Going beyond just green building attributes the school is a two sided building that preserves the past and celebrates its mission. In spite of a tight site and narrow floor plates, the Barbara Ingram School maximizes educational opportunities and celebrates its mission through planning, color, lighting, way finding, interconnectivity, partnerships, socially connecting to the city and thorough unique funding and operational models.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Aberdeen Hall at Harford Community College was held on Friday, October 30, 2009.

Aberdeen Hall, a science, technology, engineering, and math building was funded mostly by the state and county. The $12.4 million project included a new 20,000SF, 3-story lab addition which includes four biology labs, two chemistry labs, an instrumentation room, and rooftop greenhouse. Construction began July 2007 and was completed January 2009.

The lobby to Aberdeen Hall (which opened in 1964) has been named after Heather L. Hurd, a graduate of Harford Community College, who died in a car accident in January 2008. The Hurd family, along with several college administrators and local elected officials, attended the ceremony held outside the newly renovated building.

Arts Schools Network serves as a resource for leaders of arts schools, arts integration schools and complimentary arts and education organizations. The Arts Schools Network 27th Annual Conference begins Tuesday, October 27, 2009 in Arlington, Virginia. Baltimore School for the Arts and Barbara Ingram School for the Arts will be discussed on October 28 & October 30 respectively.

For more information please visit Arts Schools Network.

Three Cho Benn Holback + Associates projects have won AIA Maryland awards. The big winner at the annual awards ceremony was American Brewery which took home Public Building of the Year honors. The University of Baltimore Liberal Arts and Policy Building and Brooklyn Green housing were Merit Award winners.

> American Brewery
> AIA Maryland 2009 Design Awards

Cho Benn Holback + Associates is proud to be ranked as the 33rd largest minority-owned business in the Baltimore area by the Baltimore Business Journal.

Cho Benn Holback + Associates is part of the development and design team selected to transform Highlandtown Middle School into market-rate apartments and retail space. The 258,000 SF Baltimore school was originally constructed in 1934. More details about the project named The Patterson can be found in the Baltimore Sun article linked below.

> School will house apartments (Baltimore Sun)

Cho Benn Holback + Associates will be presenting at Preservation Maryland’s 2009 Preservation and Revitalization Conference to be held in Baltimore May 28th and 29th. Firm members will be presenting and/or touring through recent CBH+A projects, including the Baltimore School for the Arts, the American Brewery, Clipper Mill, Brewers Hill, and American Visionary Arts Museum.

> Baltimore School for the Arts
> American Brewery
> Clipper Mill
> Brewers Hill
> AVAM

David Benn has been named a trustee of Preservation Maryland. The group's annual conference is slated for May 28-29th.

> Preservation Maryland

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore has begun master planning studies on two area churches. Cho Benn Holback + Associates is currently working with Holy Korean Martyrs Parish in Baltimore and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Edgewater on conceptual studies for expansion. A combination of new addition and renovation options are being considered to help further the missions of the two churches.

> Archdiocese of Baltimore
> Holy Korean Martyrs Parish
> Our Lady of Perpetual Help

University of Baltimore's newest building will formally open on Sunday, April 19th. The Liberal Arts and Policy Building - home to UB's School of Communication Design and the Schaefer Center for Public Policy - was converted into a modern academic building by Cho Benn Holback + Associates.

The classically inspired building at the corner of Charles and Preston streets was constructed in the early 1920s as a Knights of Pythias headquarters. It subsequently was home to the popular Club Charles and various banks. Many features of the original building have been restored or preserved including the limestone facades, grand stair, terracotta tile floor featuring symbols of the zodiac, and stained glass windows.

The building totals 60,000 sf on five floors, plus a basement. Throughout the facility, labs, classrooms, study areas and offices will showcase an intense hub of academic activity.

> UB LAP Building ribbon cutting info

Please join us for an Urban Design Soirée on Baltimore zoning taking place on the Vernal Equinox

BALTIMORE CITY is moving to rewrite and replace their 1971 Zoning Code. Come help us identify areas where the City needs attention to its Urban Form. Beyond reinforcing the existing fabric, what are places that might have other urban designs / forms? Also please bring examples of urban designs you are doing to discuss—TODs, neighborhoods, etc.

When: Friday, March 20, 2009, 6:30-9:00pm
Where: The Mies Building at One Charles Center, 100 N. Charles Street
in the 14th floor offices of Cho Benn Holback + Associates
RSVP: baltimoresoiree@comcast.net

> Urban Design Soirée flyer (PDF)
> CBH+A office location (Google Maps)

CBH+A recently collaborated with Foster + Partners, NY and London on the international competition to design a new Law School for the University of Baltimore. Working with an esteemed project team which included Field Operations and Buro Happold Engineers, the design focused on a building that would give a new identity to the city of Baltimore and the campus as a whole, unify and enrich the collegiate campus, and form a creative, uplifting environment in which to teach, study and work. The team, allied with the belief that architecture is generated by the material and spiritual needs of people, proposed a sustainable building that would become a new focal point and symbol for the University.

Through a sustainable approach to architecture and the belief that the quality of our surroundings has a direct influence on the quality of our lives, the building becomes a gateway defining a significant point of entry to the campus from Penn Station and consolidates all the law facilities under one roof.

> Foster + Partners
> Field Operations
> Buro Happold

The American Association of School Administrators has broadcast a press release detailing its 2009 Walter Taylor Award winner, Baltimore School for the Arts.

"Completed over four years, the result is state-of-the-art facilities that incorporate the historic charm of original features -- a brownstone entry, a cantilevered, circular stairway and unusual multipaned circular windows. What was once a narrow, shadowy alleyway between two buildings is now a bright, inviting corridor linking the school and the new 10,000-square-foot dance studio.  An unused, lower-level swimming pool was converted into a sculpture studio, and a ballroom was turned into an auditorium that is used by the school and community."

> Baltimore School for the Arts
> AASA press release

CBH+A has received two awards from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Baltimore School for the Arts has been awarded the 2009 Walter Taylor Award by the AASA, AIA and the Council of Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI). The Walter Taylor Award has been given annually since 1973 to "the project that best meets a difficult design challenge". Forbush school was also cited for its innovative design. Baltimore School for the Arts will be honored at the AASA's annual conference to be held in San Francisco from February 19th-21st.

> Baltimore School for the Arts
> Forbush School
> American Association of School Administrators

Rima Namek will be traveling to the Build Boston ‘08 Conference to participate in a workshop entitled “Classroom design for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” The panel also features Valerie Fletcher and Maura Parente IDSA of the Institute for Human Centered Design and Matthew S. Goodwin Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab.

"This multi-disciplinary panel offers state-of-the-art information on research, neuroscience, and multi-sensory strategies for both product design and architecture that maximizes the benefits for children with ASD."

> Forbush School
> Build Boston

Anath Ranon participated in the Baltimore Magazine/AIA Baltimore 2008 Residential Design Awards jury.

> Baltimore Magazine article

Three CBH+A projects have been awarded AIA Baltimore accolades. Baltimore School for the Arts was a Design Award recipient, while the Enoch Pratt Library - Orleans Street Branch and the Banneker Douglass Museum received Honorable Mentions.

> Baltimore School for the Arts
> Banneker Douglass Museum
> Enoch Pratt Library - Orleans Street Branch

CBH+A projects have taken home four AIA Maryland awards, including Public Building of the Year. The Enoch Pratt Library - Orleans Street Branch was the big winner out of 169 entries. Baltimore School for the Arts and Forbush School were Merit Award winners, while The Park School libraries garnered a Citation Award.

> Enoch Pratt Library - Orleans Street Branch
> Baltimore School for the Arts
> Forbush School
> The Park School Libraries
> AIA Maryland 2008 Design Awards

Two CBH+A projects have received Baltimore Heritage awards

> Baltimore School for the Arts
> Reservoir Hill

Serenity Place has won two awards

> Charles Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award
> HAND Award, Housing Association of Non-Profit Developers