New Green Building Will Serve As Heart of Maryland Campus

BALTIMORE — Goucher College officials broke ground in April on a new 100,000-square foot, sustainable building that will serve as the central gathering place for the campus.

The Athenaeum, designed by Hillier Architecture of Princeton, N.J., will be a multi-use building that will include a campus library, an art gallery, a café, and a center for community service and multicultural affairs.

Students will also have access to an open forum for performances, lectures and other events, exercise space and an area for conversation and relaxation.

The building’s design will incorporate several sustainable features, including green roofs, a rain garden, high-performance glass, recycled building materials and energy-efficient mechanical systems. Upon completion, the project will seek LEED certification.

Part of a master plan launched in 2002, the building will be the flagship building on campus, joining many campus activities and groups in one building.

“The Athenaeum will serve as a physical centerpiece for the Goucher campus, as well as the figurative ‘heart’ of its academic community,” says Nicholas Garrison, a design principal with Hillier.

Work on the center is scheduled to begin in May, with an expected completion date of fall 2009.