The new University of Maryland School of Social Work building is becoming more recognizable by the day with considerable construction that spanned 2025.
The new School of Social Work building under construction seen here in December 2025.
Columns and walls have been poured; existing utilities relocated and new pathways for utilities to serve the building in place; and 42 geo-exchange wells drilled and pressure tested, through the entire 10 miles of piping.
Due to open in the second half of 2027, the building is nearing its halfway point rising on the corner of Greene and West Lexington streets. A topping off ceremony is set for next month where the final steel beam is placed atop the structure that will ready the building for enclosure in 2026.
General contractor Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. captured every minute of the action with bird’s-eye views from the southwest and northwest that anyone can stream online. Recently, Whiting-Turner shared a time-lapse of the construction spanning from Jan. 1 through Dec. 1, 2025, when the bulk of activity has taken place since the Oct. 17, 2024, groundbreaking.
One of the special views of the building can be seen atop the tower crane that lifts materials in place. Whiting-Turner shared a day-in-the-life of a tower crane operator documenting the ladder climb to the top with these fun facts about the tower crane:
- Tops out at about 180 feet
- 511 ladder steps to the top
- 72 bolts along the climb that secure the vertical sections of the crane
- 84 bolts on the turntable that secures the horizontal truss jib and allows for 360 degrees of rotation
- 22,046-pound maximum lifting capacity
- 2.5-mile view of the horizon from the tower crane cab
One of the highlights of the six-story, 127,400-square-foot building is its sustainable design. The aim is to achieve LEED Gold certification and aspiring for LEED Platinum certification — the highest level awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Additionally, the project is tracking to earn LEED Net Zero Energy certification through its innovative use of geothermal exchange wells, chilled beams, on-site solar panels, and usable outdoor roof garden. The building is configured to use 65 percent less energy than a traditional building of its size and zero operational fossil fuels.
These 42 geo-exchange wells are drilled 610 feet below the current subgrade surface, according to the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Office of Sustainability. The wells will be connected in a closed loop hydronic system to harness the constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool the building.
Beyond the construction itself, the site also has served as an educational opportunity.
Whiting-Turner and UMB paired up in the summer to host Construction Day for the children of employees in Design and Construction. During the day, attendees got the opportunity to explore some of their favorite construction vehicles and discover how buildings are planned and built.
“It was really fun,” 9-year-old Cooper Myers said at the time. “We got to honk the horn of the truck and sit inside the excavator. We got to learn all the stuff about the heating and electricity.”
University of Maryland School of Medicine students taking an elective course in occupational and environmental medicine visited the construction site last year to get a firsthand look at operations and the use of personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of worker injury.
While so much has focused on bricks and mortar, UMB and the Maryland State Arts Council announced in April 2025 two art installations that will grace the new building. Kipp Kobayashi will install an art piece suspended in the atrium of the two-story lobby, and LaToya D. Peoples will install a two-dimensional mural on the building’s exterior Greene Street entrance.
Keep tabs on what’s to come in 2026 by visiting the School of Social Work Building Project website and subscribe to the School of Social Work construction newsletter to receive project updates.
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