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Morgan State University (MSU) is one of the nation’s premier Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and the largest in Maryland. The goal for this new student services center was to bridge the historic neoclassical style academic quad and the modern campus commons, while establishing an iconic and uplifting university ‘front door.’ Tyler Hall improves the student experience by establishing a welcoming entry point for current and prospective students and gathering the university’s formerly dispersed student services and administrative functions to improve the student experience and collaboration. As a student’s first official point of contact, and their administrative interface, the building was designed to affirm MSU’s long-standing position as a preeminent public university.
Extensive site analysis examined the predominant site forces: connections between campus and community, site circulation, and views. Desire lines drawn between the traditional campus and the library shaped the east/west faces, preserving views from key library spaces to Holmes Hall, a landmark campus building, and aligning with the academic quad. Desire lines flowing from the city into campus shaped the welcoming curve of the north/south facades. A green terrace on the third floor affords dramatic views to Holmes Hall and the City of Baltimore. Topographically, the academic quad and the campus commons sit a story above the surrounding neighborhood. To negotiate the grade separation, there are two connected main entrances: one at street-level and the other at the campus commons.
Predicted net energy use intensity is 47.7 kBtu/sf/yr, representing 56.2% reduction from 2030 Commitment baseline. Energy recovering HVAC systems were selected through early energy modeling and LCA. Spaces are conditioned via central Air Handling Units and VAV terminal units with hydronic reheat coils. Mechanical systems meet ASHRAE standard 55-2004 for thermal comfort. The high-efficiency envelope features TPO roofing minimizing heat island effect, windows with Low-E glass coatings and argon gas layers, precast concrete walls with stone cladding to slow heat transfer, and wall insulation that extends into the building’s foundation to assist with thermal resistance. Tyler Hall has accumulated 13 awards including USGBC Maryland Community Leader Project Award and SCUP Excellence Award.
The new building has an expressive form, with sweeping curved walls that reach out to embrace its surroundings and invite students into the dynamic campus, while its limestone cladding links it to history and tradition. Topographically, the academic quad and the campus commons sit a story above the surrounding neighborhood. To negotiate the grade separation, there are two connected main entrances: one at street-level and the other at the campus commons. A large, landscaped arrival court invites students and visitors toward the street-level entrance where grand stairs, both interior and exterior, mark a formal procession up to the campus commons level. Inside, the building features reception areas and service desks organized along a series of flowing, multi story lounges with seating, study, and collaboration spaces. A monumental stair with gently curved landings and a continuous wood soffit forms the connective tissue between the three levels of public lobbies and lounges, anchored by a student services counter. Modern yet inviting architecture projects the dynamic nature of education at MSU and is deeply rooted in the place. The building's form and materiality create natural flow between new and existing campus student spaces and by reinterpreting the lanugage of MSU's original stone architecture, linking old and new. The iconic building embodies the University's pride in its history, and optimism for the future.
To say this project was a pivotal one for the campus, functionally and aesthetically, is an understatement. MSU is grateful for the design team’s creativity, imagination, and leadership. They embraced our vision and served as our partner from day one, working collaboratively with us and championing an inclusive design process that embraced building, campus, and community stakeholders. The new Tyler Hall strongly asserts Morgan State University as the premier public urban research university.
Teeple Architects shapes buildings through an open, collaborative process rooted in curiosity and pragmatic optimism. Founded in 1989 in Toronto, Canada, the firm has built a reputation for design leadership through a broad range of acclaimed institutional, commercial and residential projects. Our practice integrates sustainability and technical expertise with formal exploration to create buildings that embody the dynamism of the communities they serve. Drawing on the collective expertise of a diverse and talented team of design professionals, we work with discipline and imagination to shape ideas into places that bring aspirations to life. We have received some of architecture’s most esteemed national and international awards including six Governor General’s Medals for Architecture (Canada’s highest architectural honour), six AIA awards, a Holcim Award for sustainable innovation, and four Innovation in LEED® Awards, and have been recognized by The Plan Awards three times.
