Design Profile: University Of Maryland Chemistry Research Building

Located at the nexus of the University of Maryland's Science District, the Chemistry Research Building provides an advanced research environment that formally synthesizes its historic context with chemistry-based fractal geometries. The iconic architectural vocabulary respects its antecedents while cultivating a forward-looking identity. The building features amenities such as a ground-level interdisciplinary Bio-NMR imaging facility, a Great Hall, and a rooftop lounge and terrace. The Great Hall draws upon fractal geometries to create a unique, intimate environment for institutional celebrations and engagements with notable scholars. A vertical shading ribbon represents the collaborative workspaces within, symbolically interconnecting the two-story Great Hall with a two-story Thesis Defense Space to the north. The design draws upon a simplified and rigorous lab planning module that interconnects with the adjacent workspace, fostering collaboration between wet lab and computational research modalities. Full-height rhythmically organized interior glazing is codified on the exterior envelope, fostering a sense of porosity that optimizes access to daylight and occupant wellness. The project contributes to the campus by transforming a service drive into a new campus thoroughfare, and, as the institution's first carbon neutral building, it employs a novel reuse of waste heat from an adjacent utility plant.  

Project: Project: University of Maryland Chemistry Research Building  

Location: College Park, Maryland  

Client: University of Maryland 

Project Size: 105,000 square feet 

Project Team:  

Ballinger (Architect, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Lab Planning)  

Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc. (Landscape Architecture)  

Site Resources, Inc. (Civil Engineering)  

Columbia Engineering, Inc. (Structural Engineering)  

KSA Interiors (Interior Design, FFE Specialist + Signage)  

Sustainable Design Consulting (LEED/Sustainability)  

The Lighting Practice (Lighting Designer)  

Photos: James Ewing