The Gateway, an innovative mixed-use student residence facility at the Maryland
Institute College of Art, Baltimore, was designed specifically to meet the
needs of artists. Located on a 22,000-square-foot (2,044-m2) site, the Gateway
illustrates MICA’s leadership and ongoing commitment to student life and
professional development, as well as the revitalization of the Nort Avenue
corridor, Baltimore’s cultural district and the Station North Arts and
Entertainment District. The building’s unique design, which includes a
drum-shaped, multicolored glass, concrete and steel residence wing and a
translucent glass studio/residential tower, continues MICA’s commitment to
design excellence on a campus that combines new construction with adaptive
reuse of historic structures. The Gateway, with its landscaped public plaza,
creates a dramatic northern entrance to Baltimore’s Mount Royal Cultural
District and is the northernmost anchor for the MICA campus.
RTKL Associates Inc., Baltimore, used a young designers competition to start the design process for the Gateway. Conceived by young architects for use by young artists and designers, the Gateway was designed to provide a dynamic facility combining residence life, professional development and student life programming for artists and designers. The resulting building has unique and inspired design elements: a seven story, translucent-glass studio tower with natural light artists’ studios; the 260-seat BBOX (black box) performance space for cross-disciplinary performance art and exploration; and the college’ largest exhibition space.
“The strength of the design lies in the way it addresses the complex requirements of the site, the needs of MICA and its students, and the best interests of the surrounding community,” said Doug McCoach, RTKL vice president-in-charge of the project. “The building’s relationship to the urban context is outstanding. It will engage passersby both on the street and traveling on
[Interstate] 83.”
The use of color and perforation, combined with dramatic interior and exterior views, results in an animated, exuberant and energetic space that connects student life and work with the larger community. Student work can be showcased in the building’s dynamic public spaces, while the café and landscaped plaza encourages community interaction in the arts. The Gateway is also the new home for MICA’s Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development, where students and alumni have access to career counseling, a database of internships and job opportunities, professional development library,recruiter visits and workshops.
“The Gateway Building communicates MICA’s values,” McCoach said. “At the street level, the building succeeds in its goal to connect campus and community. Above the street, it engages those who pass by and invites them to learn more. Edges exclude; Gateways connect. Baltimore is fortunate to be home to an institution that defines its boundaries through the connections it fosters.”
The Gateway features 63 three- and four bedroom apartments in the seven-story drum that accommodates 215 sophomores, juniors and seniors. The apartments provide flexible spaces students can customize to their needs. There are 16 floor plans that maximize space in bedrooms, are arrayed to gain maximum natural light and whose amenities include custom-designed furniture that can be arranged in a myriad of configurations in addition to a homosote wall for tacking up work in progress. All bedrooms are single occupancy; shared living space includes a kitchenette, bathroom and an interior shared space. Additionally, the nine-story glass tower includes 38 studio spaces and two open-plan studios that can accommodate 20 students each.
According to MICA President Fred Lazarus: “The Gateway further exemplifies MICA’s role in the revitalization of Baltimore. We recognize that MICA has a responsibility, as a nationally prominent institution in Baltimore, to reach beyond our campus to make a positive impact in the city, and we pride ourselves in engaging the community creatively to accomplish this mission.”
Simplex, Quebec, Canada, manufactured the exterior linear metal soffit system that was installed by Commercial Interiors, Hanover, Md. Pioneer Cladding & Glazing Systems LLC, Loveland, Ohio, fabricated and installed the 60,000-square-foot (5,574-m2) Viracon glass curtainwall from Viracon, Owatonna, Minn. Sobotec Ltd., Ontario, Canada, fabricated and installed 10,000 square feet (929 m2) of Alucobond composite metal panels by Alcan Composites USA Inc., Mooresville, N.C. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Baltimore, was the general contractor for the project.
The Gateway features many green elements, including energy-efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning; low-flow water fixtures; Energy Star appliances; low-emissivity glass coatings; and reflective roof coatings. Green cleaning products are used throughout the Gateway, in addition to lowor no-VOC wall paints, adhesives, caulks or carpetglues and sustainable wood furniture products. Additionally, the Gateway features renewable and/ or recycled carpets, wiring, glass, metal studs, drywall and ceiling tiles throughout the building. There are also recycling stations on each floor and recycling containers in each apartment.
Alcan Composites USA Inc.
Simplex
Viracon
