U of MD Kim Engineering Building & Fischell Department of Bioengineering Facility

Research at the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building is devoted to nanotechnology, information technology, biotechnology, microelectronics, sensors and actuators, transportation systems, and space systems. In addition to the three-story entry rotunda, the first floor includes seminar rooms, laboratories, classrooms and faculty offices. The second floor consists of a Class 1000 cleanroom, a lecture hall, laboratory space and faculty offices. The third floor consists primarily of laboratory space and faculty offices.

Construction of the cleanroom was one of the Clark team's largest challenges. Micro-fabrication cleanrooms, populated with state-of-the-art equipment, enable the development of new miniaturization technologies, which include micro- and nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and bio/chemical sensors and systems. The Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building’s 10,000-square-foot cleanroom is comparable with those of the best university and government research laboratories.

The cleanroom required minimizing pollutants and other airborne particles to protect processes that are sensitive to environmental contamination. The architects and the engineers provided a specific construction protocol to ensure that the area was able to meet the strict air cleanliness requirements. Despite the challenge of building such a space, the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building was completed on schedule.

Fischell Department of Bioengineering

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering is a one floor, 7,400 sqaure-foot addition to the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building. The new floor features laboratory, support, and office space for bioengineering research. Laboratory spaces feature a cold room, microscopy lab, tissue culture rooms, and general lab space. Significant mechanical upgrades to the laboratory including point adjustable variable ventilation to accommodate exhaust of noxious gases, were also made. The new lab equipment includes fume hoods, bio-safety cabinets, steam sterilizers, point exhausts, ice makers, refrigerators, glassware washers, as well as a dedicated dumbwaiter. Fifteen different mechanical systems were modified or added on to, requiring extensive coordination, not only to put them in place but to bring them on-line without damaging running lab equipment.

The 13-month schedule consisted of demolition of the existing roof, a structural steel addition of one floor, a brick veneer and metal panel façade replacement, and utility tie-ins. Throughout construction, Clark met the University's mandate that the day-to-day activities of the Kim Building continue undisturbed. Clark worked closely with UMD and was extremely successful in minimizing disruption to the surrounding classrooms and laboratories.