Maxine Frank Singer Hall Wins National AIA Design Award

Swarthmore College’s Maxine Frank Singer Hall received a 2024 Education Facility Design Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Designed by Ballinger to house the biology, engineering, and psychology departments, the 160,000 SF building advances Swarthmore’s interdisciplinary values, respects its arboretum campus context and adds a contemporary sense of place borne of environmental stewardship.

“There is much to celebrate about this building,” said Ballinger Senior Principal Craig S. Spangler, FAIA. “The design focuses on interdisciplinarity, inclusivity, and community while sensitively engaging it’s campus setting” he said.

The award jury was impressed with the design’s integration into the campus fabric and referred to the building as “a critical hub for asking questions and exploring possible answers.” By focusing on cross-curricular inquiry and blending the built and natural environments, Maxine Frank Singer Hall has set the stage for exceptional undergraduate education.

The AIA Education Facility Design Awards celebrate state-of-the-art learning environments spanning early childhood through higher education. The award was announced at the National AIA Conference on Architecture and Design’s Awards Gala in Washington, DC on June 7.