Leading project management and owners’ representation firm MGAC has assisted with the design and construction of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center. The 435,000 square-foot facility, at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC, is anchored by the School of Advanced International Studies, the Carey Business School, and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. It will additionally host activities from multiple divisions of the university.

Initially engaged in Spring 2019, MGAC was tapped by Johns Hopkins University to provide project management support and cost management services to transform the former Newseum building into a premier space for higher education and community collaboration. The building now houses 38 classrooms, a 375-seat theater, multiple study spaces, lounges, and terraces overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue and the Capitol. Additionally, there is a library, a fitness center and a coffee shop.

The new facility houses all the school’s DC-based graduate students, faculty, and staff under one roof. The facility features two cantilevered floating classrooms at the center of the building that hang from trusses and offer expansive views of the atrium. The building includes a large open meeting space for students to study, relax, and hang out in between classes; nicknamed “The Beach,” it is an homage to a greenspace on Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus.

“Converting the Hopkins Bloomberg Center from a museum into a modern education facility to support Johns Hopkins University’s programs has been an exciting challenge and we have greatly benefited from having the original building’s architects and engineers on our team,’’ says Amy Mercurio, Associate VP of Capital Projects, Johns Hopkins University.

The building’s façade was overseen by local authorities and designed and coordinated using Tennessee Pink marble, as can be found in building exteriors throughout DC, such as those of the Smithsonian, National Portrait Gallery, Lincoln & Jefferson Memorials, and National Archives Gallery, all located along the Washington Mall. The interior architectural and structural renovations included the reconfiguration of floorplates to increase square footage and the addition of the room bridge and room stair structures in the atrium to provide added program space. The building is anticipated to receive LEED Silver Certification.

“The Hopkins Bloomberg Center is a new landmark facility for Johns Hopkins University,” said Vincent McLaughlin, Project Manager, MGAC. “We are pleased to deliver a building that will contribute to the cultural and academic landscape of Washington, DC.”

MGAC supported Johns Hopkins Facilities & Real Estate and worked closely with Ennead Architects (exterior architect), Rockwell Group (interior architect), SmithGroup (architect of record), and Clark Construction (construction manager).