peter fillat architects

Hopkins president: University has moral obligation to city

admin — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:22:07 +0000

By Yvonne Wenger, The Baltimore Sun

February 23, 2012

Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels told the Baltimore Development Corp. board Thursday that the academic powerhouse has a moral obligation to “share our bounty” with the city.

Daniels said that he sees Hopkins students, faculty and staff as privileged and that each has a responsibility to help revitalize Baltimore by addressing homelessness, preparing children for good jobs, ending violence and reversing significant health problems.

“You can’t sequester our institutions from the community,” Daniels told the development board at its monthly meeting. “All of these things impact very directly the survival of our institutions. The reality is that we have billions of dollars invested in Baltimore City and we cannot, like some other institutions that have left the city, we cannot willy-nilly leave the city. We are here.”

Daniels spoke briefly about the East Baltimore Development Inc. urban redevelopment project in the area north of Johns Hopkins’ medical campus, saying the project — which will include retail space, a community school, a hotel and grocery stores — was moving from concept to reality.

The board, a quasi-governmental economic arm of the city, also heard about development of Lexington Square, the west-side “Superblock” redevelopment project that calls for 296 apartments, more than 217,000 square feet of retail space and 650 parking spots.

M.J. “Jay” Brodie, president of the BDC, said the board voted unanimously in executive session to make a recommendation on a proposed payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement on the residential and parking portions of the Lexington Square project.

Brodie would not discuss details about the proposed agreement, including the price or price range, or a time frame. He said the recommendation would be sent to the mayor’s office, where it would be reviewed. If approved, the matter would eventually go to the City Council.

The developer, Lexington Square Partners LLC, is also seeking a tax break on the retail portion of the project, but Brodie said the board was not prepared to make a recommendation on that.

Representatives of the advocacy group Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development also attended the meeting to ask the board to coordinate a campaign to raise $10 million a year over a decade from corporate donors for the city’s schools.

Arnold Williams, chairman of the board, agreed to meet with BUILD members, possibly within a week.

Activists protest condition of former Read’s drug store

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:15:08 +0000

City officials plan to soon repair site of historic sit-in

By Julie Scharper, The Baltimore Sun, February 18, 2012

Activists rallied outside a ramshackle West Baltimore storefront Saturday afternoon, demanding city officials take steps to quickly stabilize the building, which was the site of a historic civil rights protest.

“The roof needs to be put back on,” said C.D. Witherspoon, standing in front of the former location of Read’s drugstore, where Morgan State University students held a 1955 sit-in that led to the desegregation of the chain. “We think that’s the best way to celebrate Black History Month.”

About three dozen activists, members of the local chapter of the civil rights organization the National Action Network, and members of the Occupy Baltimore group gathered in front of the empty storefront at Lexington and Howard streets. Passers-by stopped to listen, gazing up at the building’s cracked windows and water-damaged ceilings.

Baltimore officials countered that work will soon begin to reinforce the building, which has sat vacant for more than a decade. The historic lunch counter was removed decades ago, and the drugstore was converted into another business and later closed.

The former drugstore site is part of the proposed “Superblock,” a development project intended to reinvigorate an area that was once the city’s shopping hub. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake struck a deal last summer with Lexington Partners, the site’s developers, to preserve two walls of the building, fund urban development programs at Morgan and place a marker honoring the site’s civil rights legacy.

A Rawlings-Blake spokesman said officials opened bids last week from contractors vying to repair the building and expect to award a contract shortly.

The construction project follows “a comprehensive analysis by an independent engineering firm regarding the building’s condition and stabilization needs,” mayoral spokesman Ryan O’Doherty said in an email.

J.A. Argetakis Contracting Co. submitted a bid for $349,000 for the project, nearly 12 percent less than the city’s estimated cost, O’Doherty said. “Contract Administration has been authorized to begin processing the project for award,” he said.

But for those gathered outside the building, the city’s efforts are too little too late.

Kay Adler, a photographer and retired social worker who identified herself as part of the Occupy movement, recalled being barred from trying on clothes at nearby department stores when she was a little girl because she is African-American.

“I’m here to stand up for those who can’t be here,” she said.

Marvin L. “Doc” Cheatham, local president of the National Action Network, called on the city to make the drugstore site a civil rights museum.

Cheatham pointed out that although there are two city museums devoted to African-American history, none are solely devoted to the struggle for civil rights in Baltimore.

“This is a place I contend should have a civil rights museum,” he said.

Witherspoon said he feared rain and snow would destroy the building before the contractors reinforced it.

“I want my child, who is 2 years old, to be able to take his children to see this drugstore and tell them about the history,” he said, resting his hand on the boy’s head.

Lexington Square

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:00:04 +0000

This mixed-use redevelopment is comprised of multiple structures located at the Lexington Square Super Block. This regentrification project is aimed at revitalizing a once prestigious Baltimore neighborhood that has fallen into great disrepair. The project will rehabilitate a portion of the existing structures as well as adding new low rise spaces and two high rise towers. The project is comprised of 178,000 square feet of retail space, a 725 space parking garage, 350 residential units, and a small but luxurious boutique hotel. The project is slated to receive LEED Sliver certification.

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STATUS:	On the Boards
SERVICES:	Full Architectural
TEAM:	PFA – Peter Fillat, John Sangley, Kevin Roycroft, Basil Rousos, David Marcozzi

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Metroview Phase 1

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:00:25 +0000

The project is a new build mixed use tower to be built as phase 1 of the MetroView Town Center project in New Carrolton, Maryland. The tower will contain approximately 440 units of multifamily rental housing units with amenity space, 45,000 square feet of ground level retail shops and 110,000 square feet of build to suit office space for the State of Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
A second adjacent tower will create a much needed performing arts center for Prince George’s County. The first five levels will house a 64,000 square foot state-of-the-art performance space. The ground level also contains 19,540 square feet of retail, and the entrances and lobbies to the hotel and residential tower located above the performing arts center. The luxury hotel will provide 182 keys as well as luxury amenity spaces on levels 6-12; meanwhile 70 luxury condominiums will be located on levels 13-22. All of this will rest on three levels of underground parking utilizing an 1,000 space automated parking facility.

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STATUS:	On the Boards
SERVICES:	Full Architectural
TEAM:	PFA \| Peter Fillat, Kevin Roycroft, John Sangley

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Fort Howard

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:00:48 +0000

The Preserve at Fort Howard is a 99 acre underutilized federal campus overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. This project will provide a new moderate income mixed use retirement community for America’s Veternans on the Fort Howard Hospital campus. It will restore and rehabilite several historic structures, provide services for Veterans, create new jobs, and engage the surrounding communities. It will be accomplished as a PUD project phased over 5 years. This project will embrace sustainable design practices and seek LEED Neighborhood Development Certification

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STATUS:	On the Boards
SERVICES:	Full Architectural
TEAM:	PFA \| Peter Fillat, Kevin Roycroft

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College Park Student Housing

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:38 +0000

The project located adjacent to the University of Maryland at College Park campus is comprised of 4 uniquely shaped buildings, containing 900 student apartments, a 190 room hotel and conference center, 21,000 sf of retail space and 250 underground parking spaces. The dynamic composition of the buildings creates a series of exterior spaces for the student community and is carefully integrated into the existing pedestrian patterns on the College Park Campus.

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STATUS:	On the Boards
SERVICES:	Full Architectural
TEAM:	PFA – Peter Fillat, John Sangley, Kevin Roycroft, David Marcozzi

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Lucky’s Warehouse

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:44 +0000

Qualified for a LEED Gold rating, this adaptive reuse project created a high performance three story urban loft-style office building within the historic shell of an 80 year old 24,000 square foot cabinet factory. Beneath the new topping slabs hydronic piping heats and cools the open plan spaces. On the roof a 28-panel solar array provides energy to heat the water in the cooler months. A geothermal heat pump provides cool water as well as heated water when solar energy is unavailable. Existing materials such as masonry bearing walls and timber floor framing were left in place and exposed while new cleaning techniques and applied finishes were selected on the basis of sustainable attributes.

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STATUS:	Completed 2008
SERVICES:	Full Architectural, Interior Architecture
PRESS:	Lucky’s Warehouse: A Sustainable Adaptive Reuse in South Baltimore », Greenline, 29 March 2008
TEAM:	PFA – Peter Fillat, John Sangley, Eric Lowe

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BTS

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:20 +0000

This new 5 story, 60,000 sf office building, includes 2,500 sf of street level retail and 35 parking spaces and sits on the southern edge of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor water front. The modern curtain wall design of transparent and red translucent glass creates an iconic image from the water and the surrounding neighborhood. In response to the waterfront location an active roofscape is planned taking advantages of the breathtaking views ofBaltimore and its harbor.

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STATUS:	On the Boards
SERVICES:	Full Architectural
TEAM:	PFA – Peter Fillat, David Marcozzi

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Queenstown Harbor Resort

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:00:41 +0000

This 4-star eco-boutique style resort is nestled within the 36-hole championship golf course known as Queenstown Harbor. The property will have approximately 120 hotel rooms with 80 rooms in the main building and the additional 40 rooms divided between five two story Golf Villas.

Queenstown Harbor Resort will offer a 7,000 sq ft full-service spa, exercise and yoga rooms, a full service restaurant and lounge, 6,400 square feet of meeting space including a 4,200 square foot ballroom, an outdoor pool and lounge, outdoor dining areas as well as outdoor gathering spaces and amenities. The facilities will incorporate solar hot water systems, geothermal heating, green roofs, indigenous materials, and rainwater collection and reuse. This project will embrace sustainable design practices and seek LEED Gold certification.

The existing property and golf course present a unique environment for guests to experience. Situated on the Chester River and surrounded by the beauty of the Mid-Atlantic this resort will offer luxurious accommodations amidst the escapism provided by the property’s wildlife preserve, nature trails, and waterfront activities. Queenstown Harbor Resort will seek to embody the uniqueness of the place it inhabits in order to create an intimate and memorable guest experience.

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STATUS:	On the Boards
SERVICES:	Full Architectural, Interior Architecture and Design
PRESS:	PFA tee off in Queenstown », World Architecture News, 7 October 2010 Peter Fillat Architects Awarded Boutique Eco Resort Design Contract », Hotel Interactive, 21 September 2010
TEAM:	PFA – Peter Fillat, Kevin Roycroft, Basil Rousos, David Marcozzi,

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CityStay Hotels

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:00:38 +0000

Bringing a piece of urban sophistication to the suburbs, the new CityStay Hotels prototype is designed to satisfied those travelers who yearn for the coolness factor. This 90 room boutique hotel was recognized at the 2007 Wave of the Future awards program held at the Hospitality Design Magazine Boutique Hotel Show. Reminiscent of an urban skyline the hotel features an open lobby/bar scene and guestrooms with wood floors. A series of reflecting pools are dynamically lit and flow from the lobby to the outside pool garden environment. Designed to meet the market demand for mixed use developments, the room module stacks over garage automobile layouts without transferring structural requirements.

MORE PROJECT INFORMATION

STATUS:	On the Boards
SERVICES:	Full Architectural
TEAM:	PFA – Peter Fillat, Kevin Roycroft, David Marcozzi

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