A touch of glass The grand old department store isn't dead yet. As the spearhead of Pittsburgh's Fifth Avenue revitalization plan, Lazarus invokes the elegant dazzle of downtown. In the category of New or Renovated Department Stores, Cooper Carry Inc., Atlanta, was awarded the 2000 SADI for its design work on the project.
The Lazarus project involved the construction of a four-level department store above a three-level underground parking garage. The department store structure's visual transparency, both at street level and above, connect the pedestrian with the activity inside, energizing the street. Stainless steel canopies at each window and street trees complement the pedestrian experience. Corner entrances, which reinforce pedestrian movement in urban locations, and the extensive use of glass proved challenging to store design and stand in stark contrast to the typical suburban department store.
The store interiors feature an open floor design centered on a four-level escalator well. Due to the city's frequent gray skies, the elevator well was capped with a backlit, decorative glass ceiling rather than a skylight.
AWARD RECIPIENT COOPER CARRY INC. Atlanta * coopercarry.com Jerome M. Cooper, FAIA (design principal); Gar Muse (principal-in-charge); Michael Lowry, AIA (project manager); Allen Dedels, RA (project architect); Brian DeVinck (project architect); Douglas Webster (staff architect)
CLIENT FEDERATED DEPARTMENT STORES INC. Cincinnati Product Manufacturers/Suppliers: Graves Architects, Pittsburgh (associated architect); Structural Engineering Corp., Pittsburgh (structural engineer); WHB Associates, Cincinnati (mechanical, electrical, plumbing engineer); Mazza Engineering Associates Inc., Aliquippa, Pa. (civil engineer); FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati (interior designer); Walker Parking Consultants, Kalamazoo, Mich. (parking consultant)