Baltimore Design School Receives Multiple Design Awards
AIABaltimore has recognized the Baltimore Design School, designed by Ziger/Snead Architects, with the Good Design = Good Business Award, an Excellence in Design Award, the Michael F. Trostel FAIA Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, and the Grand Design Award for 2014.
GOOD DESIGN = GOOD BUSINESS AWARD
The Good Design is Good Business Award honors architects and clients who best utilize good design to help companies and organizations achieve their goals. This award is intended to recognize projects where design excellence elevated the resulting benefit of a project to the business, institution, or community which it serves. In particular, it awards exceptional collaboration.
The 2014 jury included Katie Hearn, Redgate Real Estate Advisors; Baltimore journalist, Ed Gunts; and design educator, Mike Ryan, of Anne Arundel Community College
For the first time, there are two recipients of this year’s Good Design = Good Business Award: two recent Baltimore City Schools, the Baltimore Design School by Ziger/Snead Architects and Henderson Hopkins School by Rogers Partners.
The jury commented that:
“These two different urban schools speak to two different needs, and they are both commendable in pushing the boundaries for city schools. The Henderson Hopkins School offers a new way to integrate school and community, and to offer space that accommodates student growth. The Baltimore Design School’s historic building rehabilitation in turn brings new life to the surrounding community. The educational process is holistically embedded in the building itself, and the building inspires new creativity while retaining its original structure and memory.”
MICHAEL F. TROSTEL FAIA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN A HISTORIC PROJECT
“The jury appreciated the sensitive reuse of the historic windows, leveraging them into an overall graphic identity of the new user. We also enjoyed the playful way that important elements of the building’s original industrial functions were incorporated into outdoor teaching spaces, rather than removing those elements for aesthetic reasons. The beauty of the historic architecture was kept and celebrated.”
GRAND DESIGN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
“Beginning with good bones of an existing building, this design exhibits a light touch with excellent editing and restraint, yet just enough of a sense of humor. Color and natural light are utilized extremely well. The jury loved the stairwell, and the water tower. Overall, this is a stellar example of thoughtful design not only preserving an existing building, but also transforming it into a compelling and striking amenity for its occupants and neighbors.”
