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Cope Associates historically inspired design Since Lanis Cope was a boy he knew that he wanted to be an architect and his dream came true. The firm of Cope & Associates can boast over 30 design awards and an extremely varied client base.
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Historically Inspired, East Coast Design Cope Associates Inc has maintained a long and diverse history of architectural design of the highest caliber. by Joan Tupponce
Lanis Cope was only 8-years-old when he knew he wanted to be an architect. His father worked for American Airlines, which gave Cope and his family the chance to travel all around the country and visit many architectural sites. “All of the travel I did as kid influenced me,” Cope said. “I remember going to Disneyland and the 1965 World’s Fair.” Cope Associates, Inc. is well known within the industry for its innovative and meaningful designs. To date, the company has won 30 design awards, including the 2005 Honor Award from the American Insti-
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tute of Architects, East Tennessee, for the Research Support Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The firm has designed a wide variety of projects including commercial, educational, correctional, institutional, health care, conference centers and industrial developments for various federal, state, local and private clients. “We have striven to remain diverse,” Cope said, “which is largely responsible for us surviving the economic crises.” The company’s geographic range reaches throughout Tennessee and North Carolina,
BOTTOM: Biltmore Living Well Center and Greatroom, Asheville, NC. The Living Well Center, which received an AIA East Tennessee Honor Citation, is a private facility for an exclusive gated community on a portion of the original Vanderbilt estate in Asheville, NC. Cope Associates was the architect of record and Ike Kligerman Berkly, NY, was a design consultant on the project which primarily functions as a community center for gathering and wellness. The project was designed using sustainable principles. The great room design includes a stone clad fireplace as its centerpiece and stunning views of the rolling forest lands. On the lower level, an ample exercise area is provided that opens onto the pool deck. OPPOSITE PAGE: Lanis L. Cope, AIA, founded Cope Associates, Inc. in 1983 and has served since as President. Under his direction, Cope Associates has achieved honored distinction in commercial, institutional, and historical preservation works. Photos courtesy of Cope Associates.
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4 and they are actively expanding through new offices in those regions. In all of their work, Cope Associates, Inc. is committed to providing complete personal attention and ownership of the project. One of the company’s most pivotal projects was the aforementioned Research Support Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The 52,000-square-foot center houses a state-ofthe-art conferencing facility with meeting rooms outfitted with the latest innovations in interactive audio-visual technologies as well as specialized meeting rooms for press briefings and for teleconferencing. The facility serves as the gateway. The massive leaning glass tower at the corner of the building defines it as the destination point for visitors. Cope and his firm continue to work on two projects at the lab. 4 Architecture Leaders Today
“The project has been a significant step in our sustainability initiatives,” Cope said. “It was one of the first LEED-certified buildings in Tennessee. We have always kept ourselves on the cutting edge of LEED design in all of our projects.” Cope established the US Green Building Council chapter for East Tennessee in 2004. He funded the initiative himself for the first year until its accreditation, while also serving on the board of directors. Cope actively supports not only his profession, but the community arts as a whole. He currently serves as a commissioner on the State of Tennessee Arts Commission where he raises awareness of architecture as art. Over the years, Cope has also been involved in many historic preservation projects. Two of note are the Greek revival style Knoxville
High School originally built in 1920, and the art deco Post Office building located in (where?). The 130,000 square-foot Post Office building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contains local marble and bronze interior ornamental flourishes that were renovated to their original architectural prominence. It currently houses the downtown branch of the United States Postal Service and the Tennessee State Supreme Court. “What sets our company apart is the fact that our staff actively engages the client,” Cope said. “We hear what our clients are asking for, and we tailor our services accordingly. We are very proactive about trying to help our clients achieve every single one of their goals for their project.” ALT
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LEFT: UT Athletic Center, Knoxville, Tenn. The Cope Associates/Blankenship joint venture McKenzie Lawson Athletic Center is a 132,000 sq. ft., four story addition that consolidates football operations and office space for the athletic department. It contains weight training, hydrotherapy, rehabilitation treatment, locker rooms, team meeting rooms and equipment management. It is designed to meet State of Tennessee Sustainability guidelines. TOP RIGHT: Lee University Science Building, Cleveland, Tenn. Less University expanded its campus with a new three-story, 74,500 sq. ft. science and mathematics building composed of 13 classrooms, an auditorium style lecture hall designed with Mathematics and Science curricula in mind, and 10 scientific laboratories specifically designed to take advantage of the latest in research technology in the fields of Biology, Chemistry, MolecularBiology, and Robotics. BOTTOM: Caryville Elementary School, Caryville, Tenn. This new elementary school provides Campbell County with a new state-of-the-art facility. The small, narrow site dictated a linear site design and the site topography required significant site work to create a building pad for a one-story facility. It has a core capacity for 700 and classrooms for an initial 600 students in 75,998 sq.ft. Photos courtesy of Cope Associates.
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