Design Collective

Design Collective is known for our preservation efforts in and around Baltimore, including Tide Point, American Can Company, The Stewart’s Building, and the Power Plant. In honor of historic preservation month, we wanted to shine the light on a project where our team is working hard to preserve sites and structures of historical and cultural significance, currently under construction.

The redevelopment of the B&O Railroad Museum’s 40-acre historic site, a National Historic Landmark, and the original site where the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad founded America’s first commercial railroad in 1827. The site’s buildings and structures hold a unique and significant place in American history. The site saw the first passenger and freight station in the United States and is also the first railroad manufacturing complex in the country. The 50,000 square foot renovation envisions new food service, gift shop, classrooms, and meeting space as well as a new exhibit hall highlighting the past, present and future of American railroading. The project features a new amphitheater plaza generously supported by CSX with a $5 million donation to create the CSX bicentennial Plaza.

Last Thursday, May 14th, the Landscape Architecture team accepted a Merit Award at the Maryland Chapter-American Society of Landscape Architects ASLA Awards for Unity Square in Salisbury, Maryland. The awards jury commentary noted "great use of a underutilized space, clear engagement with community, application of principles and incorporation to create an amazing space that is clearly loved and well used."

In 2019, Salisbury applied for and received certification from the World Kindness Movement, becoming the first officially recognized Kindness City in the United States. As part of this initiative, the City of Salisbury committed to creating a central community space that would foster connection, shared experiences, and above all, kindness.

Located in the heart of downtown Salisbury, UNITY Square was envisioned as more than a public plaza. It was designed to be the city’s living room—a civic heart where everyday life and community intersect. UNITY Square re-centers Salisbury around its people and values, transforming a prominent but underused site into a welcoming place to gather, connect, and belong.

The design balances openness with intimacy and flexibility with a strong sense of place. Generous seating invites conversation and lingering, while a central gathering area supports performances, markets, and spontaneous community moments. Water features and planting soften the urban environment, adding texture, sensory richness, and seasonal change. Every element is scaled to human experience, reinforcing that the space is designed for people first.

UNITY Square functions as both stage and sanctuary. It hosts civic celebrations and events while remaining comfortable on an ordinary weekday afternoon. Families meet for lunch. Students gather after school. Neighbors stop to talk. Strangers share space. Its flexibility allows the plaza to evolve with the community, ensuring it remains vibrant and relevant.

At its core, the project is about belonging. The name “UNITY” reflects a deliberate effort to bring generations, cultures, and perspectives together. Pathways converge, seating encourages face-to-face interaction, and public art celebrates local identity and shared values. The space invites people to come together in kindness—a simple but powerful civic act.

UNITY Square demonstrates how thoughtful public space can strengthen community bonds and revitalize downtown. By giving Salisbury a true center—a place to gather, reflect, celebrate, and connect—the project embodies the spirit of a Kindness City in tangible form. In creating UNITY Square, Salisbury did more than build a plaza. It created a heart.

Congrats to all involved!

We are very honored to be recognized with two 2026 Innovator Awards for Best Architecture/Design and Best New Development for Meritus Commons at Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine at last night’s Interface Student Housing Business awards. A huge thank you to our partners and friends at Radnor Property Group!

Cost estimating and value engineering are inevitable steps in any project. But when does value engineering start to skew toward value loss? In our new white paper, “Thinking Outside the (Jewel) Box: Affording Mass Timber in Campus Housing,” the team behind Meritus Health’s central amenity building, The Commons, shares how we protected the outcomes that matter most to owners and residents—relating the building to its setting, strengthening indoor–outdoor connection, and creating a calm, biophilic environment—while still navigating real budget constraints.

Along the way, we highlight the often-overlooked part of the story: the delivery and coordination choices (especially at system interfaces) that determine whether these strategies hold up through construction.

The project’s emphasis on nature and wellness as an amenity has resonated strongly with busy medical students who call it home. Phase I was completed in the summer of 2025 and is fully leased; Phase 2 is targeted for completion in summer 2026
Read the full article (and explore more of our student life work) via the link.

Thinking Outside the (Jewel) Box: Affording Mass Timber in Campus Housing Cost estimating through design development and value engineering are inevitable steps in any project. When the numbers exceed the target, specialty systems…