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Morgan Business Center
![Exterior view the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web.jpg 2400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-2048x1368.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-170x114.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-80x53.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-600x401.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-800x534.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-1200x802.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/01_21040_00_N52_web-1600x1069.jpg 1600w)
The Morgan Business Center houses the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. Situated on a historically significant site that was the location of student protests during the Civil Rights Movement, it is the first of three buildings in a new precinct. The iconic structure connects to the heart of campus with a pedestrian bridge, and its exterior materials relate to the established architectural vernacular.
![Aerial view of the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web.jpg 2001w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-170x127.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-80x60.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-400x300.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-600x450.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/02_21040_00_N49_web-1600x1199.jpg 1600w)
The building is the first project on Morgan State’s new West Campus. The building negotiates both changes in grade as well as major public entryways at different levels. The curve of the building’s southwestern façade embraces the circular form of the West Quad, with a loggia that provides outdoor cover.
![Pedestrian bridge at the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web.jpg 2250w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-170x113.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-80x53.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-600x400.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/04_21040_00_N28_web-1600x1067.jpg 1600w)
![The Morgan Business Center acts as a connector between the main and new West campus at Morgan State...](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web.jpg 1500w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-1135x1536.jpg 1135w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-103x140.jpg 103w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-59x80.jpg 59w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-296x400.jpg 296w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-443x600.jpg 443w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-591x800.jpg 591w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-887x1200.jpg 887w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/03_21040_00_N36_web-1182x1600.jpg 1182w)
Inspiration
The building’s color palette was inspired by Paul Keene’s The Barrier, a painting located in the university’s fine arts center. The celebrated work depicts Black protesters in Birmingham, AL during a Civil Rights struggle. The design team digitally processed a photo of the painting to extract a palette of main colors, which they then used as a reference guide in picking building materials.
![Central atrium of the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web.jpg 1500w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-1347x1536.jpg 1347w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-123x140.jpg 123w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-70x80.jpg 70w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-351x400.jpg 351w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-526x600.jpg 526w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-702x800.jpg 702w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-1053x1200.jpg 1053w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05_21040_00_N35_web-1404x1600.jpg 1404w)
![“Living stairs” in the central atrium of the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web.jpg 2260w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-1536x1019.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-2048x1359.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-170x113.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-80x53.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-400x265.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-600x398.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-800x531.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-1200x796.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06_21040_00_N42_web-1600x1062.jpg 1600w)
The central atrium elegantly unifies the building across levels while making circulation clear to users. A prominent stairwell is a vital community space for events and studying, but also a method of linking levels one and two to highlight the activity happening throughout the building.
![Green roof with views to downtown Baltimore at the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web.jpg 2303w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-1536x1000.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-2048x1334.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-170x111.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-80x52.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-400x261.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-600x391.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-800x521.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-1200x782.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/08_21040_00_N40_web-1600x1042.jpg 1600w)
![Stone seating at the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web.jpg 2250w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-170x113.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-80x53.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-600x400.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/09_21040_00_N26_web-1600x1067.jpg 1600w)
![Fins set along the exterior of the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web.jpg 1696w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-1536x1358.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-158x140.jpg 158w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-80x71.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-400x354.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-600x531.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-800x708.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-1200x1061.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/07_21040_00_N24_web-1600x1415.jpg 1600w)
LEED Gold
Offices and faculty spaces on the upper floors and the green roof offer sweeping views of campus and downtown Baltimore. The LEED Gold building’s central atrium anchors several of the project’s sustainability strategies by introducing a significant amount of daylight while also reducing the heat load of the building by 35%.
![Glass wall of the atrium at the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web.jpg 1500w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-93x140.jpg 93w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-53x80.jpg 53w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-267x400.jpg 267w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-400x600.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-533x800.jpg 533w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/12_21040_00_N29_web-1067x1600.jpg 1067w)
Daylighting
The introduction of daylight into public spaces played a key role in the building’s design. A trio of skylights in the atrium pull daylight into the building during the morning hours, while the southwest glass wall of the atrium brings sunlight in during the afternoon.
![Daylighting via skylights and a western facing glass wall in the Morgan Business Center at Morgan...](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web.jpg 1615w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-1536x1427.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-151x140.jpg 151w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-80x74.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-400x372.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-600x557.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-800x743.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-1200x1115.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10_21040_00_N45_web-1600x1486.jpg 1600w)
![Trio of skylights in the atrium of the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web.jpg 2250w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-170x113.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-80x53.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-600x400.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_21040_00_N41_web-1600x1067.jpg 1600w)
![Trading lab at the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web.jpg 2250w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-170x113.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-80x53.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-600x400.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_21040_00_N30_web-1600x1067.jpg 1600w)
Classroom space occupies the first three levels; typologies include an 80-person lecture hall, a 300-person auditorium, a marketing lab, trading lab, demonstration kitchen, and 10 demonstration hotel rooms.
![Tiered classroom at the Morgan Business Center at Morgan State University](https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web.jpg 2061w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-1536x1118.jpg 1536w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-2048x1491.jpg 2048w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-170x124.jpg 170w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-80x58.jpg 80w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-400x291.jpg 400w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-600x437.jpg 600w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-800x582.jpg 800w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-1200x873.jpg 1200w, https://ayerssaintgross.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_21040_00_N43_web-1600x1164.jpg 1600w)