involved, there is
often a requirement for the development teams to include
small, local or minority-owned businesses that will
participate on the design and construction teams. In addition to providing the primary business generator, these
projects ultimately establish a larger tax base, create new
employment opportunities and provide the engine for
community growth.
ture. The Washington, D.C. Marriott Marquis is a true PPP
where both public and private investment sources are
involved in the financial model. In much the same way
as Cleveland, the Washington Convention Center lacked
a headquarter hotel to provide for room nights, in its immediate vicinity, for large groups of conventioneers. The
Marquis will provide 1,175 guestrooms and 100,000 net
square feet of meeting space which will give the Convention Center the support that it requires to take full advantage of its facility. Along with the Washington City Center
project, which is opening in the spring of 2014, the
The hotel in Cleveland will be primarily funded by
Cuyahoga County with some financial participation from
the City of Cleveland and from Hilton Hotels. With the
opening of the Cleveland Convention Center adjacent to
the hotel site, the city needs the additional hotel rooms
in order to compete with other convention centers for
events. It is typical for convention centers to have a headquarters hotel where they can guarantee available room
nights for convention events and thereby can support
large groups of conventioneers. Without this type of hotel,
the Convention Center will not be able to compete with
similar facilities in other markets and thereby risk losing the economic benefits that come with bringing large
groups of people, and their spending power, to Cleveland
for multiple days.
This alliance is not technically a pure Public Private Partnership as the private participation from Hilton represents
a small percentage of the development budget. However,
even as Cuyahoga County will own the hotel, Hilton
Worldwide will operate the facility as a private entity and
will receive certain fees and other benefits to do so. The
hotel will generate substantial revenues, a significant
portion of which will be used for debt service payment.
In addition to their operational experience and knowledge,
Hilton brings a historically strong and recognizable hotel
brand to Cleveland, their worldwide reservation system,
and an established frequent-stayer program.
Every PPP has its own unique financial model and struc-
The Washington, D.C. Marriott Marquis is scheduled to
open in May 2014.
development of the Marquis project will create a convention destination that will allow Washington to be able to
compete with any convention facility in the country.
PPPs undergo a high level of transparency and must
stand up to more scrutiny because of the participation of
public entities. Approval of design firms, design strategies and budgets are public information, and often special
meetings are required to approve the many phases of the
project. The role of Cooper Carry is not only that of design
Continued on next page
professionals, but it is also to create consensus among
the stakeholders involved. We make public presentations,
speak to community groups, report to special advisory
commissions and lead workshops intended to make the
process as open as possible. Completed in 2009, Cooper Carry designed the Lancaster Marriott & Lancaster
County Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania as a
PPP. As the vision was being conceived by individuals in
the community, the Lancaster County Convention Center
Authority (LCCCA) was created to oversee the county’s
interest in the project. The board met monthly and closely
followed the design and budgets, approved all payments
to the design and construction teams, and oversaw any
changes to scope or fees. This project had added complexities in that it included two public participants (LCCCA
and the Lancaster Redevelopment Authority) and a private
partnership (Penn Square Partners, which originally
consisted of the High Companies, the Fulton Bank and
Lancaster Newspapers). Today, the Convention Center
and Hotel is operated by Interstate Hotels and Resorts,
while the LCCCA directs the Convention Center. The authority has a small, full-time staff and a board of directors
to which they report.
Cooper Carry’s Hospitality Specialty Practice Group has
a long history of working with PPPs dating back to work
in the late 1980s with the Stormont Hospitality Group and
later with Stormont Trice Hospitality Corporation. Projects
such as the Norfolk Waterside Marriott and The Hyatt
Regency Wichita were projects built in downtown areas
where private ownership supported the hotel and public
ownership supported the conference centers. Both of
these projects were built and operated as single projects
and required detailed condominium documents, describing
lines of ownership and operational boundaries. Building
these as single projects allowed the construction costs
to be reduced and it brought certain additional planning
efficiencies, including the sharing of back of house programmed spaces, administrative offices, vertical transportation and egress stairs. However, because of these
shared spaces, it is not possible for the various components of the facilities to ever operate without the other.
The following is a partial list of hospitality projects at
Cooper Carry designed in some form of a PPP.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Norfolk Waterside Hotel and Convention Center
The Portsmouth Renaissance and Conference Center
The Hyatt Regency Wichita
Brasstown Valley Resort
The Baltimore Inner Harbor East Marriott
The Cool Springs Marriott and Conference Center
The Sugarland Marriott and Conference Center
The Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel
The Suffolk Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center
Raleigh Marriott City Center
The Washington D.C. Marriott Marquis
(Under Construction)*
• The Downtown Norfolk Convention Hotel (In Design
Development)
• The Cuyahoga County Hilton Convention Hotel
(In Design Development)
These projects align with Cooper Carry’s mission to integrate specialized knowledge to create Connective Architecture: connecting ideas and people to the places where
they work, relax, live and learn.
Cooper Carry’s Hospitality Specialty Practice Group specializes globally in the design of hotels, resorts, executive education facilities, and conference and convention
centers, each carefully designed to connect people to
place. We are experts in hospitality design and planning,
and our in-depth knowledge of hotel operational efficiencies, gained through experience, provides measurable
value to our clients. We understand that hospitality is a
business and that design creates value. Our architects
are thought leaders and specialists whose sole focus is
the design of hospitality projects. We collaborate with our
clients and other stakeholders on a variety of hospitality projects where our core foundation is to champion
innovation, 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.
*The Washington, DC Marriott Marquis is being designed and documented in collaboration with TVS Architects.
Embassy Suites Springfield
Fairfax, VA
This project consists of a new, ground-up Embassy Suites
Hotel by Hilton. It is located in Springfield, Virginia at the
crossroads of the newly completed Fairfax County Parkway
and Interstate 95, putting it in the prime location to support
the surrounding BRAC developments and other governmentbased visitors. The project totals 189,650 square feet of hotel space, including, a full restaurant with expo-kitchen concept and bar, and an indoor pool and fitness center. Above
this, are located 219 keys across six guestroom levels that
include a mixture of the typical Embassy two-room suites
along with Hilton’s new Studio King concept. Approximately
5,700 square feet of meeting space is spread amongst formal
meeting salons, a board room and flexible meeting spaces.
Continued on next page
Embassy Suites Springfield, Fairfax, Virginia
Bikes are Back
As an experienced master planner and urban designer, Principal David Kitchens, AIA, has long been interested in the design of transportation infrastructure in
urban environments. His mixed-use resume runs long
and includes some locally well-known areas such
as Bethesda Row in Maryland as well as nationally
acclaimed projects such as Mizner Park in Florida.
It’s easy to see what he preaches in terms of TOD
development: the importance of connectability and
well-developed pedestrian and bike areas in walkable,
mixed-use developments. Kitchens regularly tracks
his mileage on his Twitter account which is full of 1825 mph rides. In terms of connectability and sustainability, this designer practices what he preaches.
As an active Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) member, Kitchens recommends their
website as a resource on cycling in Washington,
D.C. His theory of why the popularity of biking has
exploded in the Washington metro area is the heightened realization and incorporation of biking trails and
lanes that have promoted safe biking for the general
public. Another of his theories is that the baby boom
generation has gone through all the various forms
of recreational exercise and many are finding now
that biking is an excellent form of recreation and
exercise as they move into their 60s. According to a
study done in 2011 by Ralph Buehler et al. at Virginia
Tech called “Trends and Determinants of Cylcing in
the Washington, DC Region,” Kitchens isn’t too far
off with at least his first theory. The study finds that
cycling levels have been increasing in the Washington region at least partially due to the expansion of
the bike networks, bikeway supply, bike parking, and
cyclist showers. The study also finds that, 41 percent
of bicycle trips in D.C. are commute or work related
compared to 17 percent nationally. Buehler’s research
states, “Bicycle planning in the region has its roots in
the 1970s, experienced a hiatus in the 1980s, but has
witnessed a ‘renaissance’ since the (late) 1990s.”
Buehler goes on to write, “Since the late 1990s, jurisdictions have greatly expanded their on-street bicycle
lanes and implemented other innovative programs.”
Now, this sounds a bit like a question of the chicken
and egg. Did expanded bikeways lead to more cyclists? Or did an increase in biking lead to a need for
more bikeways? Either way, D.C. is riding—and it
turns out they are not the only ones.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, bike
use went up 39 percent from 2001-2010 and commuter bike use rose 63 percent in the seventy largest
U.S. cities. With offices in Atlanta, D.C. and New York,
Cooper Carry employees have some insights on the
trend of biking in major cities. Nicole Seekely, LEED
AP, a member of our Education SPG, reported seeing the number of cyclists in New York increase as
the city started promoting more bike lanes. She has
since moved to Atlanta and points out Mayor Reed’s
goal to make Atlanta one of the top 10 biking cities in
the country. With an increase in bike lanes, Seekely
believes Atlanta is well on its way. Both Seekely and
another staff member, Abbey Oklak, see the up-tic in
biking as a trend with possible generational influence.
Oklak, who works in our urban design and planning
group, remembers when riding a bike was a “rite of
passage” during her suburban childhood. Learning to
ride a bike for many suburban children meant being
able to ride to a friend’s house or to the ice cream
shop down the street. Cycling was a form of independence; biking is a tool many are dusting off and
deciding to use again.
Major cities have taken note of the increase in biking and many are implementing programs to support
cycling commuters. A number of urban areas across
the U.S. have begun bike share programs. D.C.’s
program is called Capital BikeShare and New York has
Citibike. One of our designers in New York City, Christ
Ernst, AIA, LEED AP, thinks that New York has made
great strides in the last few years to promote biking
by also creating protected bike lanes. Similarly, D.C.
has instituted protected bike lanes in the city. Oscar
Perez, AIA, LEED AP, a Design Director in our D.C.
office, points out that many programs that create bike
share systems and protected bike lanes started years
David Kitchens (center)
has long been interested
in the design of transportation infrastructure
in urban environments.
It’s easy to see what he
preaches in terms of
TOD development: the
importance of connectability and well-developed
pedestrian and bike areas
in walkable, mixed-use
developments.
ago in Europe and are now slowly being adopted here
in the U.S. “Without the bike lanes, it is difficult to
encourage increased ridership of bikes as a regular
form of commuting,” says Perez.
Supporting these commuters often involves specific
planning for transit-oriented development (TOD)
infrastructure. Many people plan their bike routes
based on safety. Protected bike lanes, secure bikelocking stations, and widened sidewalks can all influence whether a person decides to cycle. Safety is of
course not just a cyclist’s concern. Kitchen explains,
“While we think about biker safety from automobiles,
we have to think of pedestrian safety from bikers.” If
there is no clear bike lane, and a street is too busy,
bikers will often ride on sidewalks causing safety
issues for pedestrians. Well thought-out planning can
encourage more sustainable forms of transportation
and also improve safety for everyone. Oklak also
agrees with this idea stating, “We need options. Just
like townhouses, high-rises, mid-rises and single
family homes provide a variety of living options, the
same needs to be done for transportation methods.”
She insists that planning and safety precautions need
to incorporate all forms of transportation including
biking, walking and public transit.
As the urban infrastructure and culture surrounding
transportation changes, architects must consider how
to build buildings that also reflect that change. Ernst
says, “We should consider how existing and evolving
bike circulation networks integrate into our site planning strategies and provide adequate facilities for bike
parking.” In a similar tone, Perez believes we should
be designing buildings for increased bike storage.
Perez explains that a recent project he worked on was
for tenants with a large number of biker employees.
On average, these biking commuters would spend
well over $1,500 on a bike. “Their biggest issue was
that the owner only wanted to provide outdoor bike
racks, with no protection or regard to the safety of
the bikes. We design elaborate enclosed garages for
our buildings, we should treat bikes with the same
thought that goes into the design of the garage, and
not just as an afterthought,” insists Perez. Building
amenities can support the increase in commuting
cyclists with showers, abundant locker and storage
space along with proper bike storage security.
Urban areas are hotbeds for trends, and biking is just
one of them. Many people choose to live in an urban
area for the diversity it offers, whether it’s diversity in
living arrangements, people, ideas, or transportation.
As a young professional in the D.C. area, Oklak says
it best: “The best part of urban living is the options it
provides for people.” Specifically about transportation, Oklak adds, “The complex system of options
allows for each person to use the method they feel
most comfortable within the time frame they need to
get to their destination. A car may still be the best option some time, but it doesn’t always have to be.”
Employees at Cooper Carry
have many positive reasons for biking.
I sold my car back in college when I left to study in Paris – that was seven years ago. After grad school, I
biked across the country and I figured if I can do that, biking around Atlanta isn’t so bad and it saves me the
cost of buying a car!
-Nicole Seekely, LEED AP
With the introduction of CitiBike in New York, a commuter bike program with bike stations placed throughout Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, you can take a bike (rates range from daily to yearly) from present
location to your destination, quickly and efficiently. I’ve always rode my bike recreationally but now it’s a
means of getting to and from work, meetings, etc.
-Florence Giordano
I had always biked for recreation, but New York City’s CitiBike bike share program, which debuted in June,
made commuting by bike on a daily basis practical.
-Chris Ernst, AIA, LEED AP
I like the speed, and rush of wind that you get when you bike. I do it for enjoyment mostly and exercise as
an added benefit. At times in my life I have biked to work as a way of commuting. Now I see it as a convenient (and generally faster) way to get around in the city for short trips without using a car.
-Oscar Perez, AIA, LEED AP
Saves money and provides a healthier lifestyle for me. It is also healthier for the environment, less fossil fuel
consumption and less pollution.
-Brent Amos, LEED AP
Before joining CC, I rode a bike 13-mi round-trip three or four days a week to work and back. Did it for
about four years through downtown Orlando and its outlying neighborhoods. I am also an avid trail rider for
recreation - (both paved and unpaved).
-Gary Warner, ASLA, AICP
I don’t think I could handle the crazy frustrated people in DC traffic. Plus, everybody digs a biker! (*wink*)
-John Devlin
Cooper Carry recently recieved
T he NA I OP M aryland/DC
2 0 1 3 Aw ar d o f E xc el l en c e
for the category of
Best Institutional Facility
GSA Scott Project
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Washington, DC
The project scope included demolition of the existing
Scott Building (reuse of materials for new building) and the
construction of a new 160,000-square-foot building. The new
building includes 36 rooms for Long Term Care (LTC) and 24
rooms for Memory Support (MS). It also includes a commercial kitchen, dining room, health and wellness center,
multipurpose room and other residential services
and administrative functions.
The project was designed to achieve a USGBC
LEED Gold certification and is part of GSA’s program for
Excellence in Public Buildings.
?.
Why
Caleb Lesselles
?
Become an Architect
Caleb Lesselles, LEED AP BD+C, is an intern architect at Cooper Carry. Originally from
Nevada, Caleb came to Cooper Carry two years
ago. His project interests are in education and
mixed-use with an emphasis on sustainability
embedded into the architectural process. In
his free time, Caleb likes origami, mountain
biking, and reading sci-fi.
When did you know you wanted to go into
architecture?
Caleb: I probably knew around the end of high school.
I really got into architecture through environmentalism.
As kids we would always be going camping or hiking or
other outdoor activities. And then in high school I was
really into art too. I did a lot of drawing and painting and
ceramics—all of the art stuff—and architecture just
made sense. Where I grew up in Nevada, I could see
urban sprawl happening and I heard some complaints
and saw some of the negative impact it was having on
the city and the people. I thought to myself, “we can do
it differently; we can do it better.” I was a pretty imaginative kid growing up and still keep that today—something
vital for the design profession. There is so much value in
re-imagining. I wanted to be part of that process.
Why architecture?
Caleb: In the beginning, I had a real drive to want to
somehow benefit the environment. I got my bachelors in
environmental studies exactly for that reason. But when
you start to get into it, you realize all the connections:
if you do something good for the natural environment,
it’s going to do something good for the
social environment as well. Where I am
from, there was a bad part of town that no
one would go to. The city started some
social programming and then hired urban
designers to master plan the area. In five
years everything really picked up. Fifteen
years later, it’s turned around to be a huge
thriving area with plazas and kayaking and lots of cool
spaces. Seeing that mixed with my environmentalism
ideals. You see, there is environmentalism and then
there is designing a place that people actually have an
emotional response to. A big key to fixing environmental
problems is about how we take up space and how we
design space can begin to alleviate some social problems as well. It’s really all connected.
I understand you’ve been an intern now at Cooper
Carry for two years. What has it been like to work
at Cooper Carry?
Caleb: Cooper Carry leadership is very into getting you
up to speed on how a project operates. They are always
receptive and very much into getting you in, working
hands-on. They do that right off the bat and it’s the best
way to learn. It’s been awesome to see the working
group dynamics and it’s always exciting to see everyone
work together to push something forward. I’ve learned
a lot about how to get ideas out there and communicate
with other fields and industry professionals. All-in-all, it’s
a really supportive team environment.
?.
Why
Allen Dedels
?
Become an Architect
Allen Dedels, AIA, is a Project Manager
at Cooper Carry. Born in Birmingham,
Alabama, but having grown up in Atlanta,
Allen came to Cooper Carry 20 years
ago. His project specialties are retail
and mixed-use developments. In his free
time, Allen likes watching Auburn football, fishing, playing golf, riding his bike,
and going to his daughter’s soccer games and his son’s
baseball games.
When did you know you wanted to go into
architecture?
Allen: l always knew at a young age that I wanted a job
where I could draw. I was in high school when I was
trying to decide on being a graphic artist or an architect.
The idea that I could draw and design a building and
have it last a long time really appealed to me.
Why architecture?
Allen: Being able to draw and design something on paper
has always inspired me. When my kids were little I would
come home from the office and they would ask me what
I did today at work. I would tell them I got to draw and
color with colored pencils and markers. What a great job.
For me, as an architect, there is nothing more exciting
than when I get to visit the project and see the finished
building and know that I designed it or that I worked on it.
I understand you’ve been an architect now at
Cooper Carry for 20 years. What has it been
like to work at Cooper Carry?
Allen: It has been a great journey working on so
many projects, big and small, especially the retail projects. I remember when I first started, we
were in our office on Piedmont Road and everyone in the office could fit in the boardroom for staff meetings. I like how Cooper Carry is set up with the different
studios and practice groups, giving you the opportunity
to draw, design and work on the building of your choice.
I have been fortunate to have known and worked with so
many talented people and I am looking forward to many
more years here at Cooper Carry.
1522 K STREET HYATT PLACE, WASHINGTON, DC
Hospitality, Songy Highwoods
BETHESDA POLICE STATION SITE, BETHESDA, MD
Hospitality, StonebridgeCarras
CUYAHOGA COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL, CLEVELAND, OH
Hospitality, Cuyahoga County Office of Procurement & Diversity
GRAND HYATT BALLROOM RENOVATION, ATLANTA, GA
Hospitality, Host Hotels & Resorts
PEARL ST. BETHESDA SELECT-SERVICE HOTEL STUDY FOR MRP, BETHESDA, MD
Hospitality, MRP Realty
PEN PLACE DUAL BRAND CONCEPT STUDY, ARLINGTON, VA
Hospitality, OTO Development, LLC
RITZ-CARLTON AMELIA ISLAND – BALLROOM, LOBBY & RESTAURANT RENOVATION, AMELIA ISLAND, FL
Hospitality, Host Hotels & Resorts
PARKSHORE CENTRE RESTROOM RENOVATIONS, CHARLESTON, SC
Interior Design, Durlach Associates
ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOLS STUDY FOR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
K-12 Education, Confidential Client
BROWN MIDDLE SCHOOL ADDITION AND MODIFICATION, ATLANTA, GA
K-12 Education, Atlanta Public Schools
AZALEA - MASTER PLAN, RICHMOND, VA
Mixed-Use, Dewberry Capital
CHARLESTON EDGE COMPLEX DESIGN, CHARLESTON, WV
Mixed-Use, City of Charleston, WV
CHEVY CHASE SAKS DEPARTMENT STORE SITE - CONCEPT DESIGN, CHEVY CHASE, MD
Mixed-Use, Chevy Chase Land Company
Recent
WINS
COLUMBIA BULL STREET MASTER PLAN, COLUMBIA, SC
Mixed-Use, Hughes Development Corporation
GREENSBORO MIXED-USE PROJECT MASTER PLAN, GREENSBORO, NC
Mixed-Use, Regent Partners
POTOMAC YARD - LAND BAY F FOR JBG, ALEXANDRIA, VA
Mixed-Use, The JBG Companies
ASHEVILLE MIXED-USE/RESIDENTIAL MASTER PLAN, ASHEVILLE, NC
Residential, Davis Property Group
AL FURUSIYA MALL, JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA
Retail, Ehteraf Development CO. LTD.
JEDDAH SHOPPING MALL – CONCEPTUAL PLANNING, JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA
Retail, Ehteraf Development CO. LTD.
THE GALLERY AT MARKET EAST - MASTER PLAN, PHILADELPHIA, PA
Retail, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
Known for its mixed-use and retail designs,
architecture firm Cooper Carry has seen new
multifamily, retail and education clients lead
the way post recession.
Design Innovators
Gar
Muse
Interview by Randall Sheari
Cooper Carry became
known as an innovator in
mixed-use architecture in
the 1990s. The company’s
design for Mizner Park in
Florida — one of the first truly
successful mixed-use centers — put it on the map as a
go-to architect for mixed-use. Gar Muse, principal of
Today, the Atlanta-based firm Cooper Carry’s retail speis seeing its clients starting
cialty practice group
new projects, a move that’s
caused the firm to increase its headcount and its creativity. Shopping Center Business recently interviewed Gar
Muse, principal of Cooper Carry’s retail specialty practice
group, to see what’s driving innovation at one firm.
SCB: What is keeping you busy at the current time? What
is on the boards at Cooper Carry?
Muse: I am working on the following right now: A 70-acre
mixed-use project in Daytona Beach called ONE Daytona
with retail, residential and two hotels; a master plan for
an IKEA store and a 100,000-square-foot design center
in Bahrain; the renovation of an existing mall in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia, that is on a marina; the expansion of a Belk
department store that will require a 484-car parking deck;
and a 100-key limited-service hotel with about 10,000
square feet of small-shop retail under the hotel; and two
office-over-retail buildings that are under construction
in the Pittsburgh market in Canonsburg, Pa., that total
120,000 square feet.
SCB: In the 1970s and ‘80s, Cooper Carry gained fame as
one of the top mall architecture firms; in the ‘90s and
2000s that shifted, and you became known for mixed
-use and lifestyle centers. In your words,how has the firm
helped to shape retail real estate?
Muse: Mizner Park, designed by Cooper Carry, was the
most significant project of its time when it opened in
1991. It was a public-private development that included
residential and office space over street-level retail. The
project was about making a place and building a community with people on the streets. Its success triggered
the attention of other developers and the start of alternate
uses over street retail at a time when banks were skeptical to finance such projects.
I joined the firm in 1990 to build the retail practice,
which took the firm into designing department stores for
Federated Department Stores, now called Macy’s, and
mall designs, mostly renovations. One of the additions I
made to the mall designs was the involvement of interior
designers that were embedded in the retail group developing the design with the architects. Thus the mall interiors
became more hospitality like. With the department stores,
we gradually got Federated to incorporate more and more
glass with views into their stores.
SCB: You mentioned Mizner Park. That was one project
that really put Cooper Carry on the map with mixed-use
development. Cooper Carry designed that project for
Crocker Partners. Can you talk about how that project
inspired the firm to do more in the area of mixed-use?
Muse: Because of Mizner Park’s success, the principals
were determined to structure the firm to provide design
expertise in live, learn, work and play projects, which are
key to making places that are active and vibrant. It was in
Muse considers the Lazarus Department store in downtown Pittsburgh to be one of the company’s most
influential retail projects.
1993 that we decided to focus on mixed-use projects by
developing our residential and educational practices.
SCB: Aside from the retail studio, do you bring in others
from different disciplines of the firm to work on mixeduse? How does your mixed-use practice function?
Muse: Yes. When retail is the dominant use, we bring in
architects to design the office or residential uses from our
other specialty practice groups so we can tap their specific expertise. We like to start the planning process with
our ‘center;’ in other words, our planners and landscape
architects.
SCB: What do you consider the most influential retail
projects that Cooper Carry has designed over the years?
Muse: Besides Mizner Park, one of my choices is the
Lazarus Department store in downtown Pittsburgh
because of the use of glass and views into the store. As
well, the renovation and expansion we designed for the
Galleria in Houston.
SCB: You have had a strong project — Emory Point —
open recently in your backyard in Atlanta. What are some
of the features of this project?
Muse: Emory Point is in a semi-urban area with mostly
low- to mid-rise developments. It does a great job of creating community by providing retail for the neighborhood. It
has good access, convenient parking and walkable streets
that are packed with retail and restaurants. It is an excellent representative for community housing and amenity
retail.
SCB: Cooper Carry has been hiring over the past year.
What is causing this growth?
Muse: We actually started hiring the last month of 2010.
We are fortunate to have a diversity of specialty practice
groups. During the recession, our education practice
— K-12, higher education, and science and technology
groups — along with our government practice, kept us
busy. In 2011, we started to get some retail and corporate
work. In 2012 and 2013, our hospitality group started
expanding.
SCB: In retail/mixed-use, are you seeing more development or redevelopment projects?
Continued on next page
ONE Daytona is a 70-acre mixed-use project in Daytona
Beach, Florida, with retail, residential and two hotels.
Mizner Park, designed by Cooper Carry, was the most significant project of its time when it opened in 1991.
Muse: Right now, we have more new projects than redevelopment, which is contrary to what we were expecting. All
the mixed-use work is primarily new because of the need
for apartments. We are expecting this to tail off next year.
SCB: What is the inspiration for the new development?
Muse: Rental apartments, mostly, and an increase in hotel
room demand. The Middle East is also getting active again.
SCB: You are seeing and hearing about projects before
everyone else, directly from developers. Do you think that
development has gotten smarter since the Great Recession? How?
Muse: Absolutely. Developers now have to invest more of
their own money and the financing is tighter. The recession is
too fresh on the minds of the financiers.
SCB: What excites you about retail development and
design going forward?
Muse: Here in the United States, the retail developments
are more urban infill projects, along with additions to existing properties to preserve assets. These projects have
more constraints and challenges that influence the design
for more creative solutions.
Emory Point, located in Atlanta, provides neighborhood retail that has convenient parking and walkable
streets for its customers.
This article originally appeared in Shopping Center
Business,October 2013. (C)
LIBRARIES:
Designing for the Future
of Education
By Karen Trimbach, IIDA, IDEC
Karen Trimbach, IIDA, IDEC, is both an interior design
professor and a practitioner. Having designed the interiors
of dozens of learning spaces as well as having experienced
them first-hand as a teacher, she has witnessed the rapid
transformation of higher-education libraries. In this article,
she discusses the factors that are shaping academia and
their impact on library design.
Library noun \li-.brer-e, bre-re \
• a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical
recordings) are available for people to use or borrow
• a room in a person’s house where books are kept
• a collection of similar things (such as books or recordings)
I love my Kindle and I am not part of Generation Y. More
and more, we consume our reading material digitally. This
includes text books for college students. Students rent
digital copies of a textbook for a semester at a much lower
cost that purchasing the tome. The internet is the place for
research and Wikipedia has become a more acceptable
source as well.
One might assume that with the rapid digitization of information and the availably of resources on the internet,
university and college libraries will begin to lose their relevance. The definition of the word “library” is changing but
their role in academic institutions is expanding. University
libraries continue to fill the purpose that they always have
but are starting to look significantly different from what we
think of as a library today. With the increasing reliance on
technology and what at times can be resulting social isolation, college and university libraries are playing an increasingly significant role as centers for innovation, socialization
and collaboration. And yes, students still go to the library to
study, but they are just as apt to go to the library to work on
group projects.
Generational Changes
The preferences and habits of Generation Y and their successive generations will continue to have an increasing
impact on the transformation of today’s libraries. As Gen
Y passes through the university system, they are leading
a dramatic shift in the way we design all learning spaces
including libraries. Generation Y tends to prefer diverse
options and casual interactions over formal meetings. Their
preference for flexibility has led to libraries and learning
environments that allow for a multitude of ways that learning and education can take place. New university library
environments offer a variety of space types to meet multiple needs. Group work spaces with group work tools and
social spaces are often included in new libraries. Many will
have, or do have coffee shops adjacent to or in the actual
library space.
Gen Y has also brought conversation to the library. As
libraries become places for team projects, discussion, and
the exchange of ideas, the idea of the library as a quiet
place for reading and reflection is dissolving. Today’s libraries include both places intended for conversation as well as
those meant for solitary study.
Technology
Technology has and will continue to have a tremendous
impact on education and learning. Its impact on shaping
libraries cannot be overstated. In order to adapt to this shift,
libraries are becoming technology hubs. For the past 15
years, stacks have been increasingly replaced by computer
tables, tablet hook-ups, and flexible seating arrangements.
Today, most universities require students to have laptops,
so libraries provide high speed wireless connections.
The digitization of information means that references and
resources no longer need to be tied to physical spaces or
geography, and can be available anywhere with an internet
connection. Today’s educational institutions realize this and
are adapting accordingly. Libraries have attracted students
and academics by becoming the preferred place to access
these digital resources. Libraries are no longer the facility
where books are warehoused. More space is being allocated to social spaces, group spaces, quiet study spaces and
lounge areas. Less space is given over to books which are
housed, in some cases, at storage locations with automatic
book retrieval systems.
Libraries Respond to New Learning Models
The growing popularity of online courses and the hugely
successful launch of massive Online Open Courses
(MOOCs), have revolutionized traditional methods of
teaching and learning. While lectures are quickly becoming something that can be watched online, classrooms are
shifting to become places where collaboration, conversation, and hands-on-learning takes place. Libraries are
becoming places well-suited for both models of learning.
Lectures can be viewed on tablets from armchairs and
couches, while study groups and team meetings can take
place in acoustically isolated rooms, corners and spaces.
Libraries as Catalysts for Spontaneous Interaction
Studies have shown that random encounters can help
boost innovation in work environments because they force
people to look for solutions in places that might not have
otherwise occurred to them. Increasingly, science and
technology companies are designing spaces with this in
mind. Libraries can play a similar role on college campuses where students and educators with different areas of
expertise and specialties may not otherwise cross paths.
Open spaces and corridors can be designed with encounter spaces that encourage spontaneous meetings and
conversation.
21st Century University Libraries
Libraries won’t disappear anytime soon, though their design will continue to change dramatically. Today’s forwardthinking learning institutions will understand the important
role that libraries play in the advancement of learning, the
extension of the classroom and the exchange of ideas.
Twenty-first century libraries will serve as campus information commons and will be the geographic hub that brings
students, educators, and ideas together.
It may take longer for community libraries to adapt aspects
of the 21st century university library.
NC State University - Talley Student Center
Raleigh, North Carolina
This project, once complete, will provide approximately 290,000
square feet of improved and expanded student organization, dining,
meeting, and retail spaces, including the NCSU Bookstores. Occupants
will include: Campus Activities, Center for Student Leadership, Ethics
& Public Service, Multicultural Student Affairs, Arts NC state, Stewart
theatre, Student Organization Resource Center, Student Government,
Student Affairs administration, dining facilities on three floors, a
12,000 square feet ballroom, and 13 additional meeting rooms. Images
shown here are of the completed portion of Phase I.
The final design is on-track for LEED Silver Certification.
Southern Polytechnic State University
Marietta, Georgia
Cooper Carry designed the 123,000 square foot Engineering Technology Center (ETC), the 14,600 square
foot “Design II” Architectural Studio addition, and the
Parking Deck for Southern Polytechnic State University
in multiple phases, with multiple project delivery methods, and multiple contractors.
The ETC building contains approximately 60 percent
laboratory and 40 percent classroom and office space.
The building houses the Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Industrial
Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Mechatronics Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Telecommunications Engineering Technology
programs.
The ETC building has a two-story enclosed glass lobby
spanning the entire façade of the entrance. Race cars,
robotics and mechatronics designed by the Engineering Club, in addition to flat panel monitors exhibiting the
school channel, are displayed in this student-gathering
area. This space, affectionately known as the Gallery, is
designed to honor the students and display their work.
LEED-NC Silver Certified
MARTA
Cooper Carry’s Transit + TOD portfolio
includes Lindbergh City Center, Indian
Creek Marta Station, Garnett Marta
Station, North Springs Marta Station
and the Omni/Dome/GWCCCC/Philips
Arena/Cnn Center Station.
Raleigh Downtown Master Plan
Raleigh, North Carolina
The plan was to improve the pedestrian environment of downtown Raleigh by
connecting existing and emerging neighborhoods to Fayetteville Street. Cooper
Carry, as Planner and Landscape Architect for the New Fayetteville Street project,
transformed the area from a dead pedestrian mall to a lively Main Street. Included
was the conversion study of east/west streets to two-way streets, investigating
federal funding, and connecting to the future TTA station with pedestrian linkages.
The plan also addressed the convention center by solving lobby access, anticipating future expansion to the south, investigating mixed-use and rooftop uses, and
developing a strategy for active edges on Cabarrus Street.
Located within the newly revitalized area of Fayetteville Street, Cooper Carry subsequently designed three new projects — the headquarters for Progress Energy
(left), a corporate office and condominium building for RBC Bank (now PNC
Bank), above, and the Marriott City Center Hotel.
Birdhouse Social is the biggest fundraising event
of the year for Architecture for Humanity Atlanta
By Andrew Telker, Intern Architect
Officer of Development/Cofounding Member - Architecture for Humanity Atlanta
Architecture for Humanity Atlanta (AFHA) just wrapped
up the fifth Annual Birdhouse Social, and I am excited to
share some photos, tell a little about the event, the organization, and get you energized to join in upcoming events!
AFHA is a group of local designers, professionals, and
individuals that provide design services, educate, inform, and help those who need it most. The local Atlanta
Chapter re-formed in 2009 with revitalized leadership and
projects. The first project was a Floating Clinic that serves
the informal settlements in Lagos Nigeria with a medical
clinic.
to build birdhouses in the weeks leading up to a social
and silent auction. This event serves as a fundraising tool,
and it promotes awareness about what we do in the local
and global communities. On the night of the event, the
Atrium at Studio Plex comes alive with a certain magic.
Music and laughter fill the air; birdhouses hang along the
corridor, lined up, freshly painted and hand crafted. The
event showcases a collection of custom designed birdhouses created by architects, artists and designers. It is
inspiring to see the many unique and creative birdhouse
prototype designs in one gallery. All proceeds from the
event go to aid the development of activist design projects being facilitated by AFHA volunteers.
Every year, AFHA hosts “The Birdhouse Social,” which is
an annual fundraising event where AFHA invites the public
Architecture for Humanity Atlanta - http://afhatlanta.org/
3rd
Congratulations!
quarter 2013
A heartfelt “Thank You” to those celebrating an employment anniversary in
the Third Quarter of 2013.
aspire
Rick Fredlund Rich Cogburn
Project Manager
32 years
Principal
31 years
Jane Matthews
Bob Neal
Tim Fish
Principal
25 years
Accounting Manager
& Deltek Manager
25 years
Gar Muse
Rick Kinkade Jr
Mike Service
Sean McLendon
Lane Chapman
Bob Just
Principal
23 years
David Goodman
Project Architect
9 years
Project Architect
18 years
Rose Pollion
Studio Administator
9 years
Payroll Administrator Principal
28 years
25 years
Project Manager
18 years
Don Reszel
Project Manager
8 years
Principal
18 years
Andrea Schaub
Project Manager
8 years
Sheila Jones
Project Manager
16 years
Director
K-12 Education
13 years
Allison Bickers
Andrea Smith
Planner
8 years
Corporate Legal
Council
7 years
Terah Henderson
Mark Kill
Chris Ernst
Bill Halter
Flo Williams
Staff Interior
Designer
6 years
Chief Operating
Officer
6 years
Project Manager
4 years
Director, Corporate
Services
3 years
Office Manager
3 years
Helena Depina
Tyler Blazer
Caleb Lesselles
Gary Warner
Tanne Stephens
Student
2 years
Intern Architect
2 years
Intern Architect
2 years
Director, Planning
and Landscape
2 years
Pratt Farmer
Director of Marketing
2 years
Kristina Bach
Proposal Assistant
2 years
Architectural Staff
1 year
Scott Hawkins
Fuller Sherrod
Maria Galarza
Beth Anne Redmond
Receptionist
1 year
“Welcome” to our
“first round draft pick”
beginning their career at
Cooper Carry.
Project Accountant
Intern Architect
Intern Architect
aspire
Atlanta New York Washington
COOPERCARRY.COM
©Cooper Carry Inc. 2013