Pittsburgh, PA
Alan Magee Scaife Hall Lobby Renovation
Scope/Solutions
The Terrace Street entrance to Alan Magee Scaife Hall was dark and confronted visitors with a maze of narrow and outdated escalators. The existing lobby offered limited seating and wayfinding information. Beginning in 2014, SGH collaborated with Payette and Moshier Studio on a multiphase project to redefine the building’s entrance, bring more daylight into the lobby, eliminate the outdated escalators, and create a welcoming gathering space.
SGH served as the structural engineer of record for the lobby renovation project, which was the first of several planned renovations efforts. Highlights of the design include:
- A glass-enclosed lobby at the street level, constructed on the original elevated plaza
- A glass-enclosed café cantilevering over the original entrance with perforated aluminum sun shades
- Accessible ramps and planters between Terrace Street and the entrance
- Communicating stairs replacing the antiquated escalators
- Glass guards around modified stair openings
- Building information displays
Project Summary
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures
Markets
Education
Client(s)
Payette | Moshier Studio
Specialized Capabilities
Repair & Strengthening
Key team members
Additional Projects
Mid-Atlantic
Georgetown University, Regents Hall Science Center
SGH provided structural engineering and building enclosure consulting services for Regents Hall that includes laboratories, classrooms, a loading dock, and a mechanical penthouse, as well as a nuclear magnetic resonance suite and an Integra superconducting magnet cryogenic storage system.
Mid-Atlantic
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
The original 1898 building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the subsequent additions were no longer adequate to meet the school’s mission. SGH evaluated the historic building components to remain and consulted on the design of new building enclosure systems.





