Leading Architect, Scholar to Advise Law School Design Competition
July 29, 2008
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Roger K. Lewis, professor emeritus in the School of Architecture at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an award-winning designer and architecture critic, has been named the competition adviser for the upcoming design competition for the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, for the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Lewis, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, will assist UB in the preparation of a design competition brief, which will provide details on the competition's objectives, methodology and procedures, as well as to serve as a facilitator for the design competition. He also will help select members of the competition's jury, and facilitate that group's work in gauging the various presentations made by the architecture firms entered in the competition.
An Abell Foundation grant to the UB Foundation has funded the design competition for the new facility. The competition is expected to bring national and international interest to the initiative; more than 60 major firms, including several with international design experience, were represented at a July 10 Pre-Proposal Conference at UB. Details about the competition process are featured in the RFP.
"We are fortunate to have Roger Lewis as our competition advisor," said University of Baltimore President Robert L. Bogomolny. "UB's new law center will be a major building for both the University and the city, and having the services of a professional of his caliber will help maximize the competition process and the facility’s ultimate potential and success."
Lewis, who retired from UMCP in 2006, taught in the school's graduate and undergraduate design studios, as well as for courses in drawing, theory and professional practice. He continues to lead seminars and studios at the master's level.
Lewis is the author of a number of respected books and articles about architecture, specifically as it involves buildings and urban planning in Washington, D.C. His titles include Shaping the City, Master Builders: A Guide to Famous Architects, Architect?: A Candid Guide to the Profession, and An Assessment of Architectural Practice. He is noted for his work as advisor to the design competitions that led to the construction of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at UMCP and the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.
The project's timeline is as follows:
- Selection of architect – June 2008 to January 2009
- Design phase; selection of contractor – February 2009 to May 2010
- Construction – June 2010 to July 2012
- Opening – Fall 2012
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.