New M-Square Office Building Opens

Will be Home to UM Climate Change Research Centers

A grand opening ceremony for the $25 million, four-story, 120,000-square-foot Class A office building occurred on May 14, in space occupied by the building's first tenant, the university's Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC).

The university is a national leader in climate change research, and the new building at 5825 University Research Court will be home to two Maryland centers that lead the university's research to understand, predict and respond to global warming. The Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center will be joined in the facility later this year by the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI).

"We're thrilled to be welcoming the Earth Systems Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) into this new building," said University of Maryland President C.D. Mote, Jr. in remarks made during the grand opening. "Climate change and sustainability are topics that are on everyone's minds these days, which makes ESSIC's research even more important. The proximity of the Joint Global Change Research Institute and NOAA's new National Center for Weather and Climate Prediction will provide many additional opportunities for teaming up on these global climate challenges."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) new building, which is under construction adjacent to 5825 University Research Ct., is expected to open next year. It will house NOAA's Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, which will be the U.S. focal point for generating ocean and atmospheric forecasts, including outlooks for the four seasons and for hurricanes. In anticipation of this move, NOAA and the university agreed in February of this year to collaborate extensively on related research and education.

About ESSIC
A joint center between the University of Maryland departments of atmospheric & oceanic science, geology and geography, and the Earth Sciences Directorate at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, ESSIC studies how the atmosphere, ocean, land and biosphere components of the Earth interact as a system and how human activities impact this system.

Its major research areas are studies of climate variability and change, atmospheric composition and processes, the global carbon cycle (including terrestrial and marine ecosystems/land use/cover change), and the global water cycle.

About JGCRI
The Joint Global Change Research Institute houses an interdisciplinary team dedicated to understanding the problems of global climate change and their potential solutions. Joint Institute staff bring decades of experience and expertise to bear in science, technology, economics, and policy. One of the strengths of the Joint Institute is a network of domestic and international collaborators that encourages the development of global and equitable solutions to the climate change problem.

Initiated in early 2001, JGCRI brings together the intersecting interests of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Staff at the Joint Institute is focused on developing new opportunities to train university students in the interdisciplinary areas of: integrated assessment modeling, technology strategies to address climate change, natural resource modeling and assessment, vulnerability and adaptation studies, and local and global environmental mitigation measures.

About 5825 University Research Ct.
The building's construction team was comprised of Design Collective, Inc. as the architectural firm, Manekin Construction as the general contractor, SK&K as the structural engineering firm, TOLK, Inc. as mechanical and electrical engineering firm and Joyce Engineering Corporation as the civil engineering firm.

Registered with the United States Green Building Council, the building is seeking a LEED Silver rating. Its green features include a waste management program, use of recycled content and locally manufactured materials, water use reduction and energy efficient systems and glazing.

Overall, 5825 University Research Ct. was planned as a state-of-the-art facility to inspire innovative thinking and the advancement of technology, computer science, mathematics, engineering, physical and life sciences and biotechnology.

The structure itself is a three-dimensional representation of the research activities that would occur inside. The scientific process is depicted as a "pristine cube" being pierced by an angled wall. This collision symbolizes the "spark of ideas" that occurs during scientific endeavors.

The pristine cube has a very sharp and precise look with its punched, articulated windows and wrap-around base trim. This is in contrast to the full height glass opening that is created at the collision of the angled wall and the cube at the building entrance.

Sitting at the base of the cube is a metal reveal which breaks the form into a base and top. The reveal jumps free of the facade and becomes a fragmented canopy at the entry. Shading complements the warm color of the cast stone material of the NOAA global weather prediction center that is being completed next door.

About M Square
Adjacent to the University of Maryland College Park/College Park Metro Station, M Square is a joint venture between The University of Maryland, Manekin, LLC and Corporate Office Properties Trust [COPT (NYSE: OFC)]. Manekin provides development and construction services, while COPT provides finance and asset management. Additionally, The NAI Michael Companies provides leasing and brokerage services.

When combined with existing uses, M Square will total up to two million square feet of space and be valued in excess of $300 million. It will contain state-of-the-art research, laboratory and incubator facilities.

M Square tenants will have unique opportunities to collaborate with the University's internationally recognized researchers and more than 3,000 faculty and 3,600 graduate assistants. They also will have unparalleled access to the many major labs and agencies of the federal government and corporate research enterprises nearby.

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