Candice Rabovsky, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Associate said, “Last year we worked with Living Classrooms to build floating wetlands that were launched in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and as we started thinking about this year’s Earth Day celebrations, we wanted to plan a bigger series of events to engage the Ayers Saint Gross community.”

ASG Green Week hopes to involve all members of the firm in at least one of the week’s seven planned activities. Events include educational presentations by the Baltimore Tree Trust, Ayers Saint Gross’ own landscape studio, and a LEED webinar to help staff maintain their sustainability credentials. Building on the recent addition of compost collection in the office, members of the firm will also tour Chesapeake Compost Works to learn what happens to biodegradable waste after it is collected.

On Friday, the firm will gather for a Sustainability Visioning Session to review progress towards current goals and brainstorm new ways of incorporating sustainable strategies into earlier stages of the design process via “Eco-Charettes.”

The week’s activities will conclude with a service event at Fort McHenry on Saturday. “It’s important to all of us that we give back to our community. We’re excited to be volunteering with the National Aquarium Conservation Team to maintain the marshes around Fort McHenry,” said Kate Ries, ASLA, Associate.

For more information about Ayers Saint Gross’ work with Living Classrooms and Biohabitats please click here.

To learn more about sustainability at Ayers Saint Gross, please download the firm’s sustainability plan.

In honor of Earth Day, fourteen volunteers from Ayers Saint Gross had the unique opportunity to help build twenty three floating wetlands that will be planted and launched into the Inner Harbor on April 20th. Spearheaded by Living Classrooms and Biohabitats, the project will support Baltimore City’s effort to make The Harbor swimmable and fishable by 2020.

From the outset, the team delivering the 268,000-sq.-ft. Arizona Board of Regents’ Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB) project on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus was focused on finding the most inventive solutions to overcome enormous challenges in constructing this noteworthy project. Located in downtown Phoenix, the new six-story HSEB is seeking LEED®-NC Gold certification. By accommodating two end users — the University of Arizona College of Medicine from the south and Northern Arizona University Physical Therapy School from the north — it unites both ends of the state while addressing a growing need for educating healthcare professionals to mitigate a critical physician shortage, nationwide. In addition to two end-users, the project included: two owners, the City of Phoenix and Arizona Board of Regents; two architects, design and executive architect, CO Architects, and associate architect and master planner, Ayers Saint Gross; and DPR and Sundt Construction, Inc. in a joint venture. Credit for the video: University of Arizona College of Medicine (phoenixmed.arizona.edu).

Following a transformative master plan, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently undertook the most ambitious building campaign in its history. The university chancellor and planner who led this effort explain in this video how they engaged and collaborated with diverse groups during the planning process to ensure successful campus growth and renewal.

Like an artist’s canvas, the Art and Design Building at George Mason University supports the creative process. In this video, the architect and the fine arts faculty member discuss the inspiration for the project and how the light-filled spaces of this contemporary building energize art-making and pay dividends to the students.

Emory University spent nine years envisioning a residential village at the core of its campus. The university official and architect responsible for this first-year housing explain how its six buildings enrich the freshman experience at Emory, from demonstrating green technologies to creating a sense of community.

See how creator Jason Cheung sees life at Ayers Saint Gross.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER! Jason Cheung

Co-Runner Up: Donny Ankri

Co-Runner Up: Chi Yan

Eckerd College is a liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida with an enrollment of about 1,800 students. This small enrollment size contributes to an intimate campus community. Eckerd College recognizes that all scales of community, from campus-wide to within each residence hall to individual units that house two students, contribute to a student’s sense of belonging and comfort. One way that the College promotes interaction among all students – first-year, sophomore, junior, and senior – is by providing residential facilities on-campus that house students from each of the four classes. First- and second-year students benefit from contact with more mature students, while juniors and seniors enjoy instructive responsibility as role models for their peers. All students benefit from a democratic housing structure that treats all students as equals. At the same time, the residence halls at Eckerd are a departure from the traditional red brick and white painted trim of many American campuses. Instead, the design reflects the architectural style of southwest Florida and the Gulf Coast, including open air breezeways between the houses.

Gallaudet University is the world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard of hearing students. Gallaudet’s campus, also known as Kendall Green, is a beautiful and vibrant campus full of history. The renovation of Denison House presented the unique opportunity to enhance a historic resource on campus, as well as create interior spaces which uniquely serve the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students. Denison House is sited with Fay and Ballard House to define one edge of Olmstead Green – a significant open space on campus designed by and named for Frederick Law Olmstead. Maintaining the historic features of the House’s exterior, particularly its relationship to Olmstead Green was imperative. Inside, refinements to the organization of public space on the ground floor created opportunities to improve site lines – a vital aspect of communication for deaf and hard of hearing students. The renovation restored historic features of the building, such as woodwork and door hardware, and also incorporated modern amenities that students crave – a kitchen and lounge. Residential units in Denison House are singles and are highly appealing to upperclass students.

The University of Virginia is in the midst of building 1,052 replacement beds on campus housing for first-year students. The University houses most of these students along Alderman Road on the north side of campus. The University takes a tried and true age-appropriate approach to housing. For the most part, first-year students live in double units in traditional halls with community bathrooms outside the unit and a healthy offering of other amenities within the hall. Upperclass students enjoy the greater independence of suites or apartments elsewhere on campus. UVA’s campus is best known for the lawn, rotunda, and pavilions designed by Thomas Jefferson. The new halls leave the spotlight to historic landmarks, but do incorporate features that clearly connect them to their location. For example, they employ a familiar palette of red brick accented with light colored trim, but in a contemporary style. Additionally, sidelights on all building entrances incorporate patterned glass that features abstract images of local plants and trees. With so many beds in this area of campus it’s important to distinguish the interior of each hall so that students experience a sense of place and independence. The selection of unique textures and colors for the finishes and furnishings for each hall was made with the idea that each hall would have its own personality.

These are just three examples of how our work responds to the varied aspects of a campus that make it unique. Each of our projects incorporates design features that marry context to construction.