UMD Seeks Architects for $190M Research Building

By Adrian Maties, Associate Editor

The University of Maryland (UMD) in Baltimore is looking for design firms to plan its new $190 million research building, the third phase of its Health Sciences Facility plan (HSF-III). Located in downtown Baltimore, on the site of the old Hayden-Harris Dental, it will house lab space for three schools: Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy.

According to a request for proposals filed September 27, the new building will be 10 stories. The entire facility will take up 332,000 gross square feet and will accommodate 1,200 jobs. Originally, it was going to comprise 483,000 square feet and accommodate  more than 1,800 jobs, but in 2009 a Board of Regents finance committee voted to downsize the project. The facility will add more than $150 million in new research dollars each year.

The project construction budget for HSF-III is estimated at $190 million. This includes all construction costs exclusive of hazardous material abatement, the University’s contingency and the AE fees. In February, UMD and the University of Maryland School of Medicine committed to raising $65 million in outside funds that will be used for the construction of the new facility. The state of Maryland also awarded $4 million in state funds for the multimillion-dollar campus expansion.

UMD officials stated that HSF-III is important for university scientists who have outgrown the school’s research space. The new structure will provide additional facilities to address current space deficiencies in each of the three schools. It will also accommodate the significant expansion of research activities that all three schools have experienced in recent years. The HSF-III concept will also help improve the University’s campus environment by providing the opportunity to create new outdoor green spaces in downtown Baltimore. UMD will seek a U.S. Green Building Council certification of LEED Gold or Higher.

In early October a pre-bid meeting and site tour for design firms was held at the School of Social Work Auditorium. The Initial Technical Proposal Submittal is due by Tuesday, October 25 at 2:00 PM. The University expects to have a contract in place with a design firm by April 2012.