Baltimore’s chapter of the AIA announced the winners of its B-More | Resilient Rowhouse Design Competition, where entrants provide environmental design solutions for the city’s vacant rowhouses in the Broadway East Neighborhood.
The competition was hosted by Baltimore City Planning Department, Office of Housing and Community Development, Office of Sustainability, and the Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning. Four winners were chosen, one for each of these categories: Most Resilient Concept, Most Feasible Design, Most Innovative Design, and, the main category, Most Resilient Design.
A team of students from Virginia Tech and local architects from Brown Craig Turner submitted the BeMORE Flats design, which won the Most Resilient Design award. Their plan included green roofs, pedestrian-friendly streets, reclaimed alleys and courtyards, rain gardens, and salvaged wood decking. Plans called for one- and two-bedroom units, with community facilities.
“Although the competition focused on a specific neighborhood, winning designs presented solutions that can be repeated across Baltimore,” AIA Baltimore said in a statement. “To that extent, Morgan State faculty and students plan to analyze the constructability and cost of implementing the winning designs and present their findings to the city. The sooner the urban fabric of Baltimore can adapt to environmental and social challenges, the more resilient the city can be.”
The competition also had three honorable mentions and received more than 20 entries. The jury was made up of city representatives and architecture professionals and educators. AIA Baltimore’s website has a listing of all the entrants and their project plans.
Baltimore has a wide range of rowhouse styles that have been built since the 1700s. Many rowhouses, however, are vacant and have been torn down.
Related Stories
Smart Buildings | Nov 13, 2015
Miami Beach making plans to cope with rising sea levels, flooding
The city has turned to sea walls, raised streets, and pumping stations.
Smart Buildings | Nov 11, 2015
No eyes on the road: The impact of driverless vehicles
The idea that space can be repurposed by breaking dependence on the purchase, maintenance, and storage of a big machine is a great boon for the sustainable future of cities, writes SmithGroupJJR's David Varner.
Smart Buildings | Nov 9, 2015
White paper promotes incentives for improved disaster resilience
The white paper makes the case that the most cost-effective manner to achieve resilience is through a holistic and integrated set of public, private, and hybrid programs.
Smart Buildings | Nov 5, 2015
JLL names 10 emerging world cities
Mexico City, Shanghai, Istanbul, and seven other world-class cities have experienced rapid economic growth and real estate development.
Cultural Facilities | Oct 28, 2015
New York City’s underground 'Lowline' green space enters the testing phase
If realized, The Lowline would provide 1.5 acres of green space for the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Seismic Design | Oct 22, 2015
Taipei 101 tower named 'world's toughest' building by Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics named the 10 structures that best withstand floods, winds, storms, and earthquakes.
BIM and Information Technology | Oct 19, 2015
New web tool from MIT organizes human movement in interactive graphs
Users can explore the mobile phone activities in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong.
Smart Buildings | Oct 8, 2015
Brookings announces the Bass Initiative on Innovation and Placemaking
The think tank's goal is to stress public spaces, urban economies, and inclusive growth in city building.
Smart Buildings | Sep 28, 2015
Architects Foundation issues first annual report on National Resilience Initiative
The report, which includes the work of three schools, examines how architects work with communities through the National Resilience Design Network.
Smart Buildings | Sep 4, 2015
New York City allots $100 million for storm resiliency infrastructure in lower Manhattan
Part of $20 billion plan for the city.