Design Collective, Inc.

From our table to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

We love sharing what we do and hopefully inspiring the next generation to pursue a career in the design field. Recently, we delivered an engaging presentation on the design process of the Ravens Boys and Girls Club at Hilton Recreation Center to high school students at the nearby GREEN STREET ACADEMY INC. Students got an inside look at how design professionals bring ideas to life, exploring the tools and techniques used to document and visualize projects. The students had the opportunity to step into the project themselves using a virtual reality headset, giving them an immersive taste of what it’s like to be a part of the design world.

We had the privilege of working with McDonogh School to transform their Lower School Playground into a vibrant space where kids can truly be themselves, letting their imaginations soar. What began as a simple amphitheater renovation, in a small corner of the site, quickly evolved into a grand vision for a reimagined playground that invites wonder and excitement. With enthusiasm and support from the McDonogh community, this dream came to life. Seeing the children laugh, play, and explore this new space fills the soul with joy. There’s a special kind of fulfillment in watching a vision become reality—a space created with love and intention, now a vibrant hub of happiness and connection. As designers, we embraced the challenge of crafting a playground that goes beyond fun. With guidance from the McDonogh teaching staff, we envisioned a safe, nurturing environment where children feel encouraged to explore freely, take brave little risks, and learn through every playful interaction. The new playground fosters a lively atmosphere that builds lasting bonds, gives every child a true sense of belonging, and instills a shared pride in their school community. This space was designed not only for play but for growth, connection, and joy—a gift to generations of young learners. Final touches still to come! Images credit of McDonogh.

All smiles at the recent charette and open house for the Central U.S. 1 Neighborhood Compatibility Study. Over a ten-month period that began in May 2024, Design Collective is working with Prince George's County Planning Department and the community to create a vision for the area including streetscape improvements, transportation, development compatibility and character, open spaces, economic prosperity, and services needed and desired. If you happened to miss the recent dual language (English & Spanish) workshops and would like to provide input, we would love to hear from you by November 30th, please spread the word: https://lnkd.in/enU6gKai and https://lnkd.in/etnuw9Uj Project team includes VHB and Partners for Economic Solutions

Nobody Halloweens like Design Collective! Just a few fun snippets from yesterday's shenanigans.

Yesterday, we joined members of Meritus Health, Radnor Property Group and local officials to celebrate the Phase 1 topping off at our Meritus Commons project in Hagerstown. This multi-building, 300-unit project is organized around programmable outdoor space including a multi-use recreational court and integrated storm water strategies, and is anchored by the Commons building made of heavy timber structure. The project will serve the graduate students attending the newly opened School of Medicine at Meritus and is set to welcome students in the Fall of 2025. We are looking forward to seeing it take shape in the coming months. Dave Lehr, Maulik Joshi, Tim Gigliotti, Taylor Davis

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, the fight against this disease is far from over. This past weekend, members of the design community, and others, gathered for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Baltimore walk to raise funds for life-saving research and care for those impacted by this disease. This is an uplifting annual event for the cancer community, every year it gets larger. Our very own Principal Katarina Carlin of the Interiors studio is a survivor herself and was joined on Saturday by fellow survivor Susan Sullivan Ayers Saint Gross, as well as Kelly Ennis, Erin Deason The Verve Partnership, Victoria Myers, JP2 Architects, friends, family and kiddos.?Their team raised over $2K and finished 25th out of 442 teams. More information available at the link in the comments.

What a beautiful weekend it was for the 2-day Community Placemaking Street Festival in Downtown Damascus, there was a fantastic turnout, and our team thoroughly enjoyed interacting with festival guests to envision their downtown main street, and what could potentially be in the future. We tested a smaller retail focused street, parklets, bike infrastructure, mid-block crossings, public art and a town square or plaza to identify what improvements might prove more successful than others. A huge shout out to M-NCPPC Montgomery Planning (Don Zeigler, AICP Audrey Vogel Patrick Butler, AICP Florence Dwyer) Graham Projects (Graham Coreil-Allen Melvin Jadulang) and all Design Collective volunteers who have been hard at work for weeks to pull this incredible event together. Stay Tuned for more updates on this exciting project.

What an honor to be recognized at Friday’s AIA Baltimore’s design excellence awards for Aster in the multi-family / mixed-use category. We were very excited to accept this award along with our client and friends Bozzuto and Terrapin Development

It’s only fitting that on World Mental Health Day, we share some exciting news! Yesterday, a press event announced $4.6M in FY24 earmarks for trails, open spaces, historic documentation, and storytelling at the future Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park. This is just the start of this exciting project, but we’re thrilled to help our home state, Anne Arundel County, and its communities tell the story of a difficult past—so we can learn from it, provide a place for healing, and strive for a better future."