ArchPlan Inc. Philipsen Architects

ArchPlan in collaboration with Living Design Lab and Advanced Placemaking has been engaged to prepare on a feasibility study for a business center on Pennsylvania Avenue.

ArchPlan in collaboration with Living Design Lab and Aldinger Architekten worked on the FFE&E plans for Department of Defense Middle and High-school on a base in Germany. The school design is based on the DODEA concept of 21 Century Learning. The work is scheduled to be bid in 2016.

Stabilization work on the historic Sphinx Club on Pennsylvania Avenue is scheduled to begin in March 2016. Beyond stabilization work, obtaining full funding for the complete project is still in process by the owner, the Druid Heights Community Development Corporation. Read more about the project here

ArchPlan is slated to provide consulting services to MTA on the bus system re-design, BaltimoreLink, scheduled to begin operation in June of 2017. The system is a complete overhaul of the way MTA's 800 bus fleet is operated and how it will serve its 250,000 daily riders.

The long in the making Langley Park bus transit center is nearing completion in early '16. Today solar panels were installed which will provide about 20% of the electric energy needed at the center. The transit center includes 11 bus bays under two roofs and a small facility building with restrooms and ticket sales. Transit operators using the facility will include WMATA and Ride-On. Read more about the project here

The most recent architectural review column written by Klaus Philipsen for the Baltimore Business Journal can be found here. View all list of all the BBJ columns here

Klaus Philipsen will moderate a panel about Vienna Housing on 10/1/13 as part of D center's Design Conversations.

Klaus Philipsen will participate in a panel discussion about the school as the center of the community on Oct 2/2013 and be on the Midday radio show on 10/1 about the same topic.

As co-chair of the AIA Urban Design Committee Klaus Philipsen has helped organize the urban design lecture of AIA Baltimore on 10/16 with New York architect and landscape architect Susannah Drake. Topic: Cities in the Age of Climate Change.

The Baltimore Business Journal published its second architectural column written by ArchPlan principal Klaus Philipsen.
Additional columns are planned monthly. Read Column

Commercial Construction of Baltimore is the General Contractor for the ArchPlan designed Langley Transit Center. Construction is expected to begin shortly.

The magazine of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) reports about the Arvada Healthy Communities Advisory Panel in which ArchPlan's Klaus Philipsen participated.
Read Article

429 North Eutaw Street, the 1881 historic former Dental School of the University of Maryland, is once again shining at night. New LED facade uplights are part of general building upgrades designed and specified by ArchPlan that will also include repairs to the Art Moderne storefront which was added to the building in the 1930ties. ArchPlan is a tenant in the building owned by the French Companies.

The ArchPlan designed bus transit center in Langley Park was recently featured as one of the TIGER grant projects in the Washington Region. The project is scheduled to receive Notice to Proceed for construction in July 2013. See here: View PDF

The ArchPlan blog Community Architect reached 75,000 clicks in June 2013. The blog is read by between 100 and 250 people a day. The most popular blog is the article The Anatomy of the Baltimore Rowhouse with over 6000 clicks total.

Klaus Philipsen will speak at the AIA National Convention in Denver about architects in transportation in a session titled 'The Architect in Transportation- Lost Among Engineers or Building Better Communities?'. Co-presenter will be Paddy Tillett, Principal of ZGF, Portland.

The Baltimore Business Journal will carry a regular architectural column written by ArchPlan principal Klaus Philipsen. The first review was published on June 7, The Joyous Law Cube
Read Article

On May 13 Klaus Philipsen was a panelist and moderator at the US-New Zealand partnership forum held in Washington DC in a session titled 'Cities of the Future' in which a central topic was the re-build of the earthquake devastated city of Christchuch, NZ.

Klaus Philipsen addresses the working group of the Baltimore Streetcars Group on Friday 5/3/13. The topic is Transit Choices.

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA will speak about Healthy Communities at a public meeting of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association in Partnership with the Baltimore City Health Department on May 1st.
View PDF

ArchPlan to assist in rehabilitation plans for 429 N. Eutaw Street, ArchPlan's office location. The 1881 building was once the Maryland Collage of Dental Surgery. In its incarnation as Charles Fish Furniture an Art Moderne storefront was added using the then en vogue Carrara glass. Owners are looking for store tenants.

The Druid Heights Community Development Corporation has selected Commercial Contractors as the general contractor for the construction of the Sphinx Club complex consisting of a Negro League Baseball Museum and a restaurant. Construction is expected to begin in May 2013. ArchPlan will perform the architectural services during construction.

Klaus Philipsen will participate in a March 2013 ULI Advisory Panel in Arvada, Colorado. The ULI panels assists communities to achieve certain planning goals. This effort is funded by the Colorado Health Foundation and aims for a healthier community through good urban design. Arvado will get three rail transit stations as part of the RTD Gold Line, one of the FasTrack light rail lines already under construction.

Klaus Philipsen invited to address architecture and urban design at Midday radio show.
Klaus Philipsen, FAIA has been asked to participate in a new regular feature show of WYPR's Midday radio talk show that will address urban design and architectural issues.

City of the Future ? The Future of Cities
On occasion of the annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference a paper from the Archplan Blog was published by EPA as part of a national Conversation on the Future of our Communities Compendium.
View PDF

ArchPlan reviewed large DC project "Capitol Crossing.
ArchPlan assisted in reviewing the DC mega project Capitol Crossing for leasibility and urban design and participated in a working session with master architect Kevin Roche in New Haven.

Klaus Philipsen addressed the CPHA Annual Meeting.
ArchPlan President Klaus Philipsen, FAIA was a panelist and spoke about TOD in West Baltimore.

Klaus Philipsen appointed to National Urban Design Group.
The national AIA appointed Klaus Philipsen as a member of the Advisoory Group of the Regional and Urban Design Committee (RUDC).

ArchPlan retained to continue work on the Red Line!.
ArchPlan will continue work on the Red Line transit project, now in its seventh year of planning and design.

Langley Park Transit Center and Sphinx Club projects out for bid!.
Two projects with ArchPlan as the architect of record are out for bid in December 2012. details on e-Maryland and on the DHCDC website.

ArchPlan Inc. is 20 years old in late 2012!.
The company was founded by principal Klaus Philipsen, FAIA in 1992 after he left his position as Associate at Cho, Benn Holback, then known as Cho, Wilks and Benn. Located in downtown's westside, ArchPlan concentrated on urban projects spanning from preservation, adaptive re-use, new construction and transportation projects to masterplanning. For its small size, ArchPlan tackled large projects from the beginning such as the rehabilitation of the historic Marlborough Apartments on Eutaw Place (the former home of the Cone sisters and their Matisse collection), the rehabilitation of the art deco Samster Apartments in Park Heights, the adaptive reuse of a group of abandoned industrial buildings in Mt Vernon for what is now known as Printers Square Apartments, luxury condominiums on Aliceanna Street in Fells Point, contemporary townhomes in Station North, countless rowhouse rehabs and a number of community centers and small retail projects. The Sphinx Club museum and restaurant in Druid Heights is still awaiting construction. The largest project by far is the $2.2 billion Red Line for which ArchPlan is an urban design and architectural consultant since 2006. Projects in the region include the design of a $15 million bus transit center in Langley Park, MD (to be constructed in 2013) and a 120 acre brownfield masterplan in Phoenixville, PA. The 20 year anniversary is an excellent time to step back, review, regroup and consider new approaches. A great thank you to all employees, clients, and consultants who made ArchPlan and its projects happen!

Klaus Philipsen, principal at Archplan was one of the presenters at CivicLAB, a new educational program of AIA Baltimore held in the spring to support leadership development.

December 10, 2009

ArchPlan had been selected by Baltimore Community Lending (BCL) and East Baltimore Development Inc. (EBDI) as one of three firms to assist homeowners in East Baltimore in developing rehabilitation plans for their homes. The EBDI Home Rehab Program provides grant funds to East Baltimore preservation block homeowners that made their homes safer, more functional, more attractive, and more valuable; the program is an alternative provided by EBDI in lieu of relocation.

ArchPlan has previously participated in master planning in the EBDI area as a subconsultant to Sasaki Associates of Boston; this work included developing the Phase II Preservation Report which included a focus on owner-occupied housing. Subsequently, ArchPlan and Sulton Campbell Britt were retained as consultants to EBDI to study how the rowhouses identified for preservation could be renovated and be valuable assets in the overall master plan. This preliminary assessment laid the groundwork for the current project and also served as a basis for obtaining contractor?s cost estimates for EBDI to seek funding.

The project is expected to begin early in 2010.

July 2007

Printer's Square Apartments was selected as one of only a handful of preservation projects to receive an award from Baltimore Heritage in 2007. Representatives from the design team, the developer, and the contractor were on hand to receive the award at the annual meeting of Baltimore Heritage, held at the Engineer's Club at the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion on Mount Vernon Place.

Baltimore Heritage, Inc. is the citywide, nonprofit historic and architectural preservation organization. The organization works to promote the preservation, appreciation, and economic potential of Baltimore's distinctive architecture, historic neighborhoods, and heritage resources through advocacy, education, and technical assistance.

Photo: Brough Schamp

November 2007

Station North Townhomes was selected by the Masonry Institute of Maryland to receive a 2007 Design and Craftsmanship Award.

The project was constructed by Southway Builders, Inc., with Coventry Masonry as the masonry contractor.

The contemporary townhomes near Penn Station feature veneer walls of brick in stack bond above a base of split-face concrete block veneer in running bond. Exposed grey block is also expressed as a facade treatment on side and rear elevations. Recessed and projecting courses emphasize the geometry of the facades.

The Masonry Institute of Maryland holds an annual awards ceremony to recognize and reward the architects and masons who worked to create the most exquisite masonry projects found in Baltimore City and the surrounding counties.

Photo: Eric Salsbery, EBS Photography

October 26, 2004

Klaus Philipsen, AIA was awarded the 8th Annual Larry Reich Award at Neighborhood Design Center's 36th Anniversary Gala.

The Larry Reich Award, co-sponsored by NDC and the Baltimore City Department of Planning, is given annually to an individual whose volunteer and professional work exemplifies a special commitment to community-based planning and design. The Award was established by colleagues of long-time Baltimore City Planning Director Larry Reich to commemmorate his pioneering concern for "bottom-up" inclusion of grassroots groups in neighborhood initiatives. Larry Reich was planning director from 1965-1990 and was a central figure in the City's Downtown Renaissance.

The award was presented by Mark Cameron, Executive Director of NDC, and Otis Rolley, current Baltimore City Planning Director. Past recipients are Ellen Janes, Shirl Byron, Karen Lewand, Carolyn Boitnott, Chris Ryer, Jelili Ogundele & Maria Johnson, and Charles Duff.