Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland.

Advanced research labs support exploration in the latest fields, including nanotechnology, information technology, bioengineering, microelectronics and micro-electro mechanical systems, sensors and actuators, environmental engineering, intelligent transportation systems, and space systems.

The building's Fabrication Research Laboratory is a cleanroom the size of a basketball court. Instructional laboratories shared across multiple departments train undergraduates in research concerning thermal fluids, microelectronics and controls. Specialized equipment includes ultra-high resolution microscopes, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, DNA sequencers, optical spectrum analyzers, virtual reality systems, and advanced robotics.

With different types of window glass that help to teach about heat transfer, sensors that measure vibrations of outside traffic (crucial to the operation of the building's delicate, atomic-level laboratory devices), a glass-enclosed elevator shaft, exposed beams, ducts and pipes, and even two types of internal bridges, the building itself is a laboratory for training young mechanical and civil engineers and architecture students in principles of building construction and operation.

The Kim Building features large lecture halls and conference rooms for major conferences and numerous lounges for small, impromptu discussions where new ideas are exchanged. With full wireless Internet support, computerized room scheduling monitors, kiosks that present building directories and three different plasma-screen channels, the building is fully in touch with its inhabitants and the world. The beautiful three-story glass-walled rotunda, with curved staircases and bright banners, creates an atmosphere of openness and inspiration, while the three-story north atrium, crossed by internal bridges linking laboratory service corridors, features the Clark School's Innovation Hall of Fame, where panels presenting the products and designs of alumni and faculty are on display.

Project Information
Building Owner:		University of Maryland, College Park
Building Location:		College Park, Maryland UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Engineering research and teaching
Project Delivery Method:		General Contractor
Project Timeline		May 2005 Completion Last known status: Completed
Project Cost:		$56,000,000
Construction Cost:		$42,357,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$272
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Atrium Biotechnology Cleanroom Computers Conference Room Education Education: Classroom Education: Computer Lab Education: Faculty Office Engineering Laboratory Laboratory: Nanotechnology Laboratory: Teaching R&D: Fab
Total GSF:		155,000
Total NSF:		84,850
Efficiency:		59%
People Density:		309 gsf/person
Office Size:		180 NSF
Laboratory Parameters
Lab Module:		10' 4" x 31'
Project Team
Architect		SmithGroup
Architect - Design		SmithGroup
Cleanroom Planner		Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, Inc.
Consultant - Telecommunications		ideaReserve
Engineer - MEP		SmithGroup
Engineer - Civil		Delon Hampton and Associates
Engineer - Structural		Delon Hampton and Associates
General Contractor		Clark Construction Group, Inc.
Laboratory Planner		SmithGroup
Landscape Architect		A. Morton Thomas & Associates, Inc.
Profile Created 04/12/2006
Last Updated 04/10/2006
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.

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