Top of the Class

UMB builds the first new dental school in the U.S. in nearly 30 years

By Debra Wood

A new 10-story home for America's oldest dental school at the University of Maryland, Baltimore promises to provide a light, airy space for clinical services, research and learning.

The $130 million Baltimore College of Dental Surgery is the first comprehensive facility for dental education to be constructed in the United States in the last 30 years. Maryland committed $103 million for the new building, the largest amount it has ever earmarked for an academic building.

Aiming to stay on the forefront of dental education, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland Dental School is building a $130 million replacement teaching facility.

"The new building represents more than concrete and steel, bricks and mortar," said Dean Christian S. Stohler, DMD. "Our vision for the future includes increasing our service to the community, scholarly activity and scientific discovery. The new dental facility will facilitate our ability to fully realize that vision."

The University of Maryland Dental School was founded in 1840 as the first dental college in the world. The school moved into its current building during the 1970s. The state committed $103 million for the new building, the largest amount it has ever earmarked for an academic building, and asked the school to raise the remaining money.

Thanks to those efforts, the university will create the first comprehensive facility for dental education to be constructed in the United States in the last 30 years.

"This is the largest project that the University of Maryland, Baltimore has ever done," said Colleen Cullen, project manager for the university.

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Serving students and patients

The 366,000-sq.-ft. building will serve multiple purposes, including teaching, research and clinical services. The ground floor contains lecture halls; the next four floors are clinic space; and the sixth and seventh floors contain classrooms and offices. The upper three floors are devoted to research facilities and are topped with a two-story mechanical penthouse. A below-grade lower level will house facilities management, central materials sterilization supply, chillers, pumps, and mechanical and electrical systems.

People will enter the dental school through a two-story, glassed pavilion at right angles to the main structure. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architecture Planning Interior Design of Philadelphia designed the multipurpose building.

"This is a care-giving institution, and the welfare of the patients who use the clinics was uppermost in [the owner's] mind," said Bernard Cywinski, a principle with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. "The first priority was to make sure it was fully appointed to maximize delivery of health-care services."

The new 366,000-sq.-ft. Baltimore College of Dental Surgery covers an entire block on the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus.

About 35,000 patients make more than 122,000 visits to the dental school each year. It serves a diverse population of patients and is the largest provider in the state of oral health care to patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus and children with Medicaid coverage. The school also receives about $10 million annually in research funding.

Cywinski created clear and direct pathways to different service areas and brought natural daylight into the center of the building with two glassed atriums. The 1-in.-thick, insulated glass curtain wall on the south atrium covers all 10 occupied floors.

The second transverse atrium starts at the fifth floor, bisects the building at its midpoint and is topped with a glass skylight. Sun catchers, positioned exteriorly, help capture natural light. Interior balconies will overlook activities below.

"You want an environment in which people can do their best, whether it is treating a patient, learning a profession, researching for the future or managing these endeavors," Cywinski said. "We try to create environments that are friendly and inviting."

Construction manager Barton Malow of Linthicum, Md., began working on the project in 2000, assisting with preconstruction issues and completing an early site-preparation package, which included reconfiguring the existing loading docks at the current dental school. Nearly $102 million of the overall $130 million project cost is earmarked for construction.

The 10-story building will include lecture halls, clinic space, classrooms, offices and three floors devoted to research facilities.

Construction began on the tower in June 2002 and topped out in September 2003. The structural-steel frame building sits on columns and a 5-ft.-thick concrete mat.

Baltimore's plans to replace a crumbling stormwater pipe located 15 ft. from the dental school's 28-ft.-deep excavation almost delayed the dental-school project for a year. The city wanted the school to hold off until it completed the infrastructure work. The university's project team changed the school's foundation so its project could move forward.

"We had to prove to the city we could brace the shoring system inside our hole to allow both projects to go at the same time," said Bob Grottenthaler, project executive for Barton Malow. "[Workers] drilled holes in the ground every 10 ft. and put large structural-steel columns in. As you excavate down, they put wood lagging boards between the piles to hold the earth back. With deep cuts, you have to support the earth, so it doesn't fall in the hole on you."

Potts & Callahan of Baltimore completed the earthwork. Schnabel Engineering designed and installed the raker system.

Big man on campus

The building covers the entire block and is close to other university structures, which dictated a narrow footprint.

Details of the atrium balconies will be highlighted through the glass curtain wall at night.

"[Cywinski] designed the tower and pavilion to answer that challenge," Cullen said. "The pavilion made the building more pedestrian friendly."

Barton Malow delayed construction of the two-story pavilion until the main tower was up, using that space for staging and delivery of materials. Once the elevators were running and masonry work complete, Barton Malow removed the exterior hoist and began excavation of the pavilion.

Bricks, glass curtain wall and ornamental metal panels comprise the tower's exterior skin. Inside, the laboratory and clinical spaces required extensive mechanical systems and biosafety devices. The air in the laboratories must completely change every hour, with 100 percent outdoor air. Air leaving the labs passes through an exhaust stack and a heat-recovery system. CAD designs showing mechanical and electrical systems helped avoid conflicts in the field, Grottenthaler said.

The new school will add an electronic medical record system and digitalized X-ray equipment. Because technology changes so quickly and school officials wanted to install the latest equipment, Barton Malow installed electrical, mechanical, cold water, steam and gas systems without knowing specifications for the equipment that ultimately will be installed.

"We are having to use information that is the best guess right now of what that equipment will need," Grottenthaler said. "Once they procure the equipment, there may be an issue."

The completion date for the structure is set for the fall. About 250 tradespeople are working onsite.

"This new facility reinforces our commitment to serve, heal and educate," Stohler said. "It's not about building a new school, but building lives."