ILSB Recognized by AIA Maryland

The Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) was recognized by the AIA Maryland Excellence in Design awards program. The project received a Jury Citation for Institutional Architecture during a virtual awards ceremony held September 24.

Designed and engineered by Ballinger, the ILSB creates a highly visible home for the sciences on campus and furthers UMBC’s 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. 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 designed by artist Volkan Alkanoglu, “In Flight”, is featured to both join art with science and also to elevate the public experience of the student commons on campus.