Ballinger
Developer/Owner: University of Maryland Baltimore County
General Contractor/Const. Mgr: Whiting-Turner
Photographer(s)/Rendering Credit: Photography: Judy Davis / Hoachlander Davis Photography or Jeffrey Totaro
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Caption: The research and teaching laboratories line a north facing glass wall, providing light and views while allowing visibility into the labs from campus. Credit: Judy Davis / Hoachlander Davis Photography
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Caption: The north facing laboratory façade becomes a glowing lantern after turning the corner onto the Quad. Gazed stair towers frame the building volume to the east and south. Credit: Judy Davis / Hoachlander Davis Photography
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Caption: The student commons is an interstitial space between two parallel program bars. It features both science and art in a stimulating sky lit environment. Credit: Jeffrey Totaro
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Caption: The research labs use all glass partitions to separate the lab proper from research assistant write-up areas that are located outside but immediately adjacent to the labs for optimal safety. Credit: Judy Davis / Hoachlander Davis Photography
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Caption: An elevated terrace creates a welcoming gesture to the campus. Credit: Judy Davis / Hoachlander Davis Photography
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Caption: Following a competitive selection process including over 300 applicants, Volkan Alkanoglu of Portland, Oregon was selected to create a monumental public art installation in the Commons. Credit: Jeffrey Totaro
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Caption: Alkanoglu's piece, “In Flight” draws on imagery from ongoing research at UMBC. The sky lit triptych is both applied to and projects from the background surface using brightly painted aluminum 3D and 2D panels to create a dynamic vision of movement. Credit: Jeffrey Totaro
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Caption: The ILSB site is one of the first to be redeveloped in this relatively young campus, creating a pedestrian friendly environment accommodating diagonal cross campus movement. Credit: Judy Davis / Hoachlander Davis Photography
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Project Summary
The Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building at UMBC creates a highly visible home for the sciences on campus and furthers their vision of inclusive academic excellence. Teaching and research laboratories line a north facing glass wall looking onto a flowing campus walkway, creating a living billboard for the sciences. The glass clad laboratory volume attaches to a brick clad mass that blends with the campus in scale and materiality. Pedestrian walkways flow around bioretention areas capturing site and roof water to visibly link science and sustainability while creating a memorable campus landscape. Inside a double height commons creates a central meeting and interaction space immediately accessible to the teaching portion of the building. A monumental public art installation, In Flight, is featured to both join art with science and also to elevate the public experience of the student commons on campus.
The building and landscape mark a maturing of the relatively young UMBC campus. It replaces a one story obsolete theater arts building to increase built density near the center of campus, and moves vehicles further from the campus center thus expanding the pedestrian core. The ILSB features transparency to science, both internally and to the exterior, in contrast with the hermetically closed volumes of the older buildings on campus. The building is formed by two slender program layers, labs facing campus to the north, and classrooms behind. The lab layer inflects back to maintain mature trees on campus while providing broad passage for a dominant campus walkway. The commons occupies the space between the two program layers and creates a stimulating center to the building while providing a parallel inclement weather campus passage. The two layers are about 50 feet thick each, and use internal transparency so that visibility out to daylight is available throughout the project.
The building program was developed to feature the space types that have led to the remarkable success UMBC has had in fostering success in STEM fields among under-represented and disadvantaged students. The teaching spaces scale up team based active learning by including eight additional rooms for 45 to 180 occupants each. Space in the research labs for forty faculty led research groups will be assigned on fixed term occupancy by competitive interdisciplinary research proposal review. The combination of team based active learning and access to participating in faculty led research are the keys to this success, and they are the drivers of this project.
The high performance HVAC system uses neutral temperature DOAS air handlers to supply 100% fresh un-recirculated air throughout and chilled beams for cooling. A green roof and bioretention features control storm water runoff while enriching the landscape. Extensive visibility to research and teaching labs, consistent access to daylight, and the vibrant colors and public art installation at the student commons provide a visually rich experience. The project joins science, art and sustainability to represent innovation and stewardship built on a foundation of equity and purpose.
Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building
Category
State > AIA Maryland > Institutional Architecture (AIA Maryland)
Description
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