Towson University
Towson, MD

Towson University is a 328 acre campus of 17,500 students. The existing campus facilities were designed at a time when the enrollment and campus population were half of what they are today. Ayers/Saint/Gross recently completed the Towson University Master Plan to guide the physical development of the campus as it builds to meet their expansion needs over the next decades.

As a first step toward implementing the vision of the master plan, the Campus Safety and Site Improvements Part 1 Program was written. This document was produced for the University to detail the need for facilities improvements for the Academic Precinct of the campus in an effort to secure funding for the project from the state legislature. The facilities improvements for the 48 acre site include life safety, infrastructure, ADA, and pedestrian/vehicular improvements.

There are three major areas of focus for the project: 1) the Towsontown Entrance, University Avenue, and Pedestrian Walkway Improvements; 2) Open Space/Recreation Fields Expansion and Improvements; and, 3) Osler Drive and Cross Campus Drive Roadway Improvements. The master plan calls for the the establishment of a cohesive open space environment. With this in mind, the Academic Precinct will be centered on a large lawn and connected to other areas of the campus by a linear open space. This second open space is a pedestrian connection that runs along the stream from the academic lawn to the student housing complex on the east side of Osler Drive.

The linear open space spine is the heart of the Campus Safety and Site Improvements plan. The existing stream bed will be improved and day-lighted along the length of the project, and tied into the pedestrian walkway as a linear park woven through the center of the campus. University Avenue begins at the new Towsontown entrance and runs along the stream past a terrace at the soon to be expanded Student Union. The new recreation fields will be strung along the walkway. A park and plaza at Osler Drive will dip below the level of the roadway to a pedestrian underpass. West of Osler, the walkway will wind back up to the housing complex around a waterfall that feeds into the stream. Utilities will be relocated underground along Osler Drive and Towsontown Boulevard, and gateways will mark the entry points to the campus.

Completion: N/A
Size: 48.1 Acres
Cost: $25,000,000