Award of Merit Higher Education/Research
The $31.5-million, four-story Towson University West Village Commons mixed-use student-services facility in Towson, Md., was built into a steep hillside between two resident halls. The construction team shored up the hillside and benched the soil, so crews could work on a flat surface.
The top two floors of the 85,000-sq-ft facility were built into a 3:1 slope that was finished with an exterior plaza space and staircase constructed with a series of stepped concrete retaining walls. The project began in June 2009 and was completed last July with 232,052 man-hours and no lost-time accidents.
Key Players
Developer/Owner: Towson University, Towson, Md.
Construction Manager: Barton Malow, Baltimore
Lead Designer: GWWO Inc./Architects, Baltimore
Civil Engineer: Site Resources, Phoenix, Md.
Structural Engineer ReStl Designers, Gaithersburg, Md.
MEP Engineer: James Posey Associates, Baltimore
Submitted by: Barton Malow
