Two new buildings are in the works for the University of Maryland College Park campus. Prince Frederick Hall, a dormitory, is expected to open for student occupancy next year. A bioengineering building that will include the Robert E. Fischell Department of Bioengineering and the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices may open by 2017 at the earliest.
Both buildings are part of the university’s long-range capital improvement plan.
Financial requests from the University System of Maryland for both buildings are on the August agenda for the Maryland Board of Public Works. The board, which is required to approve capital requests above $1 million, has approved prior requests for both buildings as they proceed through the design and construction phases, according to Sheila McDonald, executive secretary of the board.
Design of the $71-million Prince Frederick Hall began in 2011. Construction will be done by next fall and the dormitory is expected to open for student occupancy in the fall 2014 semester.
The more than 185,000-square-foot, eight-story building will accommodate 464 students, along with a multipurpose room, seminar rooms, a conference room and offices for staff who run the building.
WDG Architects of Washington, D.C. designed the dormitory; construction is by Clark Construction Group LLC of Bethesda.
For the bioengineering building, the Board of Public Works already approved a $3.9 million request for architectural design, and is expected to approve an additional $3.9 million for design at its August meeting. The total project is estimated to cost up to $89 million.
The design phase is likely to run to 2015, followed by four months of bids for construction and a 24-month construction period, with a possible opening in 2017.
The approximately 147,000-square-foot building will contain laboratories, classrooms and office. It is located in the northeast part of the campus. The university is aiming for a LEED silver certification for the building.
The building is intended to enhance the state’s research infrastructure and to enable more graduates in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)-related fields.