Baltimore Design School
Baltimore Design School is a Baltimore City Public combined middle and high school with a focus on Fashion Design, Architectural Design, and Graphic Design. The school is created from an abandoned historic factory building. The building’s transformation from blight to a state-of-the-art facility within the confines of a minimal budget demonstrates the power of design through exposed systems and best practices for historic renovation, adaptive reuse, educational design, and sustainable design.
Client
Baltimore Design School
Location
Baltimore, MD
Size
115,000 sf
Completed
2013
When the building was first constructed as the Crown Cork and Seal Factory in 1914, it was one of the first reinforced concrete structures in Baltimore. This allowed the structure to be on the inside of the building and freed up the exterior wall to be almost floor-to-ceiling windows. The use of natural light, the tall spaces, and a unique ventilation system all created an improved and more productive environment for factory workers. The design preserves as many of those original attributes by positioning the classrooms, labs, and studios along the exterior window walls to take advantage of the natural light and views.
The existing 115,000-square-foot building had a leaky roof, spalling concrete, and thick vegetation growing out of its walls. It needed structural repairs, new windows, and a complete systems overhaul. The design called for a carefully stabilized and rehabilitated exterior with new energy efficient windows and doors selected to visually match the original. The design exposes and contrasts the building’s historic fabric with modern interventions, stimulating student’s curiosity of the building’s history and their role in creating the school and its future.
The creatively adapted environment serves as both a support and a framework for the school’s unique, design-thinking-focused curriculum. By fostering interaction, questioning, and adaptability, the design empowers students to engage with and transform their surroundings—skills they will carry into their futures as designers and active, thoughtful citizens. Interactive spaces are thoughtfully integrated throughout the building, encouraging the exchange of ideas. Acting as a dynamic canvas, the structure inspires dialogue that extends beyond the classroom walls.
The school is the first purpose-built public school in Baltimore City in decades and aims to be a national model for design education.
Design Team
Steve Ziger
Douglas Bothner
Hugh McCormick
Katherine LePage
Matthew Rouse
Sukanya Walsh
Consultants
MEP & Fire Protection Engineer – Henry Adams, LLC
Civil Engineer – Gower Thompson, Inc.
Structural Engineer – Columbia Engineering, Inc.
Landscape – Lazarus Design Associates, LLC
Acoustic Consultant – Acoustical Design Collaborative Ltd.
Life Safety – Hughes Associates, Inc.
Food Service – Nyikos Associates
Graphics – Ashton Design
Photography
Karl Connolly
Awards
2015 Driehaus Preservation Award – National Trust for Historic Preservation
2015 Preservation Award – Maryland Historical Trust
2014 Wintergreen Project Award for Historic Major Renovation – US Green Building Council, Maryland
2014 Good Design = Good Business Award – AIA Baltimore
2014 Michael F. Trostel FAIA Award for Excellence in a Historic Preservation – AIA Baltimore
2014 Grand Design Award – AIA Baltimore
2014 Excellence in Design Award in K-12 Schools – AIA Baltimore
2014 Honor Award — AIA Maryland 2014 MEDA Economic Redevelopment Project – Maryland Economic Development Association
2014 Education Design Excellence – National AIA/Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE)
2014 Inform Award, Interiors – Inform
2014 Regional School Planning & Architecture Award – Council of Educational Facility Planners International
2014 Architizer A+ Awards Finalist – Architizer
2014 Historic Preservation Award – Baltimore Heritage
2014 Project of the Year – Associated Builders & Contractors, Baltimore
2014 Award of Excellence – Associated Builders & Contractors, Baltimore
2013 Wavemaker Award – Urban Land Institute
2013 President's Award – Preservation Maryland
Publications
“Designing Buildings Open To - Not Hiding From - Baltimore’s Streets,” Fast Co. Design 07/2015
“The Shape of a City Shapes Us,” What Weekly 11/2014
“Learning By Design: Baltimore Design School,” Preservation Magazine 04/2014
“Learning By Design,” Architectural Record 01/2014
“How Architects Turned This Former Set From ‘The Wire’ Into A Training Ground For Tomorrow’s Designers,” Fast Company 11/2013
“Baltimore Design School Paves Way for Next Generation,” Interior Design 11/2013
“Foundation for Change” Baltimore Style Magazine 12/2012
“Education By Design” Baltimore Magazine 11/2011
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Preservation Award, Maryland Historical Trust, 2015
Driehaus Preservation Award, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2015
Wintergreen Project Award for Historic Major Renovation, USGBC, 2014
Michael F. Trostel FAIA Award for Excellence in a Historic Preservation, AIA Baltimore, 2014
Good Design = Good Business Award, AIA Baltimore, 2014
Award of Excellence, Associated Builders & Contractors, 2014
Regional School Planning & Architecture Award, Council of Educational Facility Planners International, 2014
MEDA Economic Redevelopment Project, Maryland Economic Development Association, 2014
Finalist, Architizer A+ Awards, 2014
Grand Design Award, AIA Baltimore, 2014
Project of the Year, Associated Builders & Contractors, 2014
Education Design Excellence, National AIA Committee on Architecture for Education, 2014
Excellence in Design Award, K-12 Schools, AIA Baltimore, 2014
Honor Award, AIA Maryland, 2014
Historic Preservation Award, Baltimore Heritage, 2014
President's Award, Preservation Maryland, 2013
Wavemaker Award, Urban Land Institute, 2013