University of Maryland
Biotechnology Institute
Baltimore, Maryland

206,000 SF • 19,140 SQ M

This 206,000 square foot Biotechnology Institute combines two completely renovated Baltimore warehouse structures, built in 1914 and 1966 respectively. Two-thirds of the building is occupied by the Institute of Human Virology which conducts AIDS and viral cancer research; the Department of Molecular Micro-Biology occupies the remaining third. Eighty-five percent of the interior is devoted to laboratories and the remainder to offices.

The six-story complex maintains the original warehouses’ structure, but every other component has been redesigned. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are totally new, and wood floors have been replaced with concrete deck throughout. The new brick and aluminum façades are compatible in material and scale with both the surrounding Baltimore neighborhood and nearby university buildings.

In designing the renovation, the firm made a careful analysis of the spatial constraints imposed by the varying column bays. Through this study, Davis Brody Bond identified a zone suitable for a variety of flexible laboratory layouts. Because of the large, square footprint, however, the labs, which are in the middle of the building, did not have access to daylight. To correct this, an atrium was created through the removal of portions of the floor slab at each level and a skylight was placed above.

(Photography by Peter Aaron / ESTO)