The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center building has floor-to-ceiling windows and a large billboard advertising events.

Sandy Springs City Center

Creating a new city identity

Project Facts

Location Sandy Springs, Georgia
Owner City of Sandy Springs
Size 14 acres
Cost $120 million
Status Completed 2017

Overview

Walter P Moore played a pivotal role in the structural engineering of the Sandy Springs’ inaugural development, hailed by many as “the most important project in Sandy Springs history.” The pedestrian-friendly civic center seamlessly melded the aspirations of residents and employees with a commitment to flexibility, collaboration, and security. The result is a fresh city identity meticulously crafted to reflect the essence of the sandy springs landscape.

Outside the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, there is a fountain and valet parking in front of the box office.

In front of the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center is a prominent water feature with multiple fountains lighted with blue lights.

Along the walking paths at Sandy Springs City Center, there are small fountains and hanging benches overlooking the grass lawn.

Inside the lobby at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, there are standing tables, chairs for sitting, and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in lots of light.

Inside the theater at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, there is a red curtain on the stage, and the red seats are empty.

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About the Project

The City Springs project was a comprehensive public-private partnership to create a mixed-use development that employs new urbanist principals with a solid civic emphasis as a true center for Sandy Springs. The 14-acre development includes a central park, an administrative building, City Hall, a 1000+ seat performing arts center, a studio theater, over 100,000 SF of office space, over 55,000 SF of meeting and retail space, a more than 1,600 car parking deck, and private apartments.

Most buildings on the site are constructed on a concrete structural frame, although structural steel is used for the more complex long-span roofs and various canopy structures. Walter P Moore designed the performing arts center structure to be acoustically isolated from the surrounding buildings, mechanical rooms, and restrooms to provide the most soundproof facility possible.

The rigorous schedule required several early packages, including mass excavation/shoring, early foundations, and structural frame. The two-level basement perimeter covers a massive area of over 150,000 SF per level, with a ½ mile long shoring wall perimeter. Walter P Moore’s experience with extensive and deep basement excavations in Atlanta with tight site constraints played a crucial role in developing a simple and constructible shoring wall system.