PROJECT Coalesce
LOCATION Baltimore, Maryland
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 5/6/2016
PROJECT CATEGORY Undergraduate / Upper Level Design
PROJECT TYPE Studio
ENTRANT Ayman Rouhani
TEAM MEMBERS
SCHOOL Morgan State University
FACULTY SPONSOR Isaac Williams, Professor / Architecture
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Baltimore City has recently incorporated a program donating 1 billion dollars to build new schools throughout Baltimore City; Walter P. Carter is on the list of schools to be rebuilt. Throughout the design process of the new Walter P. Carter School, we were engaged with school faculty and students, Baltimore City School leaders, and the larger community. Involvement and collaboration with the school and community was crucial to proposing design solutions to their new school.
The new school will be a merging of two existing schools (Walter P. Carter and Guilford Elementary) with a future addition of Lois T. Murray (a special needs school), therefore the proposed design needs to fully support the needs and higher capacity of the merging. Using the Baltimore City School Education Specifications as our program, all spaces and services are accounted for.
STUDENT'S STATEMENT
The major design “move” was to propose a new diagonal street through the site, allowing a connection to exist between the North and South end. This design proposal allows for two merging schools and the future addition of Lois T. Murray (special needs school) to function using the new Guilford Ave. as it’s main public access. The large amount of curb surface area will more adequately handle the increased traffic flow from the increased number of students and faculty. Splitting the larger programmatic spaces from the academic spaces gives the opportunity to serve the community after hours, without jeopardizing the security of the academic communities. The new design uses the complex site as a catalyst for the merging of the two schools. Re-introducing Guilford Avenue gives Walter P. Carter new frontage, a new address, and most importantly a new presence. The existing drop-off lane had a limited curb perimeter of 315’, causing major traffic issues during drop-off and pick-up times. By introducing the new Guilford Ave. the total perimeter of drop-off lane is increased to 750’ (240% increase), decreasing traffic congestion drastically.
By proposing a three-story height building, the estimated gross area of 127,000sq/ft was reduced by 10% down to approximately 113,000sq/ft. As a 21st century school, a major design priority was to allow each classroom to receive natural light. Previously, building services occurred on the second floor, causing creating inefficient dining services. By re-orienting the building footprint, building and dining services now occurs on the ground floor increasing service efficiency.
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1: Main Entry Street View Render
IMAGE 2: Collaboration Space Collage Render
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MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Coalesce
Category
AIA Maryland Student Design Awards > Undergraduate > Undergraduate / Upper Level Design
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