The 57,000 gross square feet teaching and research laboratory has been designed by the Washington, D.C., office of SmithGroup.
Goodpaster Hall supports programs in chemistry, psychology and education. The building includes classrooms, computer rooms, a 70-seat lecture hall, a curriculum centre for educational studies, laboratories for chemistry and psychology, and animal housing quarters.
Both design and sustainability are celebrated throughout the building. The campus has a distinctive, unified design aesthetic based on its 17th and 18th century Tidewater heritage. The design explores the connections between the traditional design aesthetics and sustainability. Examples include the trellises and porches that filter sunlight and the palette of durable, local materials.
The design of Goodpaster Hall reinforces the site’s connection to the St. Mary’s River and Chesapeake Bay, while creating a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces. A variety of learning opportunities are created inside and out, linking learning activity to sustainable strategies. The major outdoor space, an enclosed entry courtyard, gathers seating and interaction areas around a stormwater fountain connected to a bio-retention garden on axis with views of the river beyond. Indoor learning environments incorporate natural ventilation and passive solar strategies reducing energy consumption, improving environmental quality, while taking advantage of orientation and site features.
The project earned LEED Silver in November 2008. It is the first state-owned facility to achieve LEED certification in accordance with Maryland’s Executive Order on sustainable design and a DC presidential citation. The Maryland Department of General Services managed the design and construction of the building.
Goodpaster Hall also received ‘Project of the Year’ honours from the US Green Building Council’s National Capital Region chapter in July 2009, along with a Presidential Citation for Sustainable Design from the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the AIA in September 2009.
