The project scope of this innovative 1600 sf Net Zero educational pavilion includes enclosed rooms for the College to use as classroom, research, and storage space and an open-air pavilion for public or educational use. It also provides signage, a new entry drive bus drop-off zone, visitor parking lot, barrier-free trails, and a restroom.
The design solution met the programmatic needs of the College and grant, while providing a physical demonstration of ecologically-sensitive design and construction consistent with the conservation mission of the Arboretum and ecological education focus of its educational programming. Ecological design features include:

• A clearing formerly used as a landscape waste dump and overrun with invasive species was restored and utilized as the site of the new pavilion, with the former access road converted to a barrier-free pedestrian trail.
• A team of oxen were used to transport the site-harvested red pines used for the pavilion columns from an area inaccessible by vehicles utilizing existing trails.
• The pavilion is fully off-grid, with an on-site photovoltaic (solar) array and energy storage system providing all required electricity for lighting, ceiling fans and power outlets.
• A waterless, composting toilet, the first permitted in Kalamazoo County, serves as an educational tool for the environmental education program, using microbes to treat waste.

Practice Areas

The Charles is an 18-story high-rise, mixed-used building in the heart of Buckhead Village.

Lord Aeck Sargent provided architectural design services along with landscape design of a signature amenity terrace above the building’s 6^th floor. The contemporary design plays with the geometry of triangles as an abstraction of both the triangular-shaped site and the area’s former identity as the “Buckhead Triangle.”

The amenity terrace includes a pool, outdoor lounge, fire pit and standalone fitness pavilion weaved together through a series of angular lines and framed by views of the Buckhead skyline.

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent was retained by Eton Academy to provide building assessment and programming services for the existing school facility. As a result of this study, a new design was constructed. The primary goal of this effort was to review existing building conditions and constraints in terms of suitability for planning and programming for existing space and growing enrollment in the future.

The first phase of renovation and expansion moved the lower school classrooms and all school administrative staff into a church building that is situated to the south of the existing facility. The two buildings are now linked by an addition that creates a new entry to the facility.  There is also an addition to house the Learning Resource Center which is the community outreach component of the Eton Approach.

The design creates “flex” classrooms that are built to respond specifically to  instructional methods of the Eton approach. These serve ten students and need to have flexibility allowing for a small group of 3-5 students to work independently of the others. They also include smart board technology .

Key Features

• Flex Classroom Space

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent designed a 287-unit residential apartment building in Grand Rapids. The Brix at Midtown, located on the Medical Mile, targets young professionals and students.

The Medical Mile is home to Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, Grand Valley State University’s Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, Spectrum Health’s downtown hospital campus and clinics, and the Van Andel Research Institute.

The development offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom market rate and student apartments and provides such amenities as a fitness center, clubhouse, business lounge, enclosed courtyard with fireplaces and a hot tub and two dog-walk parks. The project also includes a 320-space, four-story parking garage.

LAS also provided landscape architecture services for this project, focusing on not only the courtyard, but also the streetscape to ensure it fits with Grand Rapids’ Michigan Street Corridor Plan, which provides a mix of bus transportation, bicycle lanes and sidewalks along Michigan Street.

Key Features

Practice Areas

Camp Twin Lakes, a site 50 miles east of Atlanta, is used by more than 40 partners, all camping programs in Georgia for children with serious illnesses, disabilities and other life challenges.

Lord Aeck Sargent designed the original facilities for the camp in the early 1990s and updated the master plan in 2007. In response to Camp Twin Lakes' goals, the plan envisioned wheelchair accessible nature trails traveling around the camp’s two lakes, one leading to a “Wild Side” with a treehouse where campers could connect with nature. In order to design the treehouse quickly, the architecture firm held an in-house competition juried by members of the board as well as campers. The selected design best responded to the wish list made by a group of campers who were tasked with drawing their ideal treehouse including wheelchair accessibility, enclosed spaces for play and interaction as well as a greenroof, trapdoor, slide and swings.

The treehouse is sited on a sloping area of land near the end of the nature trail. Children in wheelchairs enter via a curved wooden boardwalk and find themselves on the treehouse deck about 15 feet above ground overlooking one of the camp’s lakes. The treehouse foundation consists of a series of wooden telephone poles connected to a system of below-grade concrete beams that stabilize the poles. The design includes one octagonal-shaped main space in the center – used primarily for environmental arts and crafts – with a series of four, multi-sided spaces. Another space with built-in bench seating forms an arc of about 270 degrees and is used for the camp’s drumming program. A smaller space is used for storytelling and small group activities. The other two spaces, which flank the doorway to the main space, are a utility room and a staff/storage room. Combined, the main interior room and four smaller spaces, along with an upper level overlook, known as the “bird’s nest” because it is located amid the boughs of a large oak tree, comprise 1,730 square feet of enclosed space surrounded by a 600-square-foot covered deck. The enclosed area has floor-to-ceiling windows with double layer screens.

The intent of the “Wild Side” was to get the children outdoors and away from mechanically conditioned spaces, though the special needs of the children did necessitate some protection from hot Georgia summers. The treehouse has ceiling fans in the main rooms and a mister system that runs through the eaves; these two systems combined make the air in and around the treehouse noticeably cooler by at least 8 degrees.

Practice Areas

After the preparation of a Preservation Plan for the historic courthouse by our architects, Butts County undertook the first phase of rehabilitation of the historic courthouse. 

Based on construction documents prepared by the firm, the tower was restored, the stone base of the courthouse was re-pointed, a slate roof reinstalled and the windows were repaired. The tower rehabilitation included the resetting of the historic metal tile roof, restoration of the clock faces and pressed metal and terra cotta restoration.
 

Practice Areas

With a mission to protect the basic right to clean air, clean, water, and a livable climate, it was important that the Southern Environmental Law Center’s (SELC’s) new regional headquarters in Charlottesville reflect their values. The project involved a full-floor tenant fit out of the 27,000 square foot fourth floor of a newly constructed mass timber office building in the downtown core of Charlottesville, Virginia. 

LEED Silver certification was established as a project goal.  The headquarters achieved LEED v4 ID+C CI Gold certification in August 2022 and features many replicable sustainable green building design strategies, practices, technologies, and products. The sustainable solutions include:

• An urban infill site in Charlottesville was selected to provide more sustainable alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle commuting, with a near-perfect Walk Score of 98 out of 100 and served by 12 different bus lines.
• WaterSense labeled low-flow toilets, urinals, faucets, and shower heads were utilized throughout to reduce water usage, including retrofitting the core restroom facilities with water-saving faucet aerators to further increase water efficiency.
• Water-efficient ENERGY STAR labeled dishwashers reduce process water usage.
• The interior design selectively exposes the building’s primary structural elements including mass timber columns and ceilings and concrete floor slabs to reduce the cost, maintenance, and environmental impacts of secondary finish materials. 
• A Carbon Dioxide monitoring system monitors indoor air quality (IAQ) within the space, increasing ventilation rates as required. Certified low-emitting finishes where selected to reduce pollutants and improve indoor air quality, including paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, flooring, composite wood, and insulation). 
• High-efficiency LED lighting was utilized exclusively to reduce electricity use for artificial lighting Office equipment and appliances were ENERGY STAR rated to reduce ‘plug loads.’ All spaces feature vacancy sensors to further reduce electricity use for artificial lighting and plug loads when spaces are unoccupied.

Practice Areas

After nearly four decades of protecting and improving Atlanta's urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating, Trees Atlanta had grown in mission and organization and needed a new, larger office space.

The organization purchased a 3-acre "brownfield" site in Southwest Atlanta along the recently completed BeltLine Westside Trail. In 2019, Lord Aeck Sargent was hired to lead a master planning process for Trees Atlanta's new home. The resulting plan inlcudes two new buildings knitted within a framework of regenerated ecological habitats including a wet/dry meadow, seepage wetland, oak/pine/hickory forest and mesic "tree trail."

The new facility is also home to Georgia Audubon, The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy in Georgia.

Lord Aeck Sargent served as the Prime Consultant and the Lead Architect for the project. 

Practice Areas

A small city on the southern border of Coweta County, the City of Grantville commissioned LAS to promote Downtown into a walkable, mixed-use environment by providing redevelopment and infill development strategies, mixed-mobility opportunities, and establish a sense of place.

The interactive planning process included robust stakeholder engagement including three hands-on public workshops, an online project website, and a community survey. The seven-month planning process resulted in a strategic master plan for the City of Grantville with a focus on Downtown. The plan focuses on re-establishing existing building inventory, creating a sense of place Downtown, creating a new town green/event plaza, identifying key housing infill opportunities, and outlining mixed-mobility opportunities for community residents.

Practice Areas

The Duke University School of Medicine and the Pratt School of Engineering wanted a shared space that would serve their common interest in entrepreneurship, encouraging researchers and entrepreneurs to follow their creative desires and open up possibilities for bringing advancements to market. 

The labs are home to research focusing on a wide variety of subjects, from regenerative medicine to how to capture and recycle water from areas with poor sanitation, to 3-D printed biomaterials that can help the body heal itself and how exposure to lasers affects the behavior of ions. The Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology runs five shared labs with sophisticated equipment that several teams can use. The Proteomics and Metabolomics Shared Resource lab uses mass spectrometry to analyze a substances molecular makeup. The Sequencing and Genomic Technologies Shared Resource lab features equipment that can explore a cell’s genetic blueprint.

Practice Areas

From the Macaron artwork in the lobby, to the multi-functional Skylounge, the designers created a sophisticated, and playful, space for future tenants of The Irby, which is located in the heart of Buckhead.

The Irby offers studio, one and two-bedroom units, as well as a sauna, pool, dog park, outdoor kitchen, billiards lounge, a chef-inspired demonstration kitchen, and private bar. In addition to designing amenity spaces, the Lord Aeck Sargent Interiors team designed several model units to highlight the possibilities for future tenants.

The Preston Partnership is the architect for the 12-story apartment development.

Practice Areas

As the Church is situated in the heart of Downtown Decatur, the new playground is not only seen as an amenity for church members, but also as an opportunity to provide a playscape that invites the community onto the Church grounds.

While the Church was in need of a playground to complete its Pre-K requirements, the main criteria for this specific space was to preserve the existing trees, which are an important feature of the identity of the Church. This meant detailed coordination with the City of Decatur, the project arborist, the contractor and the playground manufacturer, as well as careful selection and placement of equipment that would blend into the setting and create minimal impact to these long-established trees.

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent provided Interior Design services for the amenity and common spaces for Alta Dairies, a modern multi-family development designed around a 1945 dairy plant.

The design concept for the public amenity spaces in the building originated with a desire to express the industrial roots of the area and the Atlanta Dairies building. Balancing the creative tension between the project’s industrial roots with modern luxury provided the design team with interesting challenges and creative opportunities. The design team combined a limited palette of carefully chosen “industrial” materials with more refined finishes. The historical red of the original Atlanta Dairies logo was carefully used to create beautiful and visually coherent spaces and provide a strong project brand identity.

To complement the project finishes, the designers selected furniture that adds color, texture and refinement. A custom curated art program provided additional opportunities to incorporate and highlight the work of local artists. In several spaces there are large murals that were painted on site and can now be seen from the surrounding streets.

Practice Areas

A 1920’s era stockyard building was renovated and expanded to develop a multifamily housing community that balanced modern amenities with the authentic character and history of the existing structure.

Our Interior Design practice area worked with the design team to create unique amenity spaces, including lounges, a fitness center and a sky lounge, that celebrated the character-defining historic elements, such as a large chandelier in the restored rotunda, worn concrete and brick structural elements, and etched glass.

The team also designed several model units to highlight the possibilities for future tenants.

Practice Areas

In 2016, Travis County acquired the 1936 U.S. Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, from the U.S. General Services Administration after federal judicial activities were relocated to a new federal courthouse. The County wished to rehabilitate the building to house its Probate Courts.

The PWA Moderne building’s character-defining Art Deco- and Art Moderne-inspired interiors were largely intact and required careful attention. The project involved restoring the wood panels, doors, and benches, marble-clad walls, light fixtures, metal finishes, and bathroom fixtures. New courtrooms, jury assembly areas, judges’ chambers, and administrative offices welcome the new occupants.

New mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems were carefully integrated into the rehabilitated interiors. Metal detectors, required for today’s security measures, were relocated from the lobby to an adjacent space and a new glass vestibule at the front doors directs visitors to the new security area. This change allowed the lobby to be fully restored without the visual impact of the security equipment.

The project included the cleaning, repointing and repair of the limestone building façade and installation of a new roof. The historic steel windows, more than 160 in number, had been removed and replaced with non-matching aluminum sash, leaving only the original frames in place. Hazardous material abatement was required after testing revealed that the frames and supports contained lead. New window sash were replicated to match the historic window design but utilizing aluminum as a cost-saving measure. The existing steel frames were restored, along with the decorative cast iron spandrel panels that separate the vertical bands of windows. A crowning feature is the restoration of the prominent, roof-mounted flag pole, which had been removed, but now allows the flag to once again fly above the building.
 

Practice Areas

The Urban Farm Shed began as a design competition hosted by the Atlanta Beltline. The project exemplifies the core values of the organization; it is a combination of tradition and technology, coming together in form and function to light up like a lantern along the Beltline.

Located on the Westside Trail, the Urban Farm Shed and associated farm land is leased by Aluma Farms. The basic structure of the Shed is reminiscent of traditional sheds and barns that have dotted American farms for generations, while the external skin is distinguished by a modern treatment of perforated metal, imprinted with a pixelated design that reflects its purpose and ties it back to the land. This approach allows the barn to glow like a punched tin lantern when lit from within, creating a beacon for the urban farmer and other members of the nearby community to gather around. Furthermore, the interest of the paradoxical imagery (urban versus farm) allows the broader community of users and passers-by to experientially map their location within the city.

The 500-square-foot structure is used for storage of farm equipment and basic facilities for Aluma Farms, and also serves as an office and kitchen. The oversized doors can open up to convert the building to an open pavilion.

The project demonstrates a commitment to sustainability. Designed to the standards of the Living Building Challenge (and ready for certification if the client chooses), the Urban Farm Shed includes a composting toilet, PV panels, reclaimed materials, and stormwater capture and reuse. It is completely independence from the water, wastewater and power grids, thus the barn will go beyond net zero and be truly self-sufficient.

Practice Areas

This new e-lofts project at 5600 Columbia Pike involves the rehabilitation and renovation of a 10-story office building, creating 156 high-end, live/work spaces and roughly 10,000 sf of amenity spaces.

Lord Aeck Sargent provided architecture and interior design services.

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent began work as the idea of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC) was envisioned in 1989 and has continued as advocate, architect and program manager since.

ADARC is the world’s largest private HIV/AIDS research center, is committed to finding solutions to end the AIDS epidemic by conducting basic discovery research and by developing novel therapies, vaccines and other prevention strategies. The Diamond Center outgrew its space, so in the fall of 1996, expanded to an additional floor. In 1996, the Director, David Ho MD, was named Time Magazine Man of the Year.

Last year, ADARC was recruited by the Columbia University Medical Center and has committed to move to their campus. The development of the lab at CUMC is a complete renovation and fit-out of 24,000 square feet on the tenth and eleventh floors of the Hammer Building.

Work includes:

• BSL-2 research and testing laboratories
• BSL-3 facility to accommodate containment requirements for research with a separate air handling and exhaust system with redundant exhaust fans on the roof
• Laboratory support spaces
• Equipment rooms
• Offices
• Conference room
• Restrooms and public corridors
• Upgrades to existing infrastructure including MEP/FP
• New interior finishes
• Moveable and fix office and lab furniture/equipment
• Data & telephone infrastructure
• New access control
• New BMS system

Practice Areas

As a part of the vision for the Peachtree Corners Livable Centers Initiative, the Corners Connector Trail is the first constructed leg of the 10+ mile Technology Park Trails Master Plan.

Lord Aeck Sargent, in collaboration with ALTA Planning & Design, authored the master plan and designed the approximately one mile path to be part of an interconnected network of trails aimed at providing stakeholders with car-free access to the district’s natural and commercial assets. Opened in the Fall of 2020, this first phase focuses on granting access to Technology Park Lake, a picturesque tree-lined lake tucked away from the street, via a meandering lakeside path and a granite seat wall overlook. The trail creates a pedestrian link between two-streets and will one day be part of a direct trail connection to the City’s Town Center.

Practice Areas

Georgia Sports Park’s 98-acre site is well suited for sports fields as it is nestled in flood plain and surrounded by a beautiful forest with a creek running adjacent.

Lord Aeck Sargent designed a 6,000 sf sustainable pavilion to provide the park with a classroom, restrooms, team rooms, shower facilities, a concession stand, office space and a large porch. The pavilion serves as not only a gathering place but also provides shelter and safety during hot sunny days or inclement weather. Power is provided by the sun through 70 flat 340-watt photovoltaic solar panels on the south sloping roof. The array provides more than enough energy to power the building during daylight hours and The excess energy is returned to the East Point Power grid. The geothermal HVAC system was buried seven feet in the ground to absorb the ground temperature then run through a geothermal heat pump to provide comfortable and cost-effective heating and cooling. For energy efficiency and comfort in the winter, the ground floor slabs have radiant heating. The pavilion uses rainwater harvested from the roof gutters and exterior downspouts and collected in an 1,800-gal underground storage tank. The collected water system is treated including UV-C light and run through a pressure system to provide sufficient quantity to operate the water closets. Materials were selected for durability and low maintenance, to reduce both cost and the environmental impact of long-term building operation – including concrete floors, fiber cement siding and plywood interior wall panels.

There are six grass athletic fields with pervious gravel parking lots that allow water to percolate into the soil to filter out pollutants and recharge the ground water. Landscaping utilizes native plant materials. The manmade irrigation pond is designed to capture, store, and distribute necessary watering for the sports fields without the need for potable water. A vegetative drainage bioswale concentrates and conveys stormwater runoff from the parking lot.

Practice Areas

In support of the ratification of a new street grid and a rezoning process, the City of Avondale Estates hired Lord Aeck Sargent to develop an Urban Design Framework for its Downtown core.

This study focused on the physical parameters of the public and private realm to ensure that its development would be in harmony with the existing sense of place and the desired future scale of Downtown. Utilizing 2D and 3D modeling, the study addressed street grading, street character, development mass and scale, and potential development scenarios to help articulate the urban design framework and possibilities in a highly graphic and understandable manner.

Practice Areas

20 years ago, Suwanee’s first Comprehensive Plan laid out a vision for Suwanee to evolve from a suburban bedroom community into a sustainable place by managing growth.

The City’s land use policies embraced smart growth and pedestrian-oriented development principles. Marked by a change in development patterns from separated land uses to more walkable, connected, mixed-use neighborhoods, Suwanee became a leader for this type of development and is known for its sense of place.

After two decades of growth, smart planning and thoughtful place-making projects such as Town Center, the Suwanee 2040 Comprehensive Plan sets a course for the next 20 years. The long range plan envisions a thriving downtown surrounding Town Center Park, preserves established single family neighborhoods to enhance quality of life for Suwanee’s residents, highlights new growth areas where industrial uses might transition into other uses such as housing, and suggests a fully connected system of roads, bike facilities, open spaces, and greenway trails.

The planning effort built upon many recent plans, including several completed by Lord Aeck Sargent (and LAS predecessor Urban Collage). The planning process focused heavily on the helping stakeholders and elected officials understand the important tradeoffs and implications of various growth strategies and increased density and the resulting amenities and public benefits that ensure.

Practice Areas

LAS was hired by the City of Avondale Estates to update the graphic design, organization, process, and requirements of its existing Historic District Guidelines.

Nominated in the 1986 as a National Register with a period of significance from 1921-1924, this district is an embodiment of the “garden suburb” movement and is recognized for the combination of its Town Plan, Landscape Architecture, and Architecture. These guidelines are meant to aid in the preservation of the district and assist the City in the interpretation and implementation of its Historic District Ordinance. Based on the Secretary of Interiors Standards and through a high-degree of stakeholder feedback, the redesign focused on creating a highly graphic and user-friendly document that illustrates the District’s character defining features and makes clear how to go about modifications to its structures.

Practice Areas

The Valpico multifamily residential development is intended as a showpiece site for Katerra’s signature K-3 residential building platform.

Building components will be supplied by Katerra’s new factory just a few miles away in Tracy. The Lord Aeck Sargent team of planners and landscape architects conceived the master site plan as well as the landscape site design. The plan seeks to create a ceremonial point of arrival along with a series of semi-public open spaces.

Practice Areas

Sitting at a key gateway into the LaVista Hills area of DeKalb County, this site has long been underdeveloped and auto-oriented.

The Lord Aeck Sargent Master Plan envisions a new mixed-use, walkable and vibrant district including rental homes, retail space, a signature restaurant with a rooftop deck and a signature pedestrian plaza. The project is currently going through entitlement and is expected to break ground in early 2021.

Practice Areas

The Historic David T. Howard School, constructed in the mid-1920s, saw many Atlanta legends roam its hallways. After more than four decades of neglect, Atlanta Public Schools selected Lord Aeck Sargent in collaboration with Stevens & Wilkinson to renovate and re-design the campus as a part of the Grady Cluster School District.

The school is located on a 7.4-acre urban block within the Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood about a half mile east of Downtown Atlanta. The project includes the historic rehabilitation of the existing building, multiple additions, a large outdoor courtyard, and site improvements including significant work with the adjacent community to preserve several old growth trees.

The site design features outdoor learning, outdoor recreation, a shade garden, signature pedestrian spaces, and green infrastructure to help filter surface runoff. The design also activates the urban setting through connections to both the BeltLine Eastside Trail and the Freedom Park Trail. The most significant site intervention includes the creation of a new east-west “street” through the block. This new connection allows separation of buses/queuing from parent/visitor dropoff (accommodated along Dobbs) while enhancing overall connectivity in the neighborhood.

The modernized middle school campus opened for the 2020 school year.

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent prepared an overall campus master plan that set the stage for a series of campus enhancements including a primary school addition, a learning quad, a competition track and outdoor children’s amenity areas.

LAS was tasked with creating a series of collaborative, flexible spaces – both interior and exterior – which are intended to serve dual purposes in order to provide a wide variety of opportunities for small and large group learning along with recreation.

LAS was challenged with tight boundaries and a responsive design required efficient use of all the available space, which included providing a new outdoor courtyard that successfully ties the existing primary school buildings in with the new construction. The courtyard was strategically designed to be a space that flowed seamlessly from the indoor learning areas. A long, continuous patio, the layout of hardscape and trees and geometric organization all bridged the inside space with the outside, creating opportunities for individual and group learning.

Practice Areas

The West Broad Initiative partnership is a collaboration between four partner agencies: Clarke County School District (CCSD), Athens Housing Authority (AHA), Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCUG), and Athens Land Trust (ALT).

The partnership was created to study the feasibility of potential community and facility enhancements for the neighborhoods along West Broad Street west of Downtown Athens and The University of Georgia. During the process, Lord Aeck Sargent performed a thorough analysis of the existing housing, infrastructure and institutional assets, and provided high-level neighborhood improvement/development scenarios for future long-term revitalization considerations.

Practice Areas

The City of Asheville hired Lord Aeck Sargent to assess three city-owned “high impact” sites for developing affordable housing in and around downtown.

With a recently approved $25 million Affordable Housing Bond, these sites represent an opportunity to begin to pro-actively address the City’s current gap in affordable units. During the nine-month planning process, LAS performed a wide variety of assessments for each site including: urban design, site suitability for mixed-income housing and mixed-use development, densities and massing, and open space.

The potential site development scenarios aligned with detailed economic pro forma scenario testing and affordable housing financing strategies (prepared by Bleakly Advisory Group) to provide the City with a tool to determine the most effective use of bond funds. The final plan document sets the stage for the procurement of a development partner(s).

Practice Areas

The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) and Martha O’Bryan Center received a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in July 2016, for the revitalization of J.C. Napier Place Homes and Tony Sudekum Apartments, and its surrounding neighborhood.

The community driven process of developing a redevelopment plan focused on improvement strategies for neighborhood, housing, people and education. As part of the Design Team, Lord Aeck Sargent was engaged to work with the community residents and stakeholders to envision and develop a neighborhood revitalization framework and on-site redevelopment plan for new housing and open space.

Practice Areas

The Durham Housing Authority (DHA) Downtown and Neighborhood Plan, a partnership between DHA, the City of Durham and Durham County, was initiated to create a development framework for nearly 60 acres of publicly owned land in downtown Durham.

The framework serves as a 10-year roadmap for the redevelopment of the downtown DHA properties. Lord Aeck Sargent explored development concepts on the seven publicly-owned sites through community/stakeholder engagement and architectural/site and urban design options. The plan seeks better integrate public housing residents into the growing downtown population by providing new mixed-use development while still preserving levels of affordability.

Each site had concept alternatives that explored options of use, density and arrangement to build consensus toward an aggressive program supported by a new Affordable Housing Trust Fund program for mixed income in the booming downtown area.

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent was hired by a consortium of four neighborhood associations (Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Reynoldstown and Cabbagetown) to lead a community-based parks and development master plan for the anticipated redevelopment of Hulsey Yard.

This 70+ acre property has been used as a railroad transfer facility for over a century until CSX ceased almost all operations in the spring of 2019. The site’s high-profile location along the eastern BeltLine, as well as its adjacency to historic intown neighborhoods creates unique challenges and opportunities both for site planning and building neighborhood consensus.

The Hulsey Yard Master Plan envisions a network of open spaces, trails and mixed-use development that is appropriately knit into the surrounding urban fabric while embracing future BeltLine transit. Framework plans include a wide mix of land uses, a variety of connected open spaces and amenities and a re-connected grid of streets and paths (both internally and externally). The planning process involved significant community engagement with over 1,500 participants in a variety of in person and online forums.

Practice Areas

The evolution of Memorial Drive and its historic neighborhoods between Downtown Atlanta and DeKalb County, from a traditional industrial corridor into a diverse urban street, is picking up pace after decades of long-term planning by its residents and business owners.

This Livable Centers Initiative plan aims to recognize, codify and build on their efforts to make the Memorial Drive Corridor a walkable, diverse and active urban street where residents can live their lives without being dependent on vehicles for most trips. The study is focused on creatively exploring mobility and safety opportunities in parallel with selected land use and zoning recommendations along the corridor in order to bring more clarity to the path forward. The plan seeks to to capture, reconcile and consolidate decades of community planning work and stakeholder input.

Practice Areas

When originally platted in 1892, Tucker was laid out in a series of regularized blocks, streets and alleys.

Over time as the city developed, the downtown grid has been slowly eroded due to changing development patterns and the rise of America’s automobile-centric culture.

The study focus is to create a unique vision focused on restoring and celebrating the original, historic downtown grid system in a way that creates new, people- and pedestrian-oriented spaces. The plan envisions a wide range of typological improvements from simple tactical and temporary enhancements, to full infrastructural changes. The plan envisions opportunities for enhancing existing bike and ped connections, forging new links and creating a series of open spaces such as a town green.

Practice Areas

The City of Sugar Hill engaged the services of Lord Aeck Sargent to help define a vision for developing Downtown and formally updating their Livable Centers Initiative plan.

The planning effort included a robust public engagement strategy including an online survey and a hands-on workshop in which participants used building blocks to envision various growth and development strategies. The final plan focused specifically on the physical implications of significantly growing Downtown including land use, density and connectivity strategies for multi-modal transportation.

Practice Areas

One of the oldest building’s on Georgia College’s main campus square, Terrell Hall was recently rehabilitated for used by GCSU’s Mass Communication department to allow collaboration between all media, necessary to meet today’s demands on students to have a well-rounded education.

Terrell Hall, completed in 1909 and originally used as a residence hall before being used as offices, overlooks the historic front campus. The building had not previously undergone a complete renovation, which has helped Terrell Hall retain much of its historic character. The project focused on removing inappropriate insertions from renovations in the 1960s and 1970s; improving accessibility, including the installation of an elevator; updating mechanical systems and installing HVAC; and improving energy efficiency.

The project also included the rehabilitation of the 1940 Kilpatrick and Peabody Auditorium. LAS designed the replacement of 1970s-era windows, which had drastically reduced the natural light in the building, with new custom wood windows and glass block to match the historic profiles. Interior storm windows were added to the single-pane wood windows to provide greater insulating capabilities and to improve thermal comfort.

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent designed the five-story luxury apartment development to appeal to active residents. Amenities include a large exercise area, bicycle storage and repair, kayak storage, and incubator-style office space.

The expansive courtyard includes a 20-foot drop with a waterfall, multiple lounge spaces, and areas for corn hole, whiffle ball, and bocce ball. Nearby amenities include the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area and the new Atlanta Braves stadium.

Practice Areas

Lord Aeck Sargent's Interiors Team designed the amenity spaces and model units at Broadstone Yards.

The team worked with the owner and Hope Cohn Projects to commission several pieces of art from local artists, including residents of the nearby Goat Farm Arts Center.

Broadstone Yards, designed by architects Lord Aeck Sargent and Brock Hudgins Associates, comprises three mid-rise buildings with 251 studio, one- and two-bedroom units with “direct pedestrian access” to Westside Provisions District.

Practice Areas

Spectrum on Spring is a new housing and mixed-use development situated between the Downtown Connector and Spring Street in Midtown Atlanta.

The development responds to both of these radically different site conditions with a carefully tailored, modern design. The project is among several new developments in the area that are focused on making the urban street corridors more pedestrian-friendly while attracting residents who want to live, work and play in the fast-paced Midtown area. Five stories of housing and amenities top 13,500 square feet of retail with integrated parking.

Practice Areas

Broadstone Midtown is an eight-story residential apartment building on the southeast corner of Juniper at 6th Street in Midtown Atlanta. 

Five residential levels sit atop a podium with leasing, 230-car parking deck, and live/work walk-up units below. The project consists of three elevated courtyards, as well as multiple public, outdoor amenity spaces terracing up the east face of the building.

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Lord Aeck Sargent provided architecture and interior design services for a 287-unit residential apartment building on Grand Rapids' Medical Mile.

The Brix at Midtown targets young professionals and students. The development offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom market rate and student apartments and provides such amenities as a fitness center, clubhouse, business lounge, enclosed courtyard with fireplaces and a hot tub, and two dog-walk parks.

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Lord Aeck Sargent provided architecture and interior design services for the five-story luxury apartment development, which is located in Nashville’s 12 South/8th Avenue neighborhood.

Broadstone 8 South offers studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as an outdoor movie amphitheater, pool, dog park and spa, outdoor kitchen, and billiards lounge with a saloon-style bar. Several courtyards extend the living spaces outdoors.

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Lord Aeck Sargent worked with UGA to renovate an existing downtown Athens space for use by the University’s Entrepreneurship Program.

Studio 225, taking its name from the building’s address, houses assignable team project rooms, huddle rooms, study nooks, conference rooms, makerspaces, a few faculty offices, collaboration space spread over two floors. A Pitch Deck provides space for seminars and student pitch competitions accommodating up to 100 people. The space is the first physical manifestation of UGA’s focus on innovation and entrepreneurship and offers a space to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration at the undergraduate level.

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The first floor of NCCU’s James E. Shepard Library has been renovated to provide a “living room” for the growing campus – a social hub that provides the technological amenities today’s students expect.

As the project’s interior design and environmental graphics consultant, Lord Aeck Sargent collaborated with the University to create a fresh, engaging space that emphasizes the University’s brand, values and history while meeting the challenges of a tight schedule and careful allocation of various funding streams.

The focal point of the project is the building’s renovated lobby, converted into a café through the addition of floor and ceiling finishes and powered furniture arrangements. Completing the space, a series of suspended etched panels feature NCCU’s logotype. Identified by a series of colorful ceiling elements, adjacent spaces include an IT Helpdesk, TechnoClassroom and Lounge, and a video wall complete with a unique tiered seating feature. Three large murals tell NCCU’s story, incorporating historical photos with quotes from NCCU’s founders. Vibrant colors throughout incorporate the University’s trademark maroon into a palette that’s warm, contemporary and inviting.

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H. Douglas Covington Hall was designed to house first-time freshmen students.

The five-story residence hall includes double-occupancy rooms grouped in pods that include a single-occupancy room for a resident assistant as well as shared space for study and social interaction to encourage students to build a support network of peers.

The building includes an academic-oriented multipurpose space, a seminar room, a computer lab, study rooms, and an academic research center in addition to numerous common areas, a central community kitchen and laundry facilities.

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Lord Aeck Sargent worked with North American Properties to design a mixed-use development that line both sides of the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail.

Thirty percent of the residential units are dedicated to affordable workforce housing. The Edge also offers 29,000 sf of retail and dining on the BeltLine and includes a pedestrian bridge linking both sides of the development.

Designed in collaboration with Brock Hudgins Architects.

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Lord Aeck Sargent designed the five-story luxury apartment development to appeal to active residents.

Amenities include a large exercise area, bicycle storage and repair, kayak storage, and incubator style office space. The expansive courtyard includes a 20-foot drop with a waterfall, multiple lounge spaces, and areas for corn hole, whiffle ball and bocce ball. A top-floor lounge and terrace provide sweeping skyline views. Nearby amenities the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area and the new Atlanta Braves stadium.

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Lord Aeck Sargent designed the development over­looking a pond at the start of the Silver Comet Trail.

The community’s location adjacent to the popular walking and biking trail help promote an active lifestyle. Additional on-site amenities include restaurants, courtyard swimming pool, club room, a 24-hour gym, dog park, and a screened porch overlooking a half-acre pond.

The luxury apartments range from one to three bedrooms on five levels above a multi-level podium with retail, leasing, and parking.

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Lord Aeck Sargent has designed the Life Science & Biotechnology Building, which houses cutting-edge research as well as public-private partnerships.

The building’s program includes classrooms and laboratories that allow students to work alongside scientific partners within the surrounding community. The building serves as a new gateway building for the ECU campus, and its prominent location puts its science and research functions on display.

The design also included a master plan that integrates this building with the campus and accommodates a future research building on the site. The building, which is LEED Silver Certified, was funded by the NC Connect bond.

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Lord Aeck Sargent designed a primary school addition to the Atlanta International School’s (AIS) existing campus.

AIS is housed in a former high school building completed in 1932 and designed by noted Atlanta architect, Philip Trammell Shutze. It was essential for LAS to be responsive to the design that already existed on campus and to respect the existing architectural style by creating a seamless transition between new and old.

The goal for the project was to connect two existing buildings and create a unique identity for AIS’ primary school, which serves grades K-5. LAS was tasked with creating a series of collaborative, flexible spaces – both interior and exterior – which are intended to serve dual purposes in order to provide a wide variety of opportunities for small and large group learning. Before the project, primary school students lacked collaborative space and worked in hallways for group activities and assignments. In addition to the outdoor classrooms the new building provides, students can now utilize a series of flexible, shared work spaces both inside and outside of their classroom. This created multi-functional learning environments and connectivity across the entire primary school.

LAS was challenged with tight boundaries and a responsive design required efficient use of all the available space, which included providing a new outdoor courtyard that successfully ties the existing primary school buildings in with the new construction. The courtyard was strategically designed to be a space that flowed seamlessly from the indoor learning areas. A long, continuous patio, the layout of hardscape and trees and geometric organization all bridged the inside space with the outside, creating opportunities for individual and group learning.

Daylighting and shading were critical to this project, from window placement to the layout of the courtyard and the canopy that shades the outdoor classroom on the west side of the building. LAS worked with their civil engineer to provide a responsible storm water drainage system created through the use of permeable pavers, donated by one of AIS benefactors, which ensures that storm-water runoff is stored on site rather than being piped.

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The expansion and renovation of Daniel Hall is a critical project for Clemson, both in terms of its opportunity to impact the physical landscape of the campus and its opportunity to impact students’ educational experience.

The project will create a home for General Education through a significant renovation of Daniel Hall and new construction comprising a west addition, a south addition and a connecting collaborative bridge. The project will create modern learning environments that support both smaller, flexible classrooms (low instructor/student ratios) and larger spaces such as lecture halls and scale-up classrooms.

The project is located in the heart of campus, and the design embraces its surrounding major pedestrian routes. The Daniel Hall Complex will be highly visible as it flanks Cooper Library and reinforces the important visual connection to Tillman Hall. The site design will enrich its context by creating exterior learning spaces, integrating with the building design and providing much needed connections between the various grades of the Cooper Library Bridge and the Pond elevations. The site scope also includes new utilities, removal of the existing utility tunnel and a new service drive.

The existing Daniel Hall will be reimagined to become a modern classroom building with collaborative space and flexible classrooms that allow for a variety of teaching styles. The quality of the space will be significantly improved by the West Addition, which will not only provide a new aesthetic for the building, but will also provide collaborative space on every floor. This includes a larger pre-function space for the existing auditorium.

A collaborative bridge, lined with team rooms, aids in creating an overall Daniel Hall Complex through physically and visually connecting to the South Addition. The South Addition provides significant collaborative space to this portion of campus, especially on the ground-floor levels where it provides entry access at both Cooper Bridge and Pond elevations. Collaborative space is provided on every floor and sprinkled throughout the corridors to create an environment where students want to be. The flexible classrooms will provide a modern learning environment and have been strategically designed to allow for change over time if different class sizes are desired.

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Colony Square rose in the late 1960s and 1970s as an urban mixed-use office, retail and residential project ahead of its time, but the development has fallen behind other office development in Midtown Atlanta. North American Properties selected Beyer Blender Belle in collaboration with Lord Aeck Sargent to refine and execute its vision for a dynamic transformation.

The renewal of Colony Square represents an extraordinary opportunity to create a charismatic and welcoming public place at the heart of a growing neighborhood. The design concept supports the ongoing transformation of Midtown into a vibrant commercial, retail, residential and cultural district by opening up the hard to find indoor retail mall to the sky and creating new, inviting pathways into the site from the busy Peachtree Street pedestrian corridor. Refreshed office building lobbies surrounded by reconfigured active retail space on the ground level will complement major attractions including a luxury theatre and a bustling food hall.    

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Spectrum on Spring is a new housing and mixed-use development situated between the Downtown Connector and Spring Street in Midtown Atlanta.

The development responds to both of these radically different site conditions with a carefully tailored, modern design. The project is among several new developments in the area that are focused on making the urban street corridors more pedestrian-friendly while attracting residents who want to live, work and play in the fast-paced Midtown area. Five stories of housing and amenities top 13,500 square feet of retail with integrated parking.

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The renovation of O’Shaughnessy Hall, originally constructed in 1966, converted the building from a traditional dormitory model to the Leadership and Social Change Residential College, one of three residential colleges on the Virginia Tech campus.

The program includes common rooms for students and faculty, faculty offices, a classroom, a faculty apartment, staff apartment, as well as outdoor amenity and program spaces. The residential college program is multigenerational and multidisciplinary with an emphasis on leadership development as a catalyst for social change. A primary impetus for the renovation project was the University’s commitment to ensuring that the program is available to all students regardless of their financial resources. Consequently, cost management strategies were particularly critical in the design and construction phases.

Completed in collaboration with Moseley Architects.

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The Historic David T. Howard School, constructed in the mid-1920s, saw many Atlanta legends roam its hallways. After more than four decades of neglect, Atlanta Public Schools selected Lord Aeck Sargent in collaboration with Stevens & Wilkinson to renovate and re-design the school as a part of the Grady Cluster School District.

The school is located on a 7.4-acre urban block within the Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood about a half mile east of Downtown Atlanta. The project included the historic rehabilitation of the existing building, multiple additions, a large outdoor courtyard, and site improvements.

The site design features outdoor learning, outdoor recreation, a shade garden, signature pedestrian spaces, and green infrastructure to help filter surface runoff. The design also activates the urban setting through connections to both the BeltLine Eastside Trail and the Freedom Park Trail. The most significant site intervention includes the creation of a new east-west “street” through the block. This new connection allows separation of buses/queuing from parent/visitor dropoff (accommodated along Dobbs) while enhancing overall connectivity in the neighborhood.

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The Okefenokee Swamp Park is the northern most entry into the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge – home to the most extensive blackwater swamp in North America.

A one-of-a-kind park, which offers boat tours, educational opportunities, live alligators and other swamp natives, and exquisite views of the swamp from atop the observation tower, the Okefenokee Swamp Park is considered “the world’s window" to the Okefenokee Swamp. Developed in 1945 on Cowhouse Island, the Park was established to promote wildlife protection and propagation, forestry, and recreation. Not all of the 1,200 acres the non-profit Park subleases from the state is built-out, but boardwalks allow visitors to safely venture deeper into the Swamp past the main campus.

In February 2016, Lord Aeck Sargent began the first stages of Master Planning services with a series of visioning sessions. Those exercises led to The Okefenokee Swamp Park Visioning Report, released in June of that year, which outlines the outreach efforts along with a basic building assessment and recommendations from the Design Team based on their findings. In Spring 2018, LAS was contracted to complete the full development of the Master Plan including a fully rendered Master Plan, a complete project list and cost estimate.

The purpose of the master plan is to provide a plan of action for the Park and provide guidance for future improvements and management, which will add to the quality and diversity of uses for visitors in this unique corner of the world.

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Lord Aeck Sargent is working with the City of Forest Park to study how the redevelopment of the City’s signature greenspace, Starr Park, can be utilized to benefit the City on three distinct scales: Park, Neighborhood, and City.

At the Park scale we are creating a master plan for a renovated Starr Park, determining best uses for the facility, and how to re-program the space for flexibility and responsiveness to users. At the Neighborhood scale we are determining how a re-visioned Park can help catalyze economic redevelopment and encourage home ownership in a newly branded community surrounding Starr Park. At the City scale we are studying and determining best practices for the Research and Leisure Services department across all City-operated parks and recreation facilities.

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The Landscape Architecture team worked with the City of Atlanta Office of Park Design on master planning, landscape design, and construction documents for this exciting new neighborhood park in Atlanta’s West Lake Neighborhood.

The idea of the park originated as part of Atlanta City Councilmember Ivory Young’s push to create a neighborhood amenity for an underutilized 1.3-acre parcel located at the prominent intersection of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and West Lake Avenue.  Although the site is small, the “pocket” park is extremely well situated across from a burgeoning retail node, a key neighborhood church, near a large senior housing tower, on several MARTA bus lines, and within a short walk from hundreds of historic homes. 

From 2014 to 2016, Lord Aeck Sargent worked with neighborhood stakeholders and city staff to illustrate a series of concept plans for the new space. The resulting park, completed in spring of 2018, includes a plaza, circular lawn, playground, bioretention feature, and public art space. 

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As part of an architecture programming study, the Landscape Architecture team at Lord Aeck Sargent worked with LAS Architects and Clemson University to create a new vision for the space surrounding Hendrix Student Center.

The design solution seeks to create a destination for the southeast part of the Clemson campus and to provide a flexible space that can be used by students, faculty, and guests at any time of the day.

Along the western side of the site, a sequence of terracing levels provides a response to the site’s grading challenges by creating multiple levels of flexible outdoor spaces. The terraces help utilize the entire site by connecting users from the second story of the student center down to the Hendrix Quad that connects to the Barnes Center. These terraced spaces can be used as outdoor study spaces for students, tabling spaces for student organization, or indoor/outdoor event space if used in concert with the large ballrooms within the student center.

In addition to solving the site’s grade issues, the design for the Hendrix Quad includes a lawn surrounded by a series of defined spaces that provide a variety of programs. The large open lawn gives visual nod and physical connection between the Hendrix and Barnes centers. A linear water feature along the edge of the lawn creates a peaceful and private garden space within a grove of trees. The opposite edge is defined by an organic, winding garden that provides secluded reading rooms within a lush landscape. The existing sunken plaza remains in place and provides an eastern connection into the Hendrix Student Center. Finally, a site wall cuts through the organic shaped garden and the sunken plaza and wraps around the southern side of the building. The lush landscape follows the site wall to draw users into to the new Hendrix Quad.

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Lord Aeck Sargent performed a study to explore the feasibility of creating a ‘Make | Measure | Discover Space’ materials innovation and learning laboratory (MILL) for the School of Materials Science + Engineering.

The study explored the potential of renovating a space on the ground floor of the J. Erskine Love Jr. Manufacturing Building, which opened in 2000, to house student collaboration space, wet and dry laboratories and analytical tools.

The study proposed a design that would allow The MILL to maximize natural light and put science on display through the use of internal windows. The design requires removal of existing circulation, but adds a new corridor along a branding wall concept that highlights several of the proposed labs.

Programmed spaces include:

• Materials Characterization + Measurement Lab
• Materials Fabrication Lab
• X-Ray Analysis Facility
• Nano Fabrication Lab
• ‘Wet Works’ Chemistry Lab
• ‘Dirty’ Fabrication Lab
• Materials as Art StudioCollaborative Space
• Computing Space

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Lord Aeck Sargent worked with Duke’s School of Medicine and the Pratt School of Engineering to create a shared space on 2.5 floors of The Chesterfield Building, which opened in 1948 as a cigarette factory for the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company.

The project brings together research groups from across the University into one, innovative and collaborative space, allowing them to work together closely. Initially, there were 13 user groups evaluated to occupy the space. Those included a core Mass Spectrometry facility, Electrical Engineering research, Mechanical and Material Science research, Biomedical Engineering research and teaching, translational research operations, and a variety of biomedical research. Throughout the process, it was imperative that LAS team meet with each group to understand their specific research and equipment needs first to determine appropriate space use, and second to create an efficient and effective design.

The program includes collaboration-friendly lab, office and conference spaces, which maximize exterior views and views into the building’s large, central day-lit atrium. The distinct design of the Duke floors create cohesion across the building.

In this entrepreneurial setting, researchers from both schools can collaborate, create, research and develop ideas. As the groups or research change, contract or grow, the labs will be able to adapt due to their flexible design.

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Lord Aeck Sargent designed the luxury apartment building, which is adjacent to the BeltLine and overlooks historic Fourth Ward Park.

The development offers one and two-bedroom units featuring Nest climate controls. Amenities include a rooftop club room and deck overlooking the park, a saltwater pool with sun deck and cabanas, 24-hour fitness facility, business center, a parking garage and bike storage. The building includes a 15,000 sf of ground-level restaurant and commercial space.

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Strategically built at a 90-degree turn from the original building, the addition is the new architectural focal point of campus and offers a captivating view from a main thoroughfare in town.

The new construction integrates the modernist design of the existing building with the more traditional early 20th century architecture of other buildings on the main quad.

The 35,000 sf addition is connected to the existing 37,000 sf building by a lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows. It houses modern lecture facilities, state-of-the-art research laboratories, faculty offices, conference space, student interaction and public gathering areas, quiet study areas with stunning campus views, an exterior greenhouse and outdoor classroom space.

Though the completed building houses chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy and earth science programs, it was designed to promote collaboration among students and faculty across departments, while also allowing flexibility for departmental space as future needs may change.

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Warren Wilson College, a private liberal arts campus that emphasizes a unique blend of learn, work, and play, commissioned Lord Aeck Sargent to design a new state-of-the-art academic classroom building at a significant location on campus.

While psychology and religious studies are among the departments housed in the building, the project was designed to retain a high degree of flexibility to accommodate changing programs over time. The building includes classrooms, faculty offices and student collaboration spaces. 

With spectacular views over the adjacent valley, the building’s design offers an open configuration that can accommodate presentations, events and/or receptions. The building is LEED Gold certified. Associate Architects: PFA (now LS3P)

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Lord Aeck Sargent designed the five-story luxury apartment development, which is located in Nashville’s 12 South/8th Avenue neighborhood.

Broadstone 8 South offers studio, one and two-bedroom units, as well as an outdoor movie amphitheater, pool, dog park and spa, outdoor kitchen, billiards lounge with a saloon-style bar. Several courtyards extend the living spaces outdoors.

A five-level parking garage offers 466 spaces.

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Since its completion in 1873, City Hall has served as the center of city government for Louisville.

The late-Victorian Italianate and Second Empire style building is notable for its intricate masonry, including a relief sculpture of a steam locomotive in its pediment and livestock heads at many of the windows, both commemorating the importance of local industries.

After Lord Aeck Sargent performed a condition assessment, the firm then developed a scope of work and cost estimate for the exterior restoration. When the estimated cost of needed repairs exceeded the available funding, the team worked with the City to focus funding on the most critical areas before developing construction documents. The project restored the primary facades of the building and included cleaning, repair and repointing of the limestone masonry, structural stabilization of severely deteriorated column capitals, restoration of the cast iron cornice, restoration of wood windows, and replacement of copper gutters and downspouts. All city government functions remained operating in the building during construction.

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San Felipe de Austin is one of the most important historic sites in Texas. Stephen F. Austin founded the first Anglo colony in Texas on this site. San Felipe was second only to San Antonio as a commercial center in Texas in the early part of the 19th Century.

Its residents burned it to the ground to prevent its falling into the hands of Santa Ana in 1836. Given the significance of the site, the greatest challenge the Visitor Center faces is that the site and the visitor experience interpret artifacts and events long ago removed from the site and not immediately obvious to the casual observer.

The completed project comprises a new Visitor Center and Museum, a maintenance building and site infrastructure and site interpretive elements reveal the significance of the site and its relationship to the Texas story of independence. The experience includes a deliberate entry sequence that helps visitors transition from modern day to the past as they access the site.

The project’s design, which embraces Texas culture and responds to the local climate, is light on the land and visual landscape and integrates with the site.

The Visitor Center offers an orientation film and exhibits related to the site. Much of the visitor experience takes place outside the structure. A covered educational plaza includes a map of the city’s original design and serves as a gathering point. The site is also an active archaeological dig, with individual properties excavated as funding allows. A series of interpretive stations are located throughout the 95-acre site, allowing visitors to see periodic interpretations of this historic resource and active excavations at others.

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This is a test of copy.

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The southern gateway of the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge today serves as a nexus of pedestrian activity given its connections to 1st Street and the Holmberg Pedestrian Bridge, its proximity to nearby cultural destinations and its location within a rapidly densifying urban context.

The block of Walnut Street between 1st Street and Aquarium Way (2nd Street) is further intensified since it serves as the front door of recently opened The Edwin Hotel. Given these considerations, the portion of Walnut Street in question must be thought of not only as a access point for vehicles, but a “place” in and of itself that accommodates alternative modes of mobility and serves as a gathering point for public functions. The Walnut Street transformation project shows how intelligent design can connect a variety of urban conditions by careful placemaking.

Scope designed in collaboration with W.M. Whitaker & Associates and Tinker Ma, Inc.

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The Juniper Street Transformation Project will create high quality bike-ways and improve pedestrian amenities while also ensuring that vehicular traffic moves through at a steady, yet calmer, pace.

Plans include new wider sidewalks, MARTA bus stops, street trees, pedestrian-scaled lighting, trash/recycling receptacles and a network of stormwater planters that localize rainwater management, thereby reducing demand on City infrastructure. Adjacent to sidewalks will be a seven-foot-wide bike lane protected by a wide (typically 14 feet) raised/planted barrier.

Parallel parking within portions of the buffer will provide another layer of protection for those walking or biking. The roadway will include two vehicular travel lanes (typically 10 feet wide each) with additional dedicated turn lanes at key intersections with higher traffic demand. Juniper Street improvements will span 12 blocks between 14th Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Scope designed in collaboration with TSW and Kimley-Horn & Associates.

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As part of the design for a new STEM building for Western Carolina University, Lord Aeck Sargent is transforming this portion of campus into a dynamic new science hub.

Phasing and placement of the new STEM building will be constructed in a way that frames a large new outdoor quad and better-connects it to other key pedestrian routes throughout the campus. Sustainable design strategies and the philosophy of “putting Science on Display” are guiding principles for the design team. The overall design—both inside and outside—is inspired directly by the unique history, culture and ecologies of mountainous western North Carolina including the influence of the Cherokee civilization.

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The two-story Billye Suber Aaron Pavilion is an addition to the first building built on campus in 1982.

Designed to promote increased student-faculty interaction, the pavilion provides both meeting rooms and communal spaces that facilitate formal and informal learning as well as much-needed break out space.

Architecturally, the central curved stair, located in an open atrium, visually and physically connects the floors in a dynamic and elegant manner. The contemporary glass curtain wall and metal panels of the new addition complement the brick and ribbon windows of the original building to honor the past while creating a dynamic front door that embraces the future.

The landscape design amplifies the pavilion as a new face of campus. A “front porch” plays off the building form, carving out a series of bold, asymmetrical terraces. The new geometry serves to re-orient the building and site towards the prominent corner, engaging both Spelman College and the West End Neighborhood and celebrating the location as a gateway to the Atlanta University Center Consortium.

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Lord Aeck Sargent is one of two finalists competing in Phase II of domestiCITY, the City of Atlanta’s affordable housing design competition.

Sponsored by the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning, Enterprise Community Partners, and Assist Community Design Center, the competition is structured as “a two-phase design competition that will explore best practices and innovative strategies for the planning, design, construction and operation of affordable and sustainable developments in increasingly urbanized areas.”

Through multiple design charrettes, pin-ups and iterations informed by market realities, the LAS team put together a proposal for a unique housing solution that would be both innovative, in terms of architectural and green infrastructure strategies, and replicable, because of its modular approach and financial feasibility. This solution was largely driven by the use of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT): an innovative, engineered timber product that has schedule time and cost savings, low embedded energy (renewable material) and the opportunity to create local jobs for Georgia’s strong lumber industry. The use of CLT as our primary construction technology helps to reduce the overall project budget, allowing us to create greater affordability for the supportive and workforce housing and job creation opportunities in our proposal.

Phase II of domestiCITY entails a more detailed pro forma, further design development and proposed methodology for community outreach and engagement among other requirements. Phase II concludes in late March 2018 followed by a public exhibition to showcase all the recognized design submissions.

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Lord Aeck Sargent recently completed a high-end apartment building on Midtown’s West Side.

The project, done in collaboration with Brock Hudgins Architects, includes seven levels of apartments, totaling 251 units, and a multi-level pedestrian bridge with expansive views of Atlanta’s Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead skylines. The project site enjoys connections to an active retail area that includes popular local restaurants and shops.

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Lord Aeck Sargent, working in collaboration with DP Partners, designed the renovation of the Howard University Plaza Towers, two 10-story residence halls constructed circa 1988.

The program calls for the renovation of all residential units, with new finishes, millwork, and fixtures, as well as replacements for HVAC and fire protection systems. The renovated West Tower houses 819 beds, with an additional 982 beds planned for the East Tower.

The ground floor of the West Tower is now the common space for both buildings. A large fitness room and a recreation space featuring traditional table games and video gaming stations replaced units in the south wing. Enclosed study spaces, a computer lab with a printing station and a classroom replaced units in the west wing. A large open space adjacent to these rooms serves as a study lounge with movable furniture to support individual or group work. Between these two wings, the design removed units to create social lounges near the building’s elevator core and a refurbished lobby with a grab-and-go retail and food service facility. The east wing houses mail and package facilities, as well as building management offices. The north wing includes a multi-purpose space with an adjacent warming kitchen to support special events, as well as several faculty apartments. 

Common spaces on the ground floor of the East Tower, which include lobby, student lounge and study rooms, are being refurbished to serve the residents of the building.

The West Tower opened in fall 2017; the East Tower will open in fall 2018.

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Recognizing the need to establish research environments that will support VCU long into the future, the new  laboratory spaces utilize a modular, open lab planning concept supported by flexible, movable casework and engineering systems that can be adapted to evolving and changing needs over time.

Laboratory support spaces are designed to respond to emerging research and equipment demands by use of consistent, modular planning and adaptable, zoned delivery of utility systems. Centralized, core facilities are designed to support specialized activities and functions such as autoclave/glasswash rooms, shared equipment corridors and freezer rooms for the consolidation of long-term specimen and sample storage.

Office, administrative and amenity spaces including conference/meeting rooms and break areas are strategically sized and placed throughout the renovation to allow users access to these important spaces and to enhance collaboration and interaction. The project is LEED registered, targeting Silver.

In collaboration with local firm BCWH.

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Duke’s Freshman Design Learning Lab, named “the POD” after surveying students and faculty, brings a vibrant heart to the Pratt School of Engineering.  

Converting a former café space in the Levine Science Resource Center into a maker-space for Freshman, the space was designed and constructed in five and a half months. This abbreviated design and construction schedule required careful selection of materials and systems to provide the greatest visual and functional impact with "off the shelf” components. Interventions included an overhead pipe grid to provide flexibility for power and lighting to student worktables, movable millwork for ample component, tool and student backpack storage, new AV and power throughout, and the integration of specialized exhaust for saws, laser cutters and other tools.

LAS provided full graphic design services, including the development of the logo, and the introduction of lively film treatments to the transom windows. The graphics, color and lighting highlight the buzz of activity and invention in this 24-hour hub for new students.

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Lord Aeck Sargent continues a long-standing relationship with Morehouse School of Medicine with an addition to the first building built in 1982.

The two-story Billye Suber Aaron Pavilion provides both meeting rooms and communal spaces to facilitate formal and informal learning and much-needed break out space. The pavilion is designed to promote opportunities for student-faculty interaction. The central curved stair, located in an open atrium, visually and physically connects the floors in a dynamic and elegant manner.

The second floor connects to the expanded gross anatomy lab providing additional tables to support 100+ students. The new lab incorporates enhanced technology and state-of-the-art workstations to support the vision of Morehouse School of Medicine.

The contemporary glass curtainwall and metal panels of the new addition complement the brick and ribbon windows of the original building to honor the past, while creating a dynamic front door that embraces the future. The addition is located on a prominent corner of the campus, directly across from Spelman College, forming a gateway to the Atlanta University Center Consortium.  

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The management office space at Perimeter Park was designed to be a collaborative hub for employees, a positive reflection of the corporate brand, a source of pride for employees, and a means to attract and retain today’s best and brightest talent.

The space is primarily an open office with workstations at the center of the space. Private offices are located behind two long curving walls of glass. There is a large, open communal “hub” space with food service and informal seating to facilitate informal collaborative meetings.

The design of the space blends current trends in workplace planning with comfortable accents to make the space both inviting and contemporary.  Large drum-like light fixtures above the open office areas bring a feeling of warmth and intimacy.  The anodized aluminum storefront system used at the office fronts brings a high tech feel to the space, which is then combined with gradating accent colors above each office creating visual interest and appeal to the circulation area.

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The design of the Perimeter Park Executive Office seeks to create a comfortable place of repose for the corporation's senior executives.

With a harmonious palette of materials that combine rich material textures and handcrafted appeal, the environment offers opportunities for a wide range of activities including private work, formal and informal meetings, rest and refreshment. The design of the space combines both traditional and contemporary styles to create a timeless “transitional” design rooted in tradition and embraces a bespoke contemporary attitude.

LAS carefully selected the artwork for the space to complement the interior design. The client specializes in analyzing samples at a microscopic level with cutting-edge medical testing services. From an artistic point of view, there is incredible beauty found in things that are invisible to the naked eye. We sourced the art in the space from artists inspired by looking at organic structures at a close-up or microscopic scale. In addition, the design displays photographic enlargements of microscopic structures. This combination of both artistic interpretations of microscopic worlds with actual photographs of cells provides the space with a rich and dynamic visual sensibility.

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With an organic farm down the road and contracts with local producers, Emory is bringing an unprecedented quantity of organically produced food to Emory Oxford students in response to Emory’s focus on sustainability and “farm-to-table” approach to on-campus dining.

The building plan layout responds to the site’s trapezoidal shape and location on the edge of the small, intimate campus. The exterior design authentically responds to the traditional stucco-clad buildings of the main historic quad and is shaped to embrace exterior patios for al fresco dining. The interior, inspired by great market hall structures and designed to seat 400 in the main dining area (plus 100 in the Dean’s Dining Room), is characterized by large, open spaces under exposed wood trusses that sit upon the exterior bearing walls. This creates the backdrop for canopy-covered “market food stations” featuring two food preparation action stations (demonstrating the preparation of vegan and non-vegan entrées) and separate self-serve stations for deli/soups, desserts and salads along with beverages.

The large lunette window at the end of the main hall spine draws the viewer’s eye across the length of the space upon entering the building. This area highlights the active preparation of flatbread and other oven-baked foods, complete with chefs tossing pizza dough and a corner pizza oven. The interior design recalls the great market and dining hall spaces of the past, but also creates more intimate nooks for socializing in smaller groups near the fireplace, patio or windows, providing the opportunity for a different dining experience virtually every day.  

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Lord Aeck Sargent provided interior design services for the amenity spaces for Broadstone Court, which is located in the heart of Atlanta’s pedigreed Buckhead neighborhood.

Large community terraces with views of the adjacent neighborhood extend the living quarters and encourage residents become part of the Buckhead Village vibe. Artwork was carefully selected to complement the interior design, which makes the project feel more like a boutique hotel than an apartment building.

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Lord Aeck Sargent designed a new mixed-use development in Atlanta.

The multi-building project combines 320 studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments on four floors above first-level retail spaces. Skybridges span streets created to manage traffic into the development and its parking garage, which offers 644 spaces. The development houses an organic grocery store and a bank among other retail tenants.

Amenities include a rooftop pool, a club room, a fitness and yoga studio with juice bar and pet spa and park.

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Broadstone Midtown, an apartment building on the southeast corner of Juniper and 6th streets in Midtown Atlanta, provides a unique, urban living experience.

Large, elevated community terraces with views of both the Atlanta skyline as well as the adjacent neighborhood extend the living quarters, while the midrise architecture and location on Juniper lets residents become part of the Midtown vibe. The interior design makes the project feel more like a boutique hotel than an apartment building, giving residents a feeling of individuality rather than being part of an intimidating high-rise.

The building comprises five residential levels sitting atop a podium that contains structured parking for 230 cars, leasing offices and live/work walk-up units accessible from the street. Broadstone Midtown offers multiple outdoor amenity spaces terracing up the east face of the building.

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Lord Aeck Sargent was selected to design the first of a series of new residence halls for the Student Life Foundation at Western Kentucky University. 

The six-story, 410-bed facility, to be located in the Valley area of campus, is one of the first steps in a 10-year effort to realize a recently completed housing master plan.

Student rooms are primarily double-occupancy suites, with a handful of single-occupancy suites on each floor. Each of the five residential floors includes a group study room, open social gathering spaces and small study nooks at the ends of the corridors.

On the ground floor, a public lobby at the corner of the building serves as a gateway to the Valley precinct, flanked by two wings, each of which can be secured separately. The residential wing includes open lounges, enclosed study areas and a maker space in addition to lobby, office and reception areas, as well as staff apartments with discreet exterior entrances. The dining wing includes seating and serving areas for up to 150 students and a “grab & go” cafe that can remain open after the dining hall is closed. The project also includes site improvements, including an outdoor terrace to serve as a new student life amenity for the area.

The building is scheduled to be open to receive Fall 2018 students.

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The Durham Gateway Center site is located along Durham Highway 147 within Durham’s downtown Government District, a block away from the iconic Durham Bulls baseball stadium. 

The four-acre parcel is part of a larger, 15-acre masterplanned development called Durham Gateway.  The current program for the parcel includes a 100,000 sf office building, a 140-key hotel, 240 woodframe multifamily units and required parking (in a podium configuration).

Lord Aeck Sargent served as master architect during the process of negotiating complex site permitting processes. The development will help bridge the gap between Durham’s burgeoning downtown and established neighborhoods south of Hwy 147.  In addition, the mixed-use project will add vitality adjacent to the proposed Dillard Street transit stop.

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As the third building on this young campus, the multipurpose building's program primarily provides STEM instruction and a variety of support spaces but also includes a combination of all types of space needed for a growing campus.

The initial two campus buildings sit at the edge of a large parking area. Since this new building is located farther away from parking, the team had the opportunity to establish a more collegiate-feeling environment. The design also focused on creating casual collaborative spaces to attract students to linger and spend more time interacting with their peers. The corner of the L-shaped design is a connected through a series of floor openings, and every level of this atrium-like area has glass walls connecting to maker spaces, seminar spaces, offices for student organizations and teaching spaces. Shaded exterior terraces on multiple levels encourage a feeling of connection between the new building and the primary pedestrian paths of the campus. The palette of exterior materials is closely coordinated with the existing buildings, yet the design allows for a greater amount of transparency and display of teaching and learning within.

The Texas A&M System set an aggressive schedule to establish a GMP and fully encumber state funding. The team worked seamlessly with the CM at Risk to deliver a GMP less than five months following the project kickoff. A high level of interaction between the Central Texas campus leadership, the A&M System, the CM and the AE team was effective in delivering the maximum value of program within the project budget.

Designed in collaboration with Harrison Kornberg.

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Current is a new downtown Chapel Hill venue to house Carolina Performing Arts’ experimental Arts@the Core program.

It is conceived as a multidisciplinary space where academics blend with music, theater and dance. A 3,000 sf multiform “black box” theater will accommodate up to 248 patrons in a variety of configurations. Unique elements include a glass exterior wall, making activities within visible to passersby and a 25-foot wide operable wall to allow the theater to open onto an adjacent plaza, and expanding the possibilities for performance and art installations. A colorful angled feature wall within enhances the space’s acoustic performance, while acting as an engaging focal point.

The theater is paired with a 2,300 sf dance studio, also highly visible to the public in this mixed-use development. Back of house spaces, including dressing rooms, a control booth, loading and storage complete this innovative new venue for the arts.

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Lord Aeck Sargent led the team for the rehabilitation of the 1940's Miller Theater in Augusta.

This mid-century building was at one time the second-largest movie palace in Georgia and is one of the few remaining Art Moderne-style buildings in the country. After its closure in 1984, the building fell into disrepair. The Augusta Symphony wanted to breathe new life back into this significant historic structure, located in the heart of downtown Augusta, by transforming it into a symphony hall with flexibility for other uses including theatrical performances, amplified music performances, opera and ballet.

Additions to the existing Miller Theater include an expanded stage house to the rear of the building and expanded patron spaces and amenities through the use of a building directly adjacent to the main entrance of the Miller Theater.  In addition to this expansion, modifications to the original theater are designed to refine the natural acoustics of the space for the symphony and to make the space flexible for uses.  Existing historic features were restored, including an aluminum ticket booth, terrazzo flooring, plaster, wood and marble features, original art moderne doors and lighting fixtures, and the original façade, which includes stucco, glass block, aluminum fins and a large marquee.

In collaboration with 2KM Architects in Augusta.

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675 N. Highland is located on one of the most active streets in Atlanta – North Highland Avenue, in the desirable Poncey-Highland Neighborhood.

Located just off Ponce de Leon Avenue, immediately adjacent to the Druid Hills Baptist Church, the site is being redeveloped in two phases. Phase one is a mid-rise, mixed-use building, with street-level retail, walk-up office suites, and residential townhouse units. The levels above are residential condominium units. Residential amenities include a pool courtyard, fitness center, and off-street parking with an elevated outdoor terrace space. Future phase two will be the addition of a four-story office building.

The building architecture carefully addresses its immediate context. The massing and materials thoughtfully respond to the adjacent historic church, while complementing the surrounding single-family neighborhood. The vibrant restaurant and retail uses, paired with the boutique residential program creates a unique in-town living experience.

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Lord Aeck Sargent designed a luxury apartment community targeting 55+ active seniors in Franklin, an affluent city located 20 miles south of Nashville.

The project, which features one- and two-bedroom units, offers a full range of amenities and activities to inspire active lifestyles. Amenities include a great room for social gatherings, a salon, a theatre with comfortable reclining lounge chairs, a fitness and yoga studio, a private rooftop sky lounge for indoor/outdoor entertainment, two courtyards and a resort-style pool.

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Lord Aeck Sargent is designing a new landmark building in the heart of downtown Royal Oak.

The project will provide state-of-the-art office, retail and structured parking to a formerly underdeveloped brownfield site currently used as a parking lot.

The building will comprise 80,000 sf of office space and 20,000 sf of mercantile retail and commercial uses. Our design locates the retail space along Main Street, which will extend the walkability of the existing downtown along Main Street. The project’s eastern property line is positioned along Main Street, with the Grand Trunk Western Rail Road clipping the edge of its boundary, which provides opportunities for interesting curtainwall façade geometries along that edge. Additionally, the South and West facades are clad with cementitious panels surrounding a sequence of intentionally placed punched windows, which respond to the surrounding urban context and reflect a modern, high-tech, style.

The integrated concrete parking structure accommodates 420 parking spaces. This will not only adequately service the office and retail uses during the day, but will also double the current available parking during the peak evening and week-end periods. The tenants in the office building will also benefit from a proposed roof amenity terrace overlooking downtown located on the 8th level of the parking structure. Portions of this terrace will serve as a green roof and will communicate with other sustainable aspects of the project, such as the proposed green wall features on areas of the façade, as well as the wall located along the entry plaza.

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The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech is a partnership between The Kendeda Fund and Georgia Tech to build what is expected to become the most environmentally advanced education and research building ever constructed in the Southeast.

The building was designed to attract and educate students, faculty, staff and visitors. The built environment is thoughtfully integrated with the surrounding natural environment and leverages and supports the planned campus-wide Eco–Commons. Spaces include classrooms, class labs, research labs, laboratory support areas, offices, “maker” studio space, and student breakout spaces for group activity and individual study.

The project is Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, LEED Zero Energy and LEED Zero Water certified.

Learn more about the project on our blog.

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Originally abandoned and slated for demolition, a series of phased renovations has transformed Gross Hall into a vibrant community for interdisciplinary research and teaching.

The creation of a new, multi-departmental “hub” in the heart of Duke’s campus brings together a diverse collection of schools and programs including Business, Public Policy, Law and numerous departments within the School of Engineering.

Space types include numerous highly-flexible, modular wet and dry research laboratories to support constantly changing and evolving research initiatives. The Foundry, a renovation to the lower basement levels, created an innovative makerspace for student-focused exploration offering unique spaces that house a wide range of course-related, co-curricular and entrepreneurial-fabrication projects and activities.

The design focused attention on establishing highly collaborative, formal and informal social spaces throughout Gross Hall. These include the “Energy Hub” which revitalized the first floor into a vibrant and engaging social space to foster informal collaboration between graduate and undergraduate students interested in energy and the environment.

Other spaces include audio-visual and technology-rich “smart” classrooms, project-based teaming spaces, faculty and staff offices and administrative space. A sky-lit atrium connects the second and third floors and intentionally brings together diverse campus groups for gathering and teaching activities.

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Lord Aeck Sargent is designing a new STEM building for Western Carolina University.

The building replaces the existing 1970s Natural Sciences Building, which no longer meets Western’s space needs nor supports its goal of active, discovery-based learning and engaging all science majors in research.

The Apodaca Science Building will be connected to the adjacent Stillwell Science Building and will incorporate interdisciplinary teaching and research labs, active learning classrooms, faculty offices and informal learning spaces. Sustainable design strategies and the philosophy of “putting Science on Display” are guiding principles for the design team. The building’s overall design is inspired directly by the unique history, culture and climate of mountainous western North Carolina including the influence of the Cherokee civilization.

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As one of the most recognizable structures in the southeast, the Bank of America Plaza sits at the intersection of Atlanta’s Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods along the city’s prime corridor, Peachtree Street. Despite the building’s role as a regional anchor, its street-front presence depicts an auto-centric and internalized language common during the time of its erection in the early 1990s. This has created a closed, isolated and static urban site that has tremendous opportunity. As both neighborhoods have flourished in the last decade this nexus is now prime for revitalization.

As part of a repositioning strategy, Shorenstein Realty Services hired Lord Aeck Sargent to explore the constraints and opportunities of this pivotal site. The study concentrated on creating several tiers of intervention that engage the urban street front and establish dynamic public spaces. These options ranged from small pocket parks for short-term interventions and infill retail buildings for a longer-term vision. The final vision resulted in the creation of an open and connected pocket park along Peachtree Street and a cascading large urban plaza along West Peachtree. Each of these concepts leveraged the opportunities presented by the existing topographic conditions in order to create an open and connected site.

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Piedmont Avenue is one of Atlanta’s key north-south connections between the Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead activity centers. The segment through Midtown in particular serves as an important link within the city’s rapidly developing network of high-quality bike infrastructure. However, its current condition exhibits major pedestrian/bike safety issues, pervasive vehicular speeding, underutilized parking areas and ADA issues.

In 2016, Midtown Alliance (working with Renew Atlanta) hired Lord Aeck Sargent to lead a conceptual design and public outreach process for the segment of Piedmont between Ponce de Leon Avenue and 15th Streets. Working with Kimley-Horn as our transportation partner, LAS identified and analyzed issues and opportunities within the corridor in order to develop “complete street” concepts balancing vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian mobility. The conceptual designs were used to facilitate a highly collaborative public input process. The resulting “preferred” alternative includes enhanced pedestrian crossings, maximization of on-street permanent parking, traffic-calming measures and a northbound protected bike lane connected to five existing bike routes.

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The updated library provides more student study and communal space, more access to natural daylight, an inviting entry, and updated finishes and furniture.

The renovations, along with upgraded computers in the library, smart boards in the 24-hour study rooms and a revitalized E-Learning room, ensure the continued key role of the library as the hub of student learning. 

The renovation also moved 24-hour study rooms from the second floor to the first floor of the Medical Education Building to free up space on the second floor, which allowed the renovation of core research laboratories.

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Georgia Tech teamed up with industry partners to create an Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility.

The facility combines both research and teaching opportunities with some of the latest industry advancements in high technology manufacturing and pushes the boundaries even further in robotics and 3D printing. The highly secured facility provides 14,000 sf of flexible and well-equipped pilot type space, as well as team work rooms, offices and formal and informal collaborative spaces.

Although the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Georgia Tech Research Institute lead the pilot facility program, it is fully interdisciplinary, designed to accommodate a broad range of industries.

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The Carnegie Building at Georgia Tech was one of 2,509 libraries funded by Andrew Carnegie between 1883 and 1929. Of the five Carnegie libraries built in Atlanta, only two exist today.

The Georgia Tech Carnegie library opened in 1907 with a donation of 700 books from Columbia University. The building remained in use as a library until it was outgrown in 1957. The building now serves as the office to the President and Vice President.

The building has undergone numerous alterations. During renovations in the 1950s and '60s, many of the windows were replaced with translucent glass-tile bricks. In the 1980s, the height of the south façade windows were modified. Distinctive masonry panels below the original opening were removed to accommodate an overall larger window size. Modern metal storefront with reflective glass replaced the original conditions. A poorly executed and inappropriate cementitious repointing with a dark gray mortar completed in the 1990s dramatically altered the building’s appearance.

The restoration campaign focused on identifying the original conditions from 1907 and returning the building’s exterior to those conditions. Using historic images as a guide, the original operable wood window configuration was replicated throughout the building. All of the exterior doors were replicated in keeping with the original design. The entire exterior façade was cleaned of stains. All masonry elements were gently cleaned, removing the inappropriate cementitious dark gray mortar, and repointed. The mortar used for all repointing was consistent with the mortar analysis for color and content.

The roof was replaced, resolving numerous water infiltration issues. Safety and accessibility upgrades were completed across the site including new handrails and sidewalk modifications. The metal ADA canopy was removed and replaced with a more traditional, but modern canopy. Landscape elements were altered to redirect water away from the building. Invasive landscape elements were removed completely. Massive metal grates were removed from the south west window wells, allowing the new windows to be operable as well as provide light to the basement level.  

The Carnegie Building is once again a beautiful example of Georgia Tech’s history.

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