Baltimore, MD (August 31, 2018) – Craig Gaulden Davis (CGD), a 61-year architecture, interior design, and planning firm based in South Carolina, is pleased to announce the opening of a CGD Maryland office led by Baltimore architect Jim Determan, FAIA. Determan is an accomplished architect and prolific researcher whose business acumen is apt for this role. CGD has a long association with Jim through shared interests in educational design and participation with Ed Zeigler, FAIA in the American Institute of Architects National Board of Directors.
“Jim and I have been great friends for many years. We anticipate our collective efforts will advance educational design for future generations and are honored to welcome a thought leader like Jim to the CGD family,” said Ed Zeigler, FAIA.
Determan’s thirty year career is marked by his fruitful efforts to advance the design of learning spaces by way of leading a multi-disciplinary team of architects, educators, and scientists through several AIA funded research studies, illustrating the power of design to make a positive impact in the lives of students. His research on Learning Space Design for the Ethnically Diverse American Classroom was published in 2015 by AIA and SCUP (Society for College & University Planning) then presented to universities and at conferences across the country. With CGD’s foundation in Learning Space Design, the integration of this research is an extraordinary development for end-users of educational spaces. Determan is currently leading a new AIA funded study, The Impact of Biophilic Learning Spaces on Student Success. Partners include the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Morgan State University, Terrapin Bright Green, and Green Street Academy. Findings will be published in 2019.
Determan’s portfolio of award-winning educational projects inspires the profession. His work at Green Street Academy received AIA Maryland’s 2016 Public Building of the Year Award and earned LEED Platinum from USGBC Maryland. For twenty years, Determan taught and mentored at Morgan State University, encouraging minority students to pursue architecture and assisted emerging professionals as they transitioned into practice. Jim’s advocacy efforts include promoting sustainability requirements in Maryland, innovation in school design, and, during the economic downturn, testifying to the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of small businesses. Determan was the 2004 Director of the Board for AIA Maryland, the 2005 President of AIA Baltimore, 2009 Upjohn Fellow for service on the AIA National Board of Directors, and was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 2012, the highest honor within the profession.