Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center

Located on Pennsylvania Ave in the heart of Washington, D.C., this highly visible building formerly functioned as a museum dedicated to news and journalism. The museum space had a lot of quirks and character, such as cross-atrium staircases and a below-grade connection to an adjacent residential tower. The new space is more user-friendly and accessible, achieving a blend of original features, like the striking atrium and outside gardens and terraces, with updated elements such as floating classrooms and efficient lighting. Four graduate schools come together in this building, a facility dedicated to convening and collaboration, of exploration and inquiry. The new Bloomberg Center adds social value to the D.C. area and beyond in its quest to provide a modern research facility that contributes to uncovering and sharing information that serves the world.

An interesting aspect of the renovation is that the design team for the updated facility included several firms involved with the original 2008 Newseum: architecture firm Ennead Architects, structural engineering firm LERA, and MEP engineering by WSP. Together, this team helped Johns Hopkins preserve the original character of the building while transforming it into a world-class education facility.

Multidisciplinary success story

Since WSP provided MEP engineering for the original Newseum, the team had deep background knowledge of the existing infrastructure. This prior experience led the design team to test the existing equipment, where it was determined that much of the existing infrastructure could be reused, a value-add that enhanced both sustainability and cost savings for the client.

WSP Lighting illuminated the workplace and classrooms with a contemporary LED linear solution for the general ambient and perimeter accent lighting, both pendant and recessed versions. Recessed perimeter slots highlight textured feature walls, including the master staircase that spans the height of the full building. Layered accent lighting of multiple interior ceiling and wall treatments challenged the lighting team to differentiate classroom, workspace and media suite areas visually while coordinating with MEP systems within these spaces.

The MEP team faced the critical need to maintain building operations during construction, as the education facility has an adjacent residential tower. WSP leveraged knowledge of the original infrastructure to design a phasing plan that reduced downtime of the shared MEP systems and ensured minimal impact to the residents — especially for life safety services.

Through this renovation, WSP created a safer and more energy efficient environment for the building’s users — students, faculty and policymakers. Both usability and sustainability were achieved through the integration of sensor-based lighting controls, LED lights, building management system for control of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and a rainwater harvesting system.

The work of MEP engineers is mostly hidden above ceilings and behind walls, but to allow maximum user engagement, lighting and HVAC controls, receptacle locations and use of roller window shades were intuitively placed and easy to operate. Smart lighting controls were provided so that light levels of spaces were lit appropriately with daylight and occupancy sensing. Preset lighting scene controls within classrooms and auditoriums enable faculty to adapt the classroom for lectures or video presentations.

Regardless of where the solutions reside, WSP maintained a strong focus on people-centric design; spaces that feel good and are easy to control.