Located on the site of the previous Student Union Building, the SMC Campus Center is a modern student-centered facility that significantly improves student life at UMB through expanded programming and enhancement of the urban campus environment. The fundamental goals of the Campus Center are to increase interaction between students and faculty from the various UMB schools and to develop an interactive campus community.

The exterior of the Campus Center is respectful to the materials and aesthetics of the adjacent buildings, while maintaining a unique, easily recognizable identity. The Campus Center provides openness to Lombard Street and adjoins the surrounding courtyard and plaza areas. The interior is designed to encourage health and wellness, house student organizations and services, provide recreation and relaxation, and offer exceptional food and dining venues.

The aluminum framed glazing consists of 1” insulating clear, low-e glass with 1” insulating spandrel glass utilized to separate floors. This alternating pattern covers the first three floors and the main entrance of the Campus Center. The large windows of the fourth floor natatorium are 1” tempered insulating clear, low-e glass. The extensive use of glass on the north façade allows abundant daylight into large common areas of the building, such as dining seating, student organization offices, and the indoor pool. The south façade provides great views to Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium.

LEED Certification is not required for the SMC Campus Center. However, WTW Architects and the rest of the project team incorporate several sustainable features into the design within the limits of the project budget. The result of their efforts to provide an improved and more efficient design include increased building insulation, high performance low-e windows, energy efficient HVAC equipment, lighting fixtures, and water saving plumbing fixtures, occupancy sensors, and automated shading devices.

The entire building has a hydraulically designed, wet sprinkler system for coverage generally considered to be light hazard occupancy. A combined standpipe system is located in the west stair. The north and south stairs have automatic wet standpipes only. A complete fire pump system with jockey pump, controller, and accessories is provided in the Garden Level fire pump room. The fire pipe is sized to provide water and pressure for the combined system at 1,000 gpm.

The security system includes card readers, fixed and PTZ video surveillance cameras (exterior and exit corridors) CCTV, door contacts, intercoms, and duress alarms. Data gathering panels are located on each floor in the electrical closets. Monitoring screens are located at security desks on the first and second floors. All cameras and data gathering panels are integrated with the telecommunication equipment racks.