Urban transformation

Abstract

An addition to a nearly half-century old six-story department store in Silver Spring, MD, allowed the creation of a modern urban mall. The new plan called for a horizontal addition to nearly double the size of the existing center to include space for 70 retailers, a 10-screen multiplex theater, and office space. The final design utilized the lower four stories of the existing concrete structure for retail space and the upper two stories for office space and the theater. The construction also included a covered pedestrian bridge framed at each side with cover-plated girders.