Located at the heart of Goucher College’s Baltimore, Md., campus is the new Athenaeum, which was designed by international architecture firm RMJM. The Athenaeum, a103,000-square-foot, four-story structure, is the new sustainable flagship building on the college’s campus.

The design and detailing of the Athenaeum was inspired by the modernist, crafted aesthetic for which the Goucher campus is well-known. It is clad in glass, Butler stone, redwood and copper. The interior is constructed from terrazzo, white oak, redwood, carpet and glass.

“Goucher’s new Athenaeum represents a new type of campus building, the student forum,” says Gordon Hood, RMJM principal and director of the global education studio. “With origins in ancient Greece and Rome, the classical forum focused on promoting exchange of ideas, goods and commerce. This concept has evolved in response to the needs of the millennial generation. At Goucher’s Athenaeum, the forum combines academic and social functions to create a place where creative thought and experience organically intersect.”

Goucher College and RMJM approached every aspect of the Athenaeum project with an eye toward sustainability. The project, which is seeking LEED Silver certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s green building rating system, incorporates a number of sustainable design features including two green roofs, a rain garden, high-performance glass, recycled materials and innovative mechanical systems of optimal efficiency.