Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Loyola University Maryland Opens New Academic Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/08/21

Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, Md., recently celebrated the opening of its newest academic building, the Miguel B. Fernandez Family Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning. A news release called the project the university’s largest academic renovation in the last decade. The 35,000 square feet of new construction combine with renovations to the adjacent Beatty Hall, as well as outdoor plaza space, to create a state-of-the-art entrance to both the university’s Quad and the university as a whole.

"The opening of the Fernandez Center for Innovation and Collaboration marks a new chapter in Loyola University Maryland’s nearly 170-year history as we transform our Academic Quadrangle into a contemporary hub for the Evergreen campus," said Amanda M. Thomas, Ph.D., interim president of Loyola. "The launch of the new Fernandez Center strengthens Loyola’s active engagement in a movement to focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking."

Officials began brainstorming the project four years ago, and ground for the new facility was broken in February 2020. The building’s architecture was carefully crafted to match and complement that of Beatty Hall, one of the university’s historic buildings.

Features and amenities of the new Fernandez Center include active learning classrooms, the Forbes Idea Lab, a career center, an academic loft for collaborative work, a graduate commons area, faculty offices and workspace, a café, and outdoor spaces. Environmental initiatives include efficient, LED lighting; a new air purification system including UV lights for airflow disinfection; stormwater management; and water conservation. The university said it anticipates the building to receive LEED gold certification.

"The enduring Jesuit tradition of adaptability positions Loyola University Maryland to provide a ‘future-proof’ education that strengthens the bonds of the liberal arts with innovation and entrepreneurship," said Terrence Sawyer, senior vice president at Loyola. "Thanks to the generous support of donors and the State of Maryland that made the new Fernandez Center for Innovation and Collaboration possible, students graduating from Loyola will be more marketable to prospective employers and will go on to apply the world-class education they receive to create a better world."

The project’s design team includes Shepley Bulfinch, architecture and interior design; Muller Associates, mechanical, electrical and plumbing; Hord Coplan Macht, landscape architect; and Whiting-Turner, construction and management.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Concordia College Completes Memorial Auditorium Renovations

    Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., recently completed a $2.5-million renovation project to Memorial Auditorium, a news release reports. The college partnered with Kraus-Anderson for the project’s construction and ICON Architectural Group for its design.