School of Social Work Building Project

  • January 2024 Q&A with Dean Postmus, Anna Borgerding, and Mike Dougherty

    January 2024 Q&A with Dean Postmus, Anna Borgerding, and Mike Dougherty

  • Project site at north campus gateway

    Project site at north campus gateway

  • Current site of future School of Social Work building

    Current site of future School of Social Work building

The new six-story School of Social Work building comprised of offices, classrooms, and communal gathering spaces will bring the School of Social Work, currently housed in six different locations, under one roof. The building will be located at the intersection of North Greene and West Lexington streets, an ideal location on UMB’s campus to enhance the School of Social Work’s mission of innovation in community service and provide a prominent and welcoming new campus entry point.

Overview/Scope of Project

This project is for the design and construction of a new School of Social Work building on the north side of UMB’s campus. The intent of this project is to provide additional and updated space to address existing and future space needs, as well as to enhance functionality and accommodate new teaching modalities. Some of the building’s features and priorities include:

  • Consolidation of the School of Social Work from 6 buildings into one new facility
  • Assembly and event space for education and community outreach
  • Elevated outdoor space for events and collaboration
  • Equity and accessibility to serve the needs of the school’s unique student body and community and provide a warm and welcoming space to drive community impact
  • Minimizing the building’s environmental impacts through biophilic design and renewable energy

Engagement to Date

18 constituent groups over 8 workshops, totaling over 60 hours

Over the first 7 months of the design process in 2023, the Architect/Engineer team has met with these groups to discuss departmental needs, communal spaces, building operational systems, campus utilities, structural types, and more

133 attendees at November '23 town halls

In November 2023, two virtual town halls were hosted to inform internal and external stakeholders about the project and allow them to ask questions

123 participants in presentations and small group discussions

From November 2023 through February 2024, 123 people participated across eight presentations and small group discussions

176 responses to survey

From December 2023 through January 2024, 103 participants from the School of Social Work took a survey to provide input for building design

58 participants in Q&A

In January 2024, 58 participants joined a Q&A with Dean Judy Postmus in-person or virtually 

18 participants in design development subcommittees, totaling 12 hours

From February to April of 2024, 18 participants across 4 subcommittees provided in-depth feedback on specialty, faculty and staff, student, and all access spaces in the new building during the design development phase

Team Members

  • UMB Project Manager – Mike Dougherty
  • Construction Manager – Whiting-Turner (Baltimore, MD)
  • Architectural/Engineering Firm – Ballinger (Philadelphia, PA)

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