2025 East Best Projects
Award of Merit, Health Care: Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine

Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine
Hagerstown, Md.
Award of Merit
Submitted by DAVIS Construction
Owner: Meritus Health
Lead Design Firm: Bushey Feight Morin Architects
General Contractor: DAVIS Construction
Developed to address the critical shortage of primary care physicians in rural communities, the 200,000-sq-ft, five-story facility features high-capacity learning environments that include a pair of 200-person lecture halls, an osteopathic manipulative medicine lab and a cadaver-based gross anatomy lab.
A 1,000-person conference center, engineered with two 76-ft-span beams, anchors the first floor and supports community, academic and institutional gatherings. The $69-million project also includes a central three-story atrium, monumental stair, full-service commercial kitchen, fitness center and library.
Photo courtesy Davis Construction
Because of the site’s inconsistent fill conditions, the foundation includes grade beams and mat slabs that transfer loads entirely through more than 300 micropiles, avoiding settlement and spanning an unbuildable underground stream.
Mock-ups of the complex facade geometries and a full-perimeter “front-facing” architectural intent ensured alignment between air barrier and window assemblies. All facade elements were field-assembled and carefully installed across multiple elevations and finishes.


