In an effort to bring together researchers across the university's numerous divisions, Hopkins will begin construction of a new research building, Malone Hall, later this year. The building will adjoin Mason Hall and Hackerman Hall at the southeast corner of Decker Quadrangle.
"We are currently just finishing up the design and development phase," Amy Mercurio, Senior Project Manager at the Office of Facilities Management, said.
According to Mercurio, the anticipated start date for construction is in August, with the building expected to be completed in June 2014.
The project is funded in large part by a $30 million donation from John Malone, Hopkins alum and chairman of Liberty Media Corp. and Liberty Global Inc. Malone's donation is the largest received by the Whiting School of Engineering. The four-story Malone Hall is set to house two major facilities, the Systems Institute and the Homewood base of the Individualized Health Initiative. Construction of the 56,000-square-foot facility is projected to cost $37.5 million.
Emphasizing the importance of individual care, the Individualized Health Initiative will bring information sciences into patient treatment, bringing together engineers and researchers to better incorporate genetic and epigenetic information into treatments. The Systems Institute is aimed to have researchers take on problems from a multidisciplinary approach, drawing upon the strengths of researchers at Homewood, the Applied Physics Laboratory and the medical campus.
For the designing phase of the project, Hopkins worked with the SLAM Collaboration, who has begun work on a website to offer information on the project as it progresses. Hopkins has also contracted Whiting-Turner as the construction manager.
Mercurio expects only the outside area designated for Malone Hall and the south entrance to Hackerman Hall will be impacted once construction begins.
