The John and Frances Angelos Law Center opened on April 30, 2013. The facility, constructed on a UBalt-owned parcel at the intersection of North Charles Street and Mt. Royal Avenue, is a transformative building for the UBalt campus and a major architectural landmark for central Baltimore. It received both public and private support.
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Project Facts and Funding
The $114.3 million, 192,000-square-foot law project at North Charles Street and Mt.
Royal Avenue was completed in April 2013 and provides a new, innovative learning
space for the UBalt School of Law. The 12-story law center includes 15 classrooms, 29 large- and small-group study spaces, a 32,000-square-foot library and a 300-seat moot courtroom and event space. The building also houses all of the school’s clinical services and law-related centers. Over the past three years, the building has created 1,231 jobs, generating more than $174 million in economic activity.
The facility is named for the parents of School of Law alumnus Peter Angelos, LL.B. '61; he gave $15 million as part of UBalt‘s successful effort in raising $22 million in private funding. -
Leading Donors
UBalt School of Law alumnus Peter Angelos, LL.B. '61; the Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.;
Sayra Wells Meyerhoff, J.D. '78, M.S. '04, and Neil Meyerhoff; Jana Howard Carey, J.D. '76, and James H. Carey; The Abell Foundation; and Renée Bronfein Ades, J.D. '00, are among the leading private donors for the new law center. -
Project Design
The University of Baltimore selected Behnisch Architekten of Stuttgart, Germany, in
partnership with Baltimore's Ayers/Saint/Gross to design the John and Frances Angelos
Law Center following an international competition. The firm has worked in both the
public and private sectors and has completed many award-winning projects, a
number of which have become recognized as cultural and architectural landmarks.
Behnisch is known as an international leader in environmentally aware design.
UBalt President Robert L. Bogomolny called for a pathbreaking building that will provide a strong foundation for those activities that are central to the School of Law's mission: community involvement, public interest, diversity."As an educational institution, we envision a building whose design teaches critical lessons about how to create and sustain healthy urban environments," Bogomolny said. "As an institution committed to excellence, we envision a signature building whose materials reflect the quality of our aspirations."
Of the winning design, Bogomolny said, "Stefan Behnisch has articulated an initial concept for our new law center that is truly forward-thinking. Stefan's ideas about sustainable design and his creativity in responding to the evolving needs of higher education place him in the forefront of 21st-century architecture."
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Timeline
The project's timeline is as follows:
- Contract awarded to architect - January to February 2009
- Design phase; selection of contractor - February 2009 to May 2010
- Construction - June 2010 to late 2012
- Opening - April 30, 2013 -
School of Law Background
The University of Baltimore School of Law produces many of Maryland's leading lights throughout the legal community—practitioners, judges, public defenders, prosecutors, scholars, and community and civic advocates. Alumni account for 30 percent of Maryland's circuit court judges, 34 percent of Maryland's district court judges and more than one-third of Maryland's elected state's attorneys.
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Points of Interest
- central atrium featuring natural light, greenery, zones for quiet contemplation and group interaction
- below-grade garden and seating area with a water feature
-green roofs and terraces featuring natural plantings and trees
- 300-seat moot courtroom and event space
- 15 classrooms, all with advanced technology
- 29 large- and small-group study spaces
- home to all of UBalt's clinical services and law-related centers
- 32,000 square foot library
- cutting-edge technologies for heating and cooling
- rainwater capture and re-use -
A Commitment to Green
The building’s overall intent is to capture and spread as much natural light as
possible while also carefully controlling the use of natural resources. The new law center is designed to be one of the greenest buildings in Baltimore and in the metropolitan region, using revolutionary equipment for heating and cooling, rainwater capture and re-use, and advanced classroom technology. The building incorporates a number of remarkable features including a rainwater harvesting system that captures and repurposes runoff and reduces overall water use; a green roof, terraces and a sunken garden that incorporate native and adapted plants; a dedicated system to manage fresh air through automated windows in offices, classrooms and open spaces, which is tuned to maximize the flow of clean air, reducing energy needs during high-use periods in good weather; and nonemergency lights that automatically shut off after business hours. During the three years of building and construction, the project partners recycled at least 50 percent of construction materials.
The building earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating of platinum—making UBalt's one of the first law schools in the country to have this status. The building's LEED rating was determined by the U.S. Green Building Council, which validated the innovative and environmentally aware techniques and materials used to create the new law center. -
The Build Up: A Newsletter on Law Center Construction
UBalt's electronic newsletter, The Build Up, covered the construction of the Angelos Law Center. Check it out.
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Awards and Honors
The Angelos Law Center is earning recognition, honors and accolades from a growing number of organizations, including the following:
2014 AIA COTE Top Ten Award (National Award)
2014 SCUP/AIA-CAE Excellence in Architecture-New Building, Merit Award
2014 MD Chapter of American Concrete Institute (ACI), Excellence in Concrete
2014 American Council of Engineering Companies – Maryland, Engineering Excellence Award
2014 The Architect’s Newspaper – Best of Design Award for Facades
2013 World Architecture Festival – Higher Education/Research Shortlist
2013 Energy Performance + Architecture Award – Presented by Interclima+Elec
2013 ENR Mid-Atlantic, Best Higher Education/Research Project
2013 ENR Mid-Atlantic, Best Overall Project
2013 ENR National – Best of the Best Higher Education/Research Project
2013 AIA Baltimore, Award for Excellence in Environmentally Sustainable Design
2013 AIA Maryland, Excellence in Design, Honor Award Institutional Architecture
2013 AIA Maryland Design Award – Honor Award for Institutional Architecture
2013 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. – Project of the Year, Baltimore Metro Region
2013 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., Award of Excellence, Baltimore Metro Region
2013 ACI, Maryland Chapter Excellence in Concrete Honorable Mention
2013 Baltimore Building Congress & Exchange, Unitized Curtainwall Award
2013 Baltimore Building Congress & Exchange, Glass Elevators Craftsmanship Award
2013 Baltimore Building Congress & Exchange, Spiral Stair Metalwork Craftsmanship Award
2013 Baltimore Building Congress & Exchange, Wood Treads and Railings Craftsmanship Award
2013 Baltimore Building Congress & Exchange, Mechanical Pipe Installation Craftsmanship Award
2012 US Green Building Council Maryland, Excellence in Sustainable Design
2012 US Green Building Council Maryland, President's Award for Leadership & Vision in Green Building
2012 Building Congress & Exchange of Metropolitan Baltimore Craftsmanship Award for Excellence in Concrete
Perhaps its highest recognition of all: The Angelos Law Center has been certified LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council.
... And more to come!