November 14, 2008

A collaborative team led by three University of Maryland Architecture Program alumni has received four awards for the new Morgan State University Library in Baltimore. Jim Carroll, M. Arch., served with CUA graduate Suresh Kodolikar as co-Principal on the project for Design Collective. The Baltimore firm, which served as Architect of Record, selected Eric Wohnsigl, M. Arch. and Brian Grieb, B.S. Arch. and M. Arch. as the Project Architects.

Design Collective collaborated with Sasaki Associates and FON Architects on the architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture. The 220,000 SF project, which anchors the university's new central pedestrian mall and includes specialized spaces for meeting, classes and library collections, was completed early this year.

The new MSU Library replaces an aging library built in 1974 and never renovated. A distinctive feature of the design is thin quarztite stone cladding using an innovative aluminum curtain-wall system. This system allows for insulation and an air barrier to increase the efficiency of the building. The outside cladding is carried inside to a tall reading room also clad in richly colored quartzite stone.

The project has received the following awards:

• AIA Maryland: Merit Award 
• AIA Baltimore Chapter: Honorable Mention
• AIA Potomac Valley Chapter: Honor Award
• McGraw-Hill Mid Atlantic Construction: Institutional Project of the Year—Best of 2008

Project Images (copyright Design Collective)
Library Exterior
Library Interior
Library Interior