Arium AE, LLC

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Arium AE, LLC ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS INTERIORS PLANNING GREEN DESIGN We emphasize sustainability, elegant design, and outstanding service. Sosinski and Stephen W.

Arium AE is a mid-sized design firm serving the Mid-Atlantic Region from our Columbia, Maryland, and Vienna, Virginia offices. Year after year, we are positioned among the top architectural, engineering, and interior design firms in the region. Company Overview
When forming Arium in 1988, Timothy J. McLaughlin wanted a name that would not be tied to them and their tenure at the firm. Arium is derived from the Latin term -ārium, used to denote a place associated with a specific function. While both appreciating and promoting good architectural and engineering design, Arium provides functional designs. Although AEs are often considered the experts in design, the clients truly know their day-to-day operations better than we ever could. At Arium, we pride ourselves on being their partners, providing our expertise in construction, materials, building codes, interior design, and LEED projects.

How could a relatively small showroom addition relate to one of Howard County’s biggest recent energy code changes? Qui...
10/06/2026

How could a relatively small showroom addition relate to one of Howard County’s biggest recent energy code changes?

Quite a bit.

Construction is underway on Miller Brothers Cadillac’s expanded Ellicott City, Maryland showroom, where Arium AE is providing architecture and MEP engineering services alongside Wilhelm Builders. The project will create a more polished customer experience, including a new vehicle delivery entrance that brings cars directly into the showroom.

Behind the scenes, the addition also triggered new renewable energy requirements under the IECC 2024, creating a permitting challenge that Arium helped resolve before it could delay the project.

It’s a good reminder that even modest additions can bring unexpected code and coordination challenges.

Read more about the project and what other owners should know about these new requirements: https://www.ariumae.com/news/miller-brothers-cadillac-expands-showroom/
Miller Brothers of Ellicott City

What does it take to turn an existing building into space for quantum research? Last week, Arium AE joined the Universi...
10/01/2026

What does it take to turn an existing building into space for quantum research?

Last week, Arium AE joined the University of Maryland and Maryland’s quantum community for the opening of the Discovery Center in College Park. Inside the larger center is Microsoft’s new Quantum Research Center, for which Arium served as prime architect and MEP engineer. We’re also serving in those roles for Quantum Motion’s research center, now under construction in the same building.

Microsoft’s project moved from announcement to opening in about a year. That pace required coordinating architecture and building systems from the start, while the team worked through the demands of sensitive equipment within an existing structure.

“Thank you for all your work over the past year+ [at Discovery Center]. Starting with your test fit work in the summer of 2025 and continuing with the Quantum Motion project, your hard work and dedication have been incredible.” - Tom Parker, Terrapin Development.

We’re proud to contribute to two distinct projects within Maryland’s growing quantum hub, and to the work that makes advanced research possible.

Read the first part of our project story: https://www.ariumae.com/news/microsoft-quantum-research-center-umd/

Pictured: Dilution Refrigerator - photo courtesy of Microsoft

We’ve made the national Top 300! 🎉 Arium AE has been named to Architectural Record's 2026 Top 300 Architecture Firms li...
09/28/2026

We’ve made the national Top 300! 🎉

Arium AE has been named to Architectural Record's 2026 Top 300 Architecture Firms list. For a firm founded in Columbia, Maryland, this first appearance on the national ranking is a milestone we’re proud to share.

It reflects the work of our architects, designers, and engineers, and the trust our clients place in us to solve complex challenges together. We’re grateful to the clients, collaborators, and team members who have helped Arium grow while staying grounded in the relationships that built our firm.

Thank you for helping us reach this first. We’re excited for the work ahead.

See the full 2026 Top 300 list: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/2026-Top-300-Architecture-Firms

For most patients, the anxiety starts in the waiting room. So that's where we started. Visionary Women's Health wanted i...
09/21/2026

For most patients, the anxiety starts in the waiting room. So that's where we started.

Visionary Women's Health wanted its new medical office to feel reassuring and elevated. Professional, but not traditionally clinical.

For the 4,000-square-foot Columbia suite, Arium AE used spatial wellness principles to shape the patient experience from the first step inside. An open reception area offers clear orientation, so patients know where to go and what to expect. A curved, softly lit corridor then creates a natural transition into the private clinical spaces, easing the walk back rather than marching patients down a hard, fluorescent hallway.

Behind the calming environment, our integrated architecture and MEP team coordinated the practice's technical requirements, including dedicated supplemental HVAC for the procedure room.

See how wellness-minded planning shaped the completed space: https://www.ariumae.com/project/visionary-womens-health/

Sometimes the first step toward a new opportunity is finding the right words to tell your story. Last night, Arium AE’s ...
09/16/2026

Sometimes the first step toward a new opportunity is finding the right words to tell your story.

Last night, Arium AE’s Kelly Ormsby joined fellow CREW Northern Virginia members to lead a resume workshop with Women Giving Back, supporting women as they prepare for the next step in their job search. Attendees left with practical guidance, stronger resumes, and tools they can keep using as they pursue new opportunities.

We are proud of Kelly for sharing her time and expertise, and grateful to CREW and Women Giving Back for creating a partnership that actively supports women as they move forward in their careers. 💖

Three separate office suites are now one connected 8,128 SF workplace designed to support Atwell’s growing Annapolis tea...
09/15/2026

Three separate office suites are now one connected 8,128 SF workplace designed to support Atwell’s growing Annapolis team.

Arium AE led the architectural and MEP design, working with Thomas Park Contracting through a collaborative design-build process.

Removing the walls between the suites created an expansive open office with conference and support spaces. Exposed mechanical and electrical systems, paired with finished concrete floors, give the office a clean, industrial character. Dimmable lighting and occupancy sensors support comfortable, energy-conscious operation.

Beyond creating more room, the expanded layout gives employees a shared environment where teams can connect more easily throughout the day. The result gives Atwell a cohesive Annapolis home that reflects the firm’s forward-looking culture and provides flexibility for what comes next.

We’re proud to have collaborated with Thomas Park Contracting to bring this transformation to life.

See more of Atwell’s transformed Annapolis workplace: https://www.ariumae.com/project/atwell-office/

Behind every discovery, patient appointment, shipment, lesson, and business milestone is a workplace that helps someone ...
09/04/2026

Behind every discovery, patient appointment, shipment, lesson, and business milestone is a workplace that helps someone do their job.

Much of our work at Arium AE happens behind the scenes, planning how people move through a space, coordinating the systems that keep it operating, and resolving the technical details that allow the work inside to continue.

This Labor Day, we’re celebrating the people who keep our communities moving, including the architects, engineers, designers, contractors, and skilled tradespeople who help turn each project into a place where important work can happen.

Happy Labor Day from Arium AE. 🎇

A project can be permit-ready and still be unable to move forward. Anne Arundel County, Maryland’s temporary moratorium ...
08/19/2026

A project can be permit-ready and still be unable to move forward.

Anne Arundel County, Maryland’s temporary moratorium on sewer capacity demonstrated how infrastructure constraints outside the traditional permitting process can affect development schedules and critical project decisions.

During the moratorium, Arium AE served as a communication link between affected clients and County staff. As questions arose, our team clarified how the temporary restrictions applied to individual projects and kept clients informed as guidance evolved. While we couldn't change the external capacity constraint, timely and consistent communication helped our clients understand their project status and plan next steps.

The moratorium was lifted on June 3 following coordination among the County and its regional partners. The experience offers an important reminder: sewer capacity and other jurisdictional dependencies should be investigated as early as possible, not after months of planning and design.

Our latest article examines what happened, how projects were affected, how capacity was restored, and what owners and developers can learn from it.

Read more. 🔗See link to article in comments.

If you are opening healthcare locations across multiple states, should you use one design firm for every location, or hi...
08/13/2026

If you are opening healthcare locations across multiple states, should you use one design firm for every location, or hire locally each time? 🤔

Hiring locally is not always the wrong choice. A local firm may already know the jurisdiction, inspectors, and regional construction environment. For a one-time project, that can make good sense.

The challenge comes when an organization begins to scale. Each new firm brings another kickoff and learning curve. Your team must explain its operational requirements and design standards again, while also making sure lessons learned and brand consistency carry from one location to the next.

Through our work with several long-term, multi-location clients, Arium AE has seen firsthand the value of continuity. Clearway Pain Solutions and its associated facilities, shown here, are a strong example: we have designed more than 30 locations across multiple states, ranging from clinics and procedure suites to ambulatory surgery centers and physical therapy spaces.

Every location has presented different site conditions and regulatory requirements. What has remained consistent is the design playbook and our integrated architecture, interior design, and MEP team carrying knowledge forward.

For one location, a qualified local firm may be the right choice. For a growing portfolio, continuity can reduce repeated decisions, maintain standards, and help each project benefit from the one before it.

That is the difference between completing 30 individual projects and building a program that improves with every location.

If your organization is working through this question, we are always open to a candid conversation about what approach makes the most sense. Ask us anything.

See details on the Clearway Pain Solutions work in the comments.

**August Permitting Updates 🏗️📅**Digital permitting systems can make submissions more convenient, but successful approva...
08/03/2026

**August Permitting Updates 🏗️📅**

Digital permitting systems can make submissions more convenient, but successful approvals still depend on accurate information, clear requirements, knowledgeable staff, responsive communication, and a thorough understanding of each jurisdiction’s process.

In our August permitting update, we explore how jurisdictions and project teams can improve the process behind the platform. We also cover:

🔥 A new Maryland law affecting fire sprinkler and life-safety upgrades during substantial renovations of residential high-rise buildings.

🏢 Washington, D.C.’s Fast Track Fit Outs Program for qualifying office renovation projects.

Arium AE helps clients anticipate jurisdiction-specific requirements, coordinate proactively with reviewers, and move projects toward approval as efficiently as possible.

Read our latest Regional Permitting Update to learn more. Link in comments below.

Address

5537 Twin Knolls Road Ste 435
Columbia, MD
21045

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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